Ecclesia Blog
Audio for 2008 Ecclesia Conference
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Practicing the Gospel: Collective Session Descriptions
The Current Practice of the Gospel - Tuesday Afternoon
Guide: David Fitch
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A casual look at the kinds of people we have become in the eyes of U.S. culture gives us cause for concern. Yet, the kinds of people we are is formed out of how we speak and practice the gospel. If we would be witnesses, we must examine the ways we speak and practice the gospel for the kinds of people we are forming? Are our communities being shaped for incarnational witness to the gospel?
The Practice of Church as Counter-Culture - Tuesday Afternoon
Guide: David Fitch
We are perceived as a dispassionate people by the U.S. culture despite being a generous people by all measures. I suggest that the ways we speak and practice ecclesia (community) have in fact formed us for dispassionate life/witness together. What ways can we speak and practice community that can form us as a people of charity embodying a faithful witness to Christ?
The Practice of Scripture as Proclamation & Story - Tuesday Evening
Guide: David Fitch
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We are perceived as a violent, judgmental coercive people by the U.S. Culture. I suggest the ways we speak and practice Scripture in fact form us for this kind of witness. What ways can we speak about and practice Scripture that can form us as a people of hope, embodying faithful witness to Christ?
The Practice of Spiritual Formation as Community - Wednesday Morning
Guide: David Fitch
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We are perceived as Morally Duplicitous by the U.S. culture. I suggest the ways we speak about and practice salvation/sanctification in fact form us for this kind of witness. What ways can we speak about and practice salvation that form us as a people of faithfulness, embodying faithful witness to Christ.
The Practice of Re-Calibrating the 21st Century Church - Wed. Afternoon
Guide: Alan Hirsch
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This session will summarize the critical areas which will need to be recalibrated if Christianity is going to become a genuine transformative movement in the US.
The Practice of Incarnational Engagement - Wednesday Evening
Guide: Alan Hirsch
Here we will explore both the theological basis for incarnational mission as well as some ways in which we can integrate incarnational practices into our way of engaging society.
The Practice of Communitas - Thursday Morning
Guide: Alan Hirsch
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This workshop/study will explore ways in which to put adventure back into the equation of church and why this is important in missional movements. We will also look at how this can be done practically.
Practicing the Gospel: Focused Sessions
The Leader as Equipper in the Future Church
Guide: JR Woodward
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We live in times of rapid discontinuous change, a time in which flying solo in leadership can be detrimental to the health of the church. We must engage in adaptive team leadership, allowing God’s Spirit to lead and guide us into the future, as we remember the past. We need a team of various kinds of leaders who will equip the church to engage missionally, theologically, contextually and structurally. We need leaders who can equip the church to be a hospital where people find healing and move towards wholeness, as well as equip the church to be a prophetic voice to bring more of heaven to earth. Come and learn practical ways to equip the church you serve for today and tomorrow.
Missional Endurance: Keep Your Soul Well For The Long Haul
Guide: Keith Matthews
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Living in a culture that demands “instant” success, how do we develop Christian virtues such as endurance, perseverance, courage, and faithfulness through the long haul of ministry life. We are great at “sprinting” into ministry, but terrible at the “marathon” of ministry life. Let’s understand longevity in terms of Seven “P’s” to keep a sense of balance in life. Consider . . . Purpose, Prayer, Priorities, Planning, Pace, Play, and People.
The Church & the Creative Age
Guide: Chris Backert & Keith Locke
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We are undergoing another massive shift in the way that work impacts our broader society. A little over a hundred years ago we moved from an agricultural age to an industrial age. Now we are in the midst of what some are calling a transition to - The Creative age. Creative workers comprise a greater portion of our society than ever before and their influence is far-reaching into all aspects of our culture. What are the facets of the Creative Age and the Creative Class? What are the key cities in which this class locates? What can missional congregations do to respond? This discussion will draw from work on the Creative Class & the Cultural Creatives to consider issues and opportunities facing congregations.