Mission Lab: Recent Episodes
Shawn Brace
Missional musings and advice on church, the gospel, missional communities, and discipleship - from the front lines of secularism.
After an eighteen month absence, Shawn gives an update on their lives and solicits prayers for their future endeavors (both personally and missionally).
Shawn has a conversation with one of his new church members, Lori Day, who, along with her husband, Weston, showed up to his church a year ago, after making an unlikely move from Texas to Maine to join up with God's mission. Listen in as Lori shares her journey from atheism to grace, and from Texas to Maine.
Shawn interviews a long-time friend he's known since childhood - a friend from the boonies of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, where Shawn's family has a vacation home. Jimmy tells his remarkable story of coming to Christ - going from a context where there are very few Christians, and mostly just Catholics if anyone is, to one that is learning what it means to follow Jesus.
Shawn shares about an experience he had recently doing a sort of "public" evangelistic meeting, asking if it was, perhaps, the most successful one ever conducted. Of course, there is a twist to the whole experience, and he asks the question a little tongue-in-cheek.
Don't be too scandalized by the title: Shawn unpacks some recent realizations he's had about how to look at the idea of disciple-making. When understood in this way, he proposes it has a chance to elevate its significance.
To subscribe to his new weekly newsletter, Reimagining Faith, go to shawnbrace.substack.com.
After a long, long hiatus, Shawn drops by with an update and a promise of future episodes.
Shawn has a really stimulating conversation with Pastor Kessia Reyne Bennett, pastor for discipleship at the College View Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they talk about her journey into faith, the community that drew her in, and whether or not we have to convert people to modernism in order to convert them to Christianity.
Shawn has a conversation with his new pal Kevin, who became an overnight TikTok star, reflecting on what that's been like personally and missionally - and how it relates to incarnational ministry.
Shawn has a conversation with his old friend Chad Stuart, pastor of the Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is a large "institutional church" in Maryland. Chad talks about transitioning his church to focus on small groups, and what it's been like to do it with his whole family, prioritizing his children.
The title is pretty self-explanatory: as a part of a major recruitment effort, where Shawn's church is trying to bring in 5-10 families to help with their missional work, Shawn provides seven reasons why you should consider moving to Bangor!
We do something different: we cross-post an interview that Shawn was on the receiving end of a while back on a podcast called Disruptive Adventism. Though much of the content will probably sound like much of what we've shared on this podcast in the past, having someone else interview Shawn elicited a slightly different take than what we've heard before. Listen in as Jose Briones grills Shawn on what it means to be missional.
Shawn has a conversation with his friend and one-time parishioner Mike Brown to discuss his journey out of drug-dealing and into faith, and the insidious nature of shame-based discipleship. They talk about the power of going through the 12 steps, and how remembering our identity in Christ is crucial for the life of faith.
Shawn looks back at ten years of ministering in Bangor, five years of being on mission, and 100 episodes of the podcast, and shares his favorite and most meaningful missional memories.
A few months ago when Shawn was wrestling with how to take his church to the next level and develop leaders, he suddenly realized he had a great resource within his own congregation: a young, energetic, successful entrepreneur who has started multiple businesses. So he chats with friend and church member Courtney Wetzel, who launched into business ownership at age 23, to talk about how to lead with a compelling mission and how to develop leaders.
Shawn sits down with his good friend, Pastor Nathan Stearman, to talk about Nathan's journey from guilt-driven discipleship to gospel-centered discipleship. Nathan shares his story - about his upbringing, about stepping into the glorious light of the gospel, and about how the gospel has changed the way he treats his dog.
Have you ever thought about the possibility that one of your primary callings in life is to serve as the chaplain of your neighborhood? What would that look like and mean? Shawn shares some stories and reflections on this critical part of mission and life.
Combining a Greek and Latin word, Shawn reflects on what we are really inviting people into when we share with them the story of Jesus. In short, we're not inviting them into an idea or a theology or into propositional truth; we're inviting them into the community of God, in all its embodied and messy beauty.
Shawn talks about what he does for his personal prayer and Scripture time. He makes sure to point out that he is not prescribing anything, but simply talking about what his journey has looked like, while noting that having an active and vibrant connection to Christ is critical for discipleship.
How should the church relate to the LGBT community? For some, the answer may be obvious. But Shawn has a conversation with his friend Elijah, who identifies as a gay Christian, and they talk about how he has faced this question, and what it's like to grow up always feeling different. They talk about how the church has done when it comes to the LGBT community, and what it can do better. This is a conversation that has been long overdue, but obviously requires great sensitivity and care.
Note: the views expressed in this episode are solely the views of the Shawn and Elijah and do not necessarily speak for the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a whole.
Shawn has a conversation with his friend David Hamstra, who is a pastor in Edmonton, Alberta, and a ThD student at Andrews University. They talk about living in and ministering to a secular age, how to reach people in such a context, what it means to focus on immanent versus transcendent goods, and what this means for various aspects of life, including sexuality.
You've heard his name mentioned at the end of every episode, sweetly voiced by little Acadia. Now Shawn sits down with his lifelong friend Chris Irrgang to discuss a wide range of topics - from growing up in the church, to the gospel, to surviving life in a small rural church, to the Christian's relation to politics.
Reflecting on a recent experience he had, Shawn describes a sort of epiphany he had about the gospel, life, and mission.
Not to make anyone feel bad, but this is quite possibly Shawn's favorite interview he's ever recorded. He sits down with his childhood friend, Liz, whom he'd lost touch with for two decades, to talk about her crazy journey since they last connected. It has taken many crazy twists in turns - from major trauma, to heroin addiction, to Utah, to Portland, Maine, where she is now experiencing recovery and a new sense of God's love. You won't want to miss this exciting story!
What happens when everyone claims that their beliefs are based solely on the Bible and the Bible alone, and yet everyone comes up with different interpretations? Do we assume the Bible can never be understood? That the world is blessed that we've finally come along to straighten everyone out? Shawn shares some reflections on how we walk the very narrow path in pursuit of Scriptural fidelity.
Shawn shares some very melancholic thoughts on recent challenges with their missional efforts. But he ends with hope.
Shawn reflects on a few experiences he recently had, noting how "altar calls" and gospel invitations happen implicitly as we enter into life with people and they organically encounter our values and priorities. He notes that we probably have to do a lot less planning and plotting, figuring out how to awkwardly verbalize an invitation to make a decision, because people are inevitably already making decisions about what drives us without us having to even ask.
Shawn welcomes his friend Michael Nixon, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Andrews University, to talk about the work of anti-racism both inside and outside the church, Black Lives Matter, and whether disciples of Jesus can participate in such a movement.
After a long coronavirus hiatus, Shawn is back and sharing some reflections on what church does and will and should look like after coronavirus. Instead of viewing the restrictions as a government conspiracy against Christianity, or a lamentable situation that prevents mission, he proposes that it is actually a huge gift to the church to get back to what it means to truly be the church.
Shawn shares some reflections based on an article recently published in The Atlantic about the nuclear family. He offers commentary on the topic and how it relates to our ecclesiology and missiology. To read the article, click here.
Shawn welcomes back his good friend, Jim Mello, as they tackle an interesting question: is it possible to become addicted to religion? And what would that even mean? Along the way we also discuss black-and-white thinking, the stages of faith, and what all this has to do with mission and discipleship.
Reflecting on his experience of dialoguing with people of various religious perspectives, Shawn discusses the importance of taking a posture of humility and "functional pluralism." He wonders if it is even possible to argue people into truth.
Shawn breaks down a whole slew of quotes from Ellen White that demonstrate how she had no place for tradition, explaining how it is that his own views have broadened as a result. Email him at shawnbrace at gmail dot com to get a copy of both the abridged and unabridged compilation of the quotes he shares.
This week, Shawn decides to share a recent teaching from a new series he started called "Viral: Unleashing the Revolution." It is Part 3. You can follow along with the whole series by going to bangorsda.org or by clicking here.
Shawn shares some reflections on common terminology that leaves him feeling a little uneasy. Are people more than just "Bible studies" or "interests"?
What is the real metric we should be measuring when it comes to our efficacy as God's people? We unpack this critically important question.
Have you ever listened to Radio Lab? In a recent episode, Shawn found some great analogies that can provide insight into the way we do mission.
Sharing some struggles he's been having recently, Shawn reflects on an important realization when it comes to discipleship and mission.
We recruited a cast of thousands to break down this timely question brought up by a reason Barna study: why do Millennials apparently think it's wrong to share their faith with the hopes that others will one day join their faith? Actually, eight of us sit around a living room for a fireside chat for a lively and riveting discussion about what it means to share one's faith and how one might do it in an age of pluralism.
Though we have never planted a church from scratch, we offer some very practical advice on what we would do if we did. Or at least how we would start the process.
Shawn sat down with one of his new elders at his church to talk about his journey into missional leadership. Hear James Moors's inspiring story from living on the streets of Bangor to running a soup kitchen to being an elder of evangelism for a restarted church.
Hard conversations are, well, hard, but they are so critically important. We talk about the importance of dialogue - both when it comes to life in community as well as discipling others who don't know Christ, offering a few pointers.
We're back again - this time with Camille, to discuss children's programming and what it's been like to provide it during the adult worship gathering.
Shawn shares a few stories he experienced recently about people who were trying to proselytize and witness and reflects on whether these are the best ways to be missional.
After taking a hiatus for a couple months, Shawn returns and explains where they've been, what they've been up to, and how their church restart and missional efforts are going.
What can happen if we regularly show up at the same place at the same time? Good things. Though we've touched on this before, we discuss the importance of getting into missional rhythms, sharing some inspiring stories about the people we've blessed and drawn into our lives simply by showing up repeatedly to the same place at the same time.
Meet Jose. He's a friend of Shawn's. The two met while Jose was serving Shawn and his book club at a Mexican restaurant in Bangor. From there, the friendship blossomed - and now Jose sits down with Shawn and shares his reflections on his disbelief in God, growing up in Mexico, living as an undocumented immigrant in the United States, and his experience at Shawn's restarted church.
After "re-launching" our Sabbath gathering service on September 15, we share some reflections on what went down and how it went.
Shawn shows his "conservative" stripes by sharing some reflections on the message we bear. He notes how when we proclaim Jesus, we're not just proclaiming a shallow and vague picture of Him; we have a beautiful and powerful message to share, flowing from the idea that "God is love," and enunciated through Adventist theology and doctrine.
He also offers a prize at the end. So listen up!
Is doing evangelism or being missional simply about plugging in a canned technique and waiting for people to be converted? For far too long, this is how people have approached evangelism in the West. But Shawn expounds upon how it's not about finding the right method or perfect technique; it's about interpreting the surrounding culture to which you've been sent and, in the Spirit's power, contextualizing the gospel so it looks and sounds like good news to those you're trying to bless and serve.
We take a step back and linger a little longer over the values that our restarted church has embraced and is seeking to implement. We also spend a little time breaking down a reading by Jeff Chu, from "Everyone At the Table," that we read at the beginning of all our missional community gatherings.
After alluding to it on a number of occasions in the past, we finally come out with it and explain what it means to "restart" our church. We detail the events that led up to it, how it all transpired, why it transpired, and what it looks like.
We go an unconventional route, sharing a sermon that Ty Gibson recently preached. But cut us some slack: we're on vacation!ff Be encouraged, challenged, and stimulated by this thought-provoking sermon by Ty as he grapples with the question of whether people who have never heard of - or seemingly rejected - Christ can be saved.
Shawn sits down with Ted Huskins, the Executive Secretary from the Northern New England Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (the governing body that oversees churches in his region), to discuss the challenges of spreading the gospel in New England. Ted reflects on his experience moving from the "Bible Belt" to secular New England, and how his understanding of church planting and evangelism has changed as a result. He explains the church planting initiative that he is leading, and invites listeners to come join the movement at ground zero of secularism in the United States.
To email Ted Huskins, email thuskins@nnec.org.
Shawn sits down with Greg Jamrog, who recently embraced Christianity and Adventism, to talk about what his journey into faith looked like. They discuss how Greg is an example of what Camille and Shawn talked about in Episode 57 - where leaning into faith will often come primarily through attractive relationships and not necessarily because a person has an unsatiable appetite for "truth."
We knew this day would come: we've been having conversations lately with people who are interested in officially joining our church. But their interest doesn't necessarily follow traditional Adventist evangelistic lines. So we discuss questions about baptism, membership, and discipleship - noting how historically Adventists have opted for membership over discipleship.
Shawn goes solo and preaches a "sermon," examining scripture to determine if church buildings contain "sacred space." He then applies the implications to mission, discipleship, and ecclessiology, and addresses common objections to his conclusions.
What would it look like for teens - middle and high schoolers - to be on mission. We tackle this question, as posed to us by a friend, sharing some practical tips for teens as they think about being on mission and making disciples. This is an episode you can share with your teens as we disciple them to join up with God in His mission.
Shawn goes solo in this episode to talk about something that - in his opinion - a church should never, ever do.
We have noticed that one of the more common discipleship issues, from a philosophical perspective, is the question of faith and science. Whether it's with already-believers, or with those who are exploring faith, the question of evolutionary theory is one that comes up frequently. Shawn interviews Dr. Anthony Bosman, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Andrews University, to talk about the interaction of faith and science broadly speaking, and creation and evolution specifically - and what to do when these issues surface in mission.
We celebrate our fifty-second podcast in a row, marking one year since we started, by reflecting on what we've learned about mission, discipleship, church, and the gospel over the last year. We also share a few stats about the podcast - and Shawn shares his surprising marathon story from his second marathon the week before.
Back in episode 25, we discussed whether we should "go rogue" when it comes to mission and community in our churches if others don't get it. In this episode, we circle back around to this idea after receiving a question from our friends who seem to be facing this very issue in their own church experience. Is there a place to cut the chord and launch out on our own? We share some surprising insights from older Adventist sources and how they might apply today.
While in Michigan, attending and presenting at a conference, Shawn made a new friend - Simret Mahary - and talked with him about his missional efforts in Frankfurt, Germany. Born in Ethiopa but raised in Germany, Simret is a pastor who started PRESENCE Kulturlounge, which is a cultural center that brings people together to talk about art, movies, and spirituality (what missional theorists would call a "Third Space"). Glean some ideas from what it's like to be missional in Europe - the most secular part of the world.
While visiting family in Florida recently, Shawn sat down for a conversation with Elaine Gregory, who's the mother of his brother-in-law and an atheist. She talks about growing up in England, where her mother exposed her to many different religions and how she arrived at her atheism. She unpacks her views on life without God, what religion offers, what type of church experience she would enjoy, what her vision of heaven is, and a few barbs about the Catholic church (but kudos to the Pope).
While visiting Andrews University to attend and present at a conference on reaching Millennials, Shawn ran into his friend Bryant and they sat down to talk about life in Tennessee. After graduating with a degree in theology in 2017, Bryant found himself without a job, with no one hiring him to pastor. So after finding a job with McKee Foods, he started his own community, serving those on the fringes.
Shawn sits down with one of his very best friends, who is just two days older than him, as they talk about what church looks like to a pastor who now sits in the pew. For the last couple years, Jarod Thomas has been working for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and has come to some surprirsing and interesting insights as he has been an observer in the crowd. How does Jarod feel about church? And what might it look like in the future? Check out this thought-provoking episode!
To read the article Shawn references about why church is so "blah," even for many pastors, click here.
Follow us on Twitter @mlabpodcast.
We answer a few more of your questions, discussing what we would have done differently in the past, knowing what we know now; how we can approach Scripture with the proper hermeneutical lens; and how tithe would work if pastors served more as planters and equippers.
We tackle four questions in this episode, discussing what we do when we are being missional but our values clash with those we're trying to disciple, whether and from whom we can learn about discipleship, how we can be supportive of those in leadership at our church who want to just do traditional evangelism, and what we would change about our church. We also announce the winner of our book drawing. Don't miss out!
Follow us on Twitter @mlabpodcast.
We've touched on it in the past, but we circle back around and spend more time on the importance of eating with people as a missional and communal posture. We look at the precedent of Jesus on this and how it was one of His favorite missional activities. We also suggest some good questions one can ask during a missional community meal, and talk about how food should unite us and not divide us.
Check out this really good article for further thoughts on this: https://saturatetheworld.com/2018/03/22/eating-together/
Email us at shawnbrace@gmail.com.
Follow us on Twitter @mlabpodcast.
It may sound like a cliche, but we talk about the importance of prayer when it comes to mission and discipleship, sharing a few stories about how it has impacted our own lives and mission. Since we cannot control other human beings, we discuss how only the Holy Spirit can bring conviction, speaking to people's hearts. At the same time, we share a huge caveat about how prayer cannot be used as an excuse for inaction.
Don't forget to get questions in for our special episode on April 2. Get them in by March 29 by emailing shawnbrace@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @mlabpodcast.
Is the pastor supposed to be the only one in the church who utilizes his or her gifts? Quite often that seems to be the case. First looking at some sobering stats from our local Seventh-day Adventist conference, we reflect on how every member has been gifted for ministry, discussing the fivefold gifts in Ephesians 4:11-16, and how the success of the church depends on every member of the body utilizing his or her gifts.
To take a quick Fivefold Gifts survey, go here: http://fivefoldmissions.org/fivefoldsurvey/
To order Alan Hirsch's book, 5Q, click here.
To submit a question, email: shawnbrace@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @mlabpodcast.
There seems to be a growing sentiment among Christians in general, and even Seventh-day Adventists in particular, which says that we shouldn't "steal sheep" from other denominations. Is this a correct attitude? We grapple with this important question, asking whether there is any room for introducing others to our "truth" and whether the goal of discipleship is to get everyone - whether they're Christians already or completely unchurched - to become Adventist.
Shawn goes solo and offers a telling of "The Story of God," showing the big picture of the Bible's overarching narrative. He shares a few thoughts on how one can organize gatherings for an ongoing telling of the story, how it can be shared with those who don't know anything about God, and a few resources in learning the story better.
This is a critical conversation. Shawn sits down with our good friend and missional community member Judi to talk about what the gospel and mission have to do with race. We talk about the importance of empathy and validating a person's experience and feelings, and genuinely listening to their stories without trying to delegitimatize them. We also discuss how being gospel-people has everything to do with racial reconcilation and how missional communities can provide safe spaces to have such important conversations.
There seems to be an increasing number of pastors, especially those who are new in ministry, who are becoming disillusioned with "traditional" pastoring. The good news is, the "traditional" way of doing it is probably not biblical. We discuss how pastors can reframe their ministry around mission, discipleship, and community.
The word "discipleship" is such a buzzword today. It is populat to talk about its importance. We also mention it frequently. But what does it mean? And how do we do it? We grapple with this important and significant question, offering our take on what it means to make disciples and how we do it.
Pretty simple: we reflect on what scares us about mission, discipleship, and the church.
Shawn sits down with our good friend, Tom, who is a part of our missional community. We talk about his journey as a young man growing up in a Catholic home, his brief stint in Judaism, how his wife's prayers have borne fruit after 30 years of marriage, and his doubts and decisions relating to Christianity, discipleship, and the Bible. At the end of the day, we rejoice in the fun he's having as he explores life in community and on mission.
We pick off a few ideas from Rob Bell, Brene Brown, Jeff Bezos, Esther, Jesus, and Paul and encourage people to realize that "we are the committee." God is longing for people to have the courage to move forward to participate in His mission, prayerfully and graciously being who He wants us to be.
Does God need us to dress up? That's the question we explore in this episode, asking whether we need to wear suits and ties and nice dresses when we gather together. Not surprisingly, we say the answer is a resounding "no!" In fact, to do so may give the impression of non-inclusiveness. And it may be idolatrous, as though God needs to be appeased by us by wearing some sort of arbitrary costume.
We share this powerful quote from one of our favorite authors, Ellen White: "“On Sunday many popular churches appear more like a theater than like a place for the worship of God. Every fashionable dress is displayed there. Many of the poor have not courage to enter such houses of worship. Their plain dress, though it may be neat, is in marked contrast with that of their more wealthy sisters, and this difference causes them to feel embarrassed” (CTBH 85).
Over the course of our podcast we haven't talked much about the importance of making Scripture the foundation of our mission, discipleship and community. So that's what we do here. We address the role of Scripture in the life of the disciple and the community of disciples, noting how a missional community is not just a "support group," and then discuss the role of Scripture in the discipling of others.
We mention four questions that can be very helpful in guiding one's study of Scripture:
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Who is God?
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What has He done?
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Who am I in light of what He's done?
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How do I live?
Shawn sits down with his mother to talk about her life on mission - before being missional was even cool - as a nurse for three decades. She shares a really unbelievable story of Doreen, a troubled co-worker the Brace family took in for a weekend that turned into nearly two decades, and how that simple decision ended up having eternal ramifications.
We reflect back on the past year and discuss whether we have experienced any success missionally. Of course, this brings up all sorts of questions of what success looks like, how we define it, and how we ultimately should leave those concerns up to God.
We crunch some numbers. Not that we're really about numbers, but we make a simple case for why life-on-life discipleship is a smarter investment of time, money, and resources when it comes to trying to change the world than putting on big meetings that might draw a larger crowd. Simply put, it's the power of exponential growth.
Is it possible to learn something from people who don't believe in God? Shawn sits down with Camille's sister, Shelley, and her husband Greg, to have a fascinating and edifying conversation about their journey in and out of Christianity and faith.
We get practical again and share some ideas on how to be missional at Christmas time - without putting on a program. It's never too early to start thinking about the Christmas season. So enjoy a few suggestions of how you can get on mission this year.
We get very practical here, sharing 13 ways to be missional in your city or town. We talk about how we can enter the rhythms of life in your community and incarnate the gospel in everyday life. The goal, of course, is to repeatedly journey alongside people so we can ultimately "do life" with them and bless and serve them.
So what happens if you're a pastor or a layperson and you'd really like to get your church on mission, making disciples, and forming community, but you're not sure that anyone else does? We talk about some practical steps to take when it comes to pursuing this vision within your congregation.
We take a breather and review what we've been talking about in the podcast. This is a very big picture episode which can easily be shared to give the crux of our missional burden. We talk about the challenges the church faces, how we need to be missional and not attractional, how we need to do life with people, and how we can form communities that are on mission.
Shawn sits down with our good friend, Ty Gibson, to discuss the state of the church. Ty is co-director of Light Bearers Ministry in Jasper, Oregon, as well as ARISE - which trains young people in the gospel. Ty pulls no punches as he evaluates our challenges in the church and offers a few practical solutions on how we can fulfill our high calling.
There is a lot of church practice that we participate in without examining our underlying assumptions. In this episode, we take a step back and talk about the purpose and reasons for gathering as God's people, first touching upon why we refer to such events as "gatherings" rather than "church," and then laying a foundation for how gathering as God's people might look.
We've talked in the past about what a missional community is and how important they are. Now we talk about some of the ins-and-outs of starting one. What are the first steps to starting a missional community and how do we choose our mission? These are a few of the questions we tackle in this very relevant conversation!
While speaking in Australia recently, Shawn caught up with two young church planters who are on fire for mission. Meet Francis Pule and Lachlan Campbell, who started LifeSwich Community Church in Goodna, Queensland, Australia. Enjoy their passion and glean some ideas. Hear how regular pastoring just wasn't cutting it for them.
Shawn's dad stops by and shares reflections from over 40 years of ministry. He talks about the positives from his ministry and what he may have done differently - implicitly revealing that you can teach an old dog new tricks. We reflect on how to reach people from Beacon Hill in Boston - the epitome of those from the upper class - and how our traditional evangelistic efforts likely won't reach people of that ilk (and how they haven't). Lastly, we reflect for a few moments on what it's like to be retired, and what is keeping him busy these days.
You've heard other people's stories on the podcast, now spend the next two weeks hearing ours. Shawn kicks off this two-part detour sharing his story - admitting that his story is quite ordinary and boring - but also recognizing that that's where its power resides.
You've heard us mention his name a few times, now meet him yourself! Shawn sits down with our friend Pudge to talk about his zig-zagging life - from growing up as a military brat, to having the fear of God scared into him by his childhood pastor, to bouncing in and out of marriage - and church. Discover why he's felt a pull back into the missional life.
One of the most powerful things we can do while being on mission and making disciples is to listen to one another's story. We explain how this has been so important in our missional community life and how it gives dignity to those we are blessing and serving.
Approximately half the population of the world considers themselves to be "introverts." What does mission and community mean for them? Do they get a free pass from making disciples and being on mission? Acknowledging that we are both extroverts, we discuss how introverts may actually have an advantage when it comes to making disciples and being in missional communities.
Shawn sits down with his good friend - NFL veteran and stay-at-home Dad, Mike DeVito. We talk about Mike's story of coming to Christ in college, how that naturally translated into sharing his faith with his family, but how his missional fervor has admittedly waned since then. We also dabble in a brief conversation on the relation of culture and Christ - how to walk the fine line of trying to redeem the culture for Christ while not being changed by it.
We talk a lot about creating inclusive and safe communities where love is the foundation. Does this mean that all you need is love? Are we just trying to get people to love other people - to be nice, kind, and friendly? If so, is there any place for doctrine, theology, the Bible, Christianity? In this episode, we wrestle with this important question as it relates to mission, discipleship, and community.
How do we respond to people when they say that "my family is my mission"? Simple: it's not family or mission or family and mission. It's about being a family on mission. Noting how all the time, money, and resources that has gone into "youth ministry" has still resulted in many young people leaving the church, we propose that our youth and young people should not be the object of our mission but the subject. What they're looking for is not to be entertained - but to see an authentic faith that express itself in true community and making a tangible difference in the world.
Shawn sits down with his good friend Jim Mello to discuss the importance of safe communities, emotional intelligence, and his faith journey - which has had many twists and turns. We discuss Jim's experience with church and being drawn into our missional community.
We look down at some vital statistics, noting, for example, how those who consider themselves to be religiously "nones" has doubled in the last decade in the United States, equaling the number who are Bible-believing, and how a mere 4% of Millennials attend a worship service on any given weekend. We discuss how we are in a dire situation, and how not changing is more dangerous than launching into the unknown.
Foundational to all we do with mission, discipleship, and community is the gospel. We slow down to look this critical issue, sharing personal testimonies about how the gospel has affected our lives and how we constantly need to be reminded of it. We discuss what the gospel is, how it changes us, and how we can become fluent in it, re-iterating that the human heart longs to be fully known and fully loved.
We sit down and have a conversation with our sister-in-law, Ellie - an ordinary, stay-at-home Mom who is on mission in the everyday stuff of life. She shares with us why she said "yes" to being a part of our Missional Community, how her understanding of church, evangelism, and mission have changed as a result, and how she is still growing in her demonstration and proclamation of the gospel.
As Christians, are we trying to bless people or convert them? Or both? We grapple with this important question, attempting to first redeem the idea of converting people and then reminding ourselves that we are ultimately called to be a blessing to people, regardless of whether they ever make a decision for Christ. We are called to live lives of "disinterested love." No doubt, this will create within the heart of those we serve and bless curiosity as to why we lead such other-centered lives. As Jeff Vanderstelt puts it, we are to "live in such a way that it would demand a 'Jesus explanation.'"
Playing off Jesus' instructions to the 70 in Luke 10, we look at the "Person of Peace" concept and its implications for mission. Mission and discipleship is less about reaching the masses as it is about finding a few people to invest in, bless, and "do life" with. In order to impact people in a substantive way, we need to go deep with them. And in order to make disciples who are submitted to Christ in all of life, we need to do all of life with them.
For more information on this important concept, and to download the free eBook that Shawn references, check out The Viral Gospel by Alex Absalom by clicking here.
We introduce the idea of missional communities in this episode, explaining how a missional community is a "family of missionary servants, sent out by God to make disciples who make disciples." It's not a small group, not a weekly meeting, but a family of disciples who re-orient themselves to the rhythms of each other's lives, focusing primarily on mission. Missional communities serve as the primary organizing structure of the church - church on "street level" and the everyday.
Why is it that as Christians we frequently separate and isolate ourselves from the rest of society? We explore the reasons for this and whether doing so is the right way to live out the gospel. We submit that, as Christians following the example of Jesus, we are called to "incarnate" the gospel - to move into the neighborhood and "stay" with people. We are invited not simply to "go" to people on "mission visits," but to actually "stay" with them, doing all-of-life with them. This is what it means to truly be missional.
Editorial note: Shawn cites statistics which maintain that when evangelists send flyers out for seminars, they get one or two people to attend per 10,000 flyers. The stat is actually one or two people per 1,000 flyers, however.
What is the mission of the church? The answer may surprise you. It's not putting on exciting programs, producing great music, feeding the homeless, or even loving people. Join us for this critical conversation - maybe the most important of them all.
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We talk about why we don’t like church – about how it’s not truly church we don’t like, but our narrow definition of church as a program that takes place in a building. We discuss the difference between attractional and missional church, ending with a call to get back to biblical church: God’s people pursuing authentic community and living out the gospel in everyday life. Twitter: @mlabpodcast.