CO2 showing early signs of spreading in the UK

Fellow Researchers,

In simple terms, a MRT is a way for two or more people to pay attention apostolically. And, to notice and share with our MRT "community of practice" the stories that emerge. These stories may be large or small but something inside you says, "This is important".

Here's an example of one of these stories...

Chris Jefferies attends the House2House Conference last September. Chris becomes "infected" with the CO2 (church of two) virus. Chris returns to Cambridgeshire, UK and others begin to be "infected" with the same virus. Observation: The CO2 virus seems to be "sneezeable".

First Five. I've asked you to consider spending the first five minutes each day of your Internet time investing in our MRT Experiment. You should have about 4 minutes left. So, here's your assignment today. Go to Chris' blog and read what he's written about the spread of the CO2 virus. Then, come back here and share your observations. http://jesus.scilla.org.uk/2010/02/news-co2-is-spreading-like-virus.html

By the way, I'm delighted that Chris and his friend, Sean Diviney, have joined the MRT Experiment. That makes 12 teams in 12 cities/regions. The MRT concept is also showing signs of being "sneezeable". Hmmm... sounds like another story to pay attention to.

John

PS. The picture above is of the N5H1 virus (bird flu). "If H5N1 viruses gain the ability for efficient and sustained transmission among humans, an influenza pandemic could result." -Center for Disease Control

MRT Introduction: Abilene, TX

I love the fact that anyone, male or female, regardless of educational background can be an effective church planter. On the other hand, I love the fact that the the movement is not anti-intellectual either.

The best academic environment for training church planters, as far as I know, is centered in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University. I'm delighted that the MRT in Abilene is made up of one seminary professor and two seminary graduates. (A number of the other MRTs in our Experiment are also made up of some of Kent's former students.)

I also like the fact that Ron is working in a hybrid situation with a traditional church. I have no doubt that all three of these guys will have lots to contribute to our Experiment.

Check their introduction below. Your comments?

John

Our MRT is comprised of three individuals and their families:1) Kent Smith, Missions Professor at Abilene Christian University, director of ACU's Missionary Residency for North America (MRNA) program, and Fearless Leader of the Jesus Family Network.2) Ron Longwell, Minister of Soul Care for the Jesus Family Network, Leadership Coordinator for the Southern Hills Church of Christ Homegathering project, ACU library employee, and Doctor of Ministry student.3) Austin Brown, House Church leader, bank employee (because it pays the bills), potter (because it gives him life), and all-around great guy.

Our MRT represents a nice cross-section of what God is doing in Abilene. Kent's primary work is with students at Abilene Christian University, guiding, training, and mentoring future church planters toward the goal of "creating a vibrant family of Jesus within close reach of every North American." As such, Kent is in the thick of things when it comes to the way young people are experiencing the Kingdom of God and living into his calling in new ways.


Ron moved to Abilene in the fall of 2008 with his wife LaCresha and teenage son Nathan after 15 years in traditional church ministry to participate in Kent Smith's MRNA program. Ron's primary ministry focus is a blossoming network of house churches being spawned by the Southern Hills Church of Christ, a large, traditional church in Abilene. In the fall of 2008, the SH church decided to launch some house churches (they refer to them as "homegatherings") in Abilene. Ron became the leadership coordinator for this group of churches last fall. Ron is interested in furthering the discussion of how large churches and simple churches can cooperate. We are still learning in the SH project, but God is doing some great things.

Austin was (along with Ron and a few others) part of the 2008-2009 cohort of Kent Smith's MRNA program, having recently moved to Abilene from the Austin, TX area. Austin and his wife Elizabeth has had some great training and experience in simple churches with Tony and Felicity Dale and some of the other simple church leaders in the Austin area. Currently, Austin is a simple church leader in Abilene with a tremendous amount to teach us about life with God.None of us has all the answers, but together, God is leading us all into deeper levels of relationship with him, and a deeper sense of his purpose and mission in Abilene and beyond. We are learning from one another, and most significantly, from the Spirit of the living God.

MRT Introduction: Aurora (Colorado)

MRT Friends,

I hesitated to put two posts about the Denver area back to back (see yesterday's) but I decided to go ahead for two reasons.

First, because I want you to see the potential of MRTs multiplying within a particular city or region. I don't want to have one MRT in Denver. I want a hundred. Within the City of Denver there are 52 distinct neighborhoods. And, there are probably 20 or more suburbs like Aurora in the Metropolitan Area. How about an MRT in every one! Can you picture that where you are?

Second, I want you to see again how easy it is to do an interview like this. (Remember, if I can do it... anyone can!) As I had coffee with Sean this morning (Thursday), I was listening for stories. As a "mad scientist", I'm always on the alert for what God is up to, for alternative stories. And, with my trusty iPhone, I'm ready to "collect" them at any time.

Your observations about these comments and about the video below?

John

PS Some of you (like me) have an email service that blocks the actual video. You will need to go to our site to see it and to make comments.

MRT Introduction: Denver

Fellow MRTers,

I suspect that most of us are familiar with the Ivan Illich quote to the effect that the way you change culture is by telling an alternate story. At the heart of the MRT Experiment is a deep desire to see church culture transformed in order that the church might once again become transformational in the world. And, one of our most important "tools" in this transformational process will be the story.

This means that we must first become skilled at noticing the important "alternate" stories around us. Then, we find ways to collect those stories. With modern technology we have an unprecedented ability to do just that. Below, you will see a short video Introduction to the Denver MRT that I (the oldest and certainly the least "techie" of anyone in this group!) made with my iPhone. Hey - if I can learn to do this, any of you can also.

Once we have collected the story, we can then be a storyteller. And, with the Internet, these stories can spread around the world in a way that is again unprecedented.

So, one definition of the MRT Experiment is "a community of apostolic storytellers". (And, the MRT Experiment is itself one of the important "alternate stories".)

John

MRT Introduction: New Mexico

Dear Fellow Mad Scientists,

Here are a few things I notice in the New Mexico MRT Introduction (below)...

*A MRT doesn't have to be face to face. You can do it by phone with someone in a whole different part of the state.

*A MRT is hugely adaptable. It can focus on a giant city like Mexico City or on lots of smaller towns like Clovis and Farmington and Ruidoso.

*A MRT allows women to take as much leadership as men. (I'm praying for a huge increase in apostolic women in the US!)

Read Peg Batcheller's report and tell us what else you notice.

John



Update from New Mexico and SE Colorado.

Miller Talbot and I (Peg Batcheller) have known each other a few years, having met by "divine appointment" at a H2H conference when it was held in Denver. Miller moved to Northeast New Mexico a year or so ago, and we've since then connected and kept in touch. Miller was familiar with Kent's original MRT, and as it developed into this "experiment" we jointly decided this would be a good opportunity for us to pray for our state and our regions here in New Mexico, as well as SE Colorado. So since January we have been praying together by phone on a weekly basis and email throughout the week. Miller lives in Eagle Nest, a small town/community in NE New Mexico. I live Albuquerque, the largest city in NM.

Over the past few years our house churches in Albuquerque have begun to come together for monthly joint gatherings to worship and eat together, and our connections continue to grow. This past year a few of us here in ABQ have been gathering for city-wide prayer, and we have just started inviting a few others to partner with us. My friend Jeff Leslie meets every week with a few men to pray for the city, and to begin training more HC leaders. It seems to me that God is forming a more strategic group of men and women to move out of our individual HCs, and have more of a heart to join together to reach our communities,... more of a 'missional' heart. I sense this next year will be a very building time within our community of HCs.

I also connect with other men and women throughout the state of NM, and see God working in our hearts for more connections and continuity. Some of those cities are Santa Fe, Moriarty, Edgewood, Madrid, Capitan, Ruidoso, Farmington, Clovis, and others. My prayer is that each community will have men and women as prayer warriors and vibrant families of peace to reach into their city/town.

For me personally, I am also involved in the immigrant Hispanic part of ABQ. Because of recent political and family crises in those neighborhoods, the door is now open for me to meet personally in prayer with a small group of Hispanic women and families to pray and encourage them through their crises. I look forward to this opportunity to minister, encourage, and prayerfully to initiate CO2s with them as we offer comfort and support.

Miller is praying for men and women of peace in the towns of Eagle Nest and Cimmaron in NE New Mexico. He and his wife meet with others in a house church, and will be praying more specifically with another couple there. He is laying a groundwork in that area, and is looking to the Lord to connect him with others for the area.

Richard Hijar is a friend of mine in Pueblo, Colorado, who has a passion to reach the SE area of Colorado, to all the little towns in that area. His passion is that the men and women in that area will know the love of the Father, and to know their place and acceptance as sons. He has a great Fathering heart, and cries out for the people in that region. We pray often that God will send laborers, and men and women of peace to receive God's message. We look forward to having him connect with Miller also in the days ahead.

MRT Introduction: Mexico City

MRT Friends,

The photo to the right is actually Mexico City from space (click to enlarge). This huge city (21.1 million people) is one of the ten locations for our MRT Experiment. See below for an introduction from 3 of our fellow experimenters.

John


My name is James Henderson; my wife (Erin) and I, along with our two children, Kate (7) and Caleb (4), have lived as missionaries in Mexico City for the past seven years.We work alongside 3 small fellowships trying to incarnate a life of love and purpose in our circles of influence. We also are listening partners with several groups of friends and church leaders.

While Erin and I work closely together, for our MRT experiment, I will be extending the MRT experiment with Jorge Ortega, one of our Mexican coworkers and closest friends. Jorge is on the front lines of kingdom living here, and we have shared an MRT-like partnership for some time now. I am excited to see how our learning and conversation happens across cultures. Jorge and I will be listening alongside several house churches, and also a company of men recently formed to discern the heart, God's voice and action together.We are excited about learning alongside this community of practice.- James, Erin, and Jorge


"Lord of the Harvest, we join with James and Erin and Jorge in beseeching you for an army of apostolic harvest workers for Mexico City. We pray that your Gospel would spread like a benevolent virus until there is a vibrant family of Jesus within easy reach of every one of the 21.1 million people who live there."

(By the way, feel free to add a comment of welcome and encouragement to any of the posts.)

MRT Introduction: Russia

Fellow MRT Experimenters,

I intended to start posting to our MRT Experiment early in the week but stomach flu and computer problems slowed me down. But, I'm excited to begin today with an MRT which focuses on Russia!

If you haven't already, please send me a short description of your MRT. What region (city, state, country) has God put on your heart? Who's in your MRT? How far along are you in this process? (just getting started... been meeting for a while... several house churches... security concerns... etc.)

John

Here's our first introduction...

For security purposes, we would like to introduce ourselves as Eastern European missionaries. We feel a strong call to advance God’s Kingdom in Russia, our homeland. We plan to go to one of the cities in Central Russia this coming summer. The vision that God has given us is to facilitate a beginning and development of a Christian movement in Russia. Right now, we are spending a year of acquainting ourselves with a sponsoring church in Houston area. Because we believe that a person should bear fruit in any place God puts him or her into, we try to find “people of peace” in Houston area and help them get closer to their Creator. So far, there are about eight churches of two-four people each (CO2, CO3, and CO4).