Shapevine Missional Simple and House Church Spiritual Leaders -- Alan Hirsch Sally Morgenthaler Ron Martoia Steve Sjogren Reggie McNeal Brant Hansen Frank Viola

From Missional Thought to Missional Action

For some it is always easier to through money at a need or mission rather then actually becoming physically involved with the issues at hand.

In what ways do we as leaders encourage people to take part and "do/live" mission rather then simply bankrolling it?

Posted by Erik Freiburger @ Leadership | 3 comment(s)

tim hoeksema @ Leadership

APEST? how does church leadership work?

I have been trying to understand how Biblical leadership works. I have grown up in the evangelical church in the USA and made many asumptions about church leadership based on how I saw it lived out as a child. I have spent the last 6-7 years unlearning some of what I grew up understanding. I know that some of us are called to function as leaders. But how do i lead? How do I identify other leaders? and what roles do leaders play in the forming and functioning of the church? Ephesians 4 seems to layout Biblical leadership the best i have seen it. Do you have other thoughts about leadership and how it works?

Keywords: APEST, Biblical, Leadership

Posted by tim hoeksema @ Leadership | 2 comment(s)

Shapevine @ Shapevine Webcasts

Talking Points

Tell us about an important talking point that came up in a previous Shapevine webcast. Perhaps we can extend the discussion here.

Keywords: discussion, talking points, webcast

Posted by Shapevine @ Shapevine Webcasts | 0 comment(s)

Lance Ford @ Ron S. Martoia

My Personal Rhythm

My personal rhythm flows out of having faced some deep questions over the last several years.

While I think my days as a church pastor, where our church mission statement was to lead everyone to full life development in Christ, caused me to face many purpose type questions, nothing has transformed me like the following battery.

• Who are you? Not as self but as Self?
• Why are you here? What is your Work not work.
• How are you unique? Confluence of all the stuff that makes up you.
• How can you make a dramatic difference? Best contribution.
• Who cares? Do you?

These questions come from a combination of questions asked from a consultant and a professor.

I wonder how often we operate aligned with well thought through answers to these types of questions and how often we are on autopilot doing whatever it is we think we are supposed to be doing…doing the daily grind so to speak.

The problem of course with these questions is a very egoic construction of self if you aren’t careful. If our ego is a container for all of our background, experiences, upbringing, geography, education and vocation, there are good chances that if we aren’t careful we will simply build our lives around a thinness that is self and not a richness rooted in Self. When that happens self tends to do work(s). The richness and depth of Self found in imago dei gravitates toward Work.

My sense is that in my life self and work lead me deeper into ego, whereas Self and Work lead me deeper into the pure sense of Being and I Am-ness placed at my core by the Creator God.

Maybe this is a function of personal maturity, vocational transition, personal pain, stage of life, wisdom, great coaching by those around me, or simply convergence of a number of factors, but my journey the last several years is that Self and Work, when they converge, lead to a deep sense of wholeness and shalom in me that naturally leaks out to others. It seems my life and ministry is deeper and richer these days. I have a sense of deep gratitude because of it.

Keywords: life, missional, missional church

Posted by Lance Ford @ Ron S. Martoia | 0 comment(s)