Trying to define mission

Here is an attempt to define mission, since that's the subject of my sabbatical:

Christian mission is outreach to proclaim and embody God’s redeeming love, nurturing fellow disciples of Jesus Christ so together we might do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.

I would like to get it shorter than that, but this definition has evolved to this point with input from some colleagues. I also need to incorporate the notion that really it's GOD'S mission (mission Dei) and we're joining God's program already in progress...

So here is what will happen in my sabbatical

I will do a lot of reading and write a brief annotated bibliography of current mission books. The purpose is to create an accessible resource for churches interested in or curious about mission work. Two months is not really enough for it, but I think it will be a good start.

I will then create a pilot project which will bring together four or five churches to encourage them to do some mission work together (joining in the work a congregation is already doing, finding synergy among the different projects already in place at the churches, or discovering new work to participate in together).

After the sabbatical, I will resource and follow up on the pilot project churches. I will then write about how the pilot project went, lessons learned and ways to improve the project.

In cooperation with the presbytery's Mission and Growth Team, we'll create a plan to expand the pilot project to apply to the entire presbytery. Then we'll write how it all turned out so we can share our findings with presbyteries in our Synod.

Time to put on my running shoes...

A friend wrote that she liked the title for this blog. It comes from an image I have of how ministry feels like on good days: God is showing the way and we run as fast as we can to catch up to where God is leading. It's exciting and risky in the bes sense of the words (where is God going with this?); it's clearly about God's agenda and not our own.

The sabbatical is about mission, and to me mission work is about running to catch up to God. Mission is about God's vision and priorities.

On your marks, get set...

Preparing for the Sabbatical

Blogging makes me feel a little bit like I am talking to myself at a street corner while people walk on by. Some might overhear my mumbling; some might even be interested to listen in as they wait to cross the street.

And yet, blogging will be a good discipline for me to jot down some thoughts on the process of the sabbatical itself, to keep myself focused, and to begin shaping the ideas that I will eventually share with the presbytery and the synod.

Before I go on vacation at the end of the week, I will map out a draft of what the two months will look like.

A big thank you to Whitewater Valley Presbytery for allowing me to take this time out of the office to concentrate on mission and the church.

Shalom,

Felipe