I love being forced to think outside the box by others. There are some conferences and gatherings where you just know that’s going to happen. As one attempts to be used by God to shepherd His people, I think it’s first vitally important to be a personal, passionate seeker of God on your own. After that, it’s vitally important to submit your ideas, dreams and thinking to others in contexts of discussion, humility and grace.

Q seems to be just that kind of opportunity. And I missed it. Groan. I didn’t even know about it, until I read some notes from a speaker over at churchrelevance.com. Detailing just four points, it was enough to send me out onto the porch with my Bible, Moleskine, pen and eager heart to think, pray, read, and write.

Here’s the four elements of “missional imagination” taken from churchrelevance.com:

1. Strong Leadership
   You need strong leaders, who can allow people to create while still leaving space for God to knock on the door. Leaders need humility and should not try to be a celebrity.
2. Transformed Disciples
   It is not about church but movement. We can grow big churches full of undiscipled disciples, but they will not transform culture. Create a movement of transformed disciples. Truly transformed disciples don’t need permission or a program to reach people. They are a movement of God to release on the city.
3. Imagine What God Can Do in Your Context
   Imagine what the Kingdom of God would look like expressed through the gifts, talents, and passions of these transformed disciples. Don’t leverage people’s skills for your goals. It is not in our hands to control but to cultivate.
4. Conspire with Other Leaders
   For example, Imago Dei Community (expect a blog entry on this church in my web ministry series soon) collaborated with other churches to create the Advent Conspiracy and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid the global water crisis.

On this day...

• Increasing gratitude - 2009
• Oh, to be a cartoonist - 2007
• A little help needed... - 2006