Spiritual research (1)

Carolyn Spence (Clovis, NM) sent me an email this week that embodies the spirit of the MRT Experiments that we will be undertaking this summer. Here's the first part of what she said with a few of my comments...

I was going back over the mail on MRT's to read what I may have missed. Now I have a question. It may be that there are things yet to be discovered and implemented among CO2 and CO 12s and simple church groups, that would make a difference, but there seems to be something missing in the message.

Right on, Carolyn! There are things "yet to be discovered and implemented". That's the premise of the MRT Experiments - we have a lot to learn and we have a Father who delights in us trying things out. And, we often learn best in the context of community - a "community of practice"!

When Jesus announced that the kingdom of God was among them, the message was either preceded or followed by a demonstration of the presence of God, and the rulership of God as found in his kingdom, shown by something, and event or occurrence, that superseded natural expectations. As we become "families of Jesus", it would seem right to expect that the same principle of the evidence of the kingdom of God should be seen among them. This should be "normal" for families of Jesus.

I agree with you. That's what Jesus said in Lk. 10:9. "Heal the sick and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you." " Paul says much the same thing in 1 Cor. 2:4. "...my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstrations of the Spirit and of power..."

Carolyn, thanks for raising the issue! At the heart of spiritual research is the practice of relentlessly asking questions. More tomorrow on this.

John

Hobby Chapin on 1 Cor. 9:11

In the past few videos we've been talking about a new (actually old) model for financing church planters based on 1 Cor. 9:1-14 with a special emphasis on verse 11. Paul says: "If we've invested in you spiritually, isn't it appropriate for you to invest in us financially?" Implied answer: "Of course."

Hobby Chapin, a church planter in Brighton, CO tells his story of how he has implemented this new way of thinking.

John

Financing apostles (3)

In the video below, I introduce a new model or new way of thinking about financing "an army of church planters". Actually, it's an old model because it represents what the church valued before she became enamored with buildings.

In addition to the video there are two other resources that I want you to take a look at.

1. This is a commentary that I wrote on 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 which is a central passage for this discussion. Understanding these verses created my conviction that these New Testament practices must be restored in our day. http://www.lk10resources.com/uploads/1/4/3/5/1435936/financing_apostles.pdf

2. Here, Roger Thoman, a very effective trainer of church planters around the world, tells his own story of financial support. http://www.lk10resources.com/uploads/1/4/3/5/1435936/finances__roger_thoman.pdf

Our goal in all of this? To return church culture to the normative NT model. We'll be experimenting with this concept this summer in MRT 2.0. Love to hear your comments below.

John

Financing apostles (2)

The church in America today invests billions in buildings and programs. What did the early church invest in? And, how do we return to those values? Take a look at the video below and comment.

John

Financing apostles (1)

The third innovation this summer has to do with financing apostolic church planters. Here's a starting place in thinking about this topic.

John

Coaching (3)

My good friend and fellow "mad scientist", Kent Smith, illustrates below a tool of effective coaching called "future perfect". One of the things this does is to put our summer MRT 2.0 Experiment into perspective. What if this is an important next step in seeing "effective Missional Resource Teams anywhere in the world"?

John

Future Perfect: How Would We Know?

As we are considering next steps in our MRT experiment, I’m wondering if it might be helpful to step back and take a look at the big picture of what God is up to, and our part in that.

Here is one way to describe this. “We believe this chapter in universal history will only draw to a close when people of God have gathered from every tribe, tongue, people and nation (that is to say, God’s complete image, as displayed in the bride of Christ, see, for example, Matt. 24:14, Eph. 1:23, Rev. 7:9).

So—we are devoted to playing the part we have been given—no more and no less—in seeing a vibrant family of Jesus in close reach of every person on the planet.”

If this is what we passionately desire, our friends in the Solution Focus world have a wonderful clarifying question that helps us think about our next steps. It is this: “Suppose a miracle has occurred in the middle of the night and this desire has come to pass. How will you know? What evidence will show you it has happened?”

If you can, pause for a minute here. Envision the scene: you wake up one morning and a vibrant family of Jesus is in close reach—culturally and geographically—of every person on the planet. What would let you know it has happened? In my first brainstorming I came up with these. See what you think:

· We could discover fresh evidence everywhere of God’s beautiful, good, and endlessly creative in-breaking Kingdom.

· We could find an effective Missional Resource Team anywhere in the world.

· We could get local Church of Two (CO2), Vibrant Family (CO12) and Missional Resource Team (MRT) training anywhere.

· We could identify a network of trainers and training centers that have facilitated this process.

· We could find clear descriptions of the core theology, practice and process of training for CO2, VFJ, and MRTs.

Caveat: I’m using language here that we understand—others would need translation to make sense of this. Two questions, then: 1) For our purposes, have we accurately described the story in which we live? 2) How would you refine these answers to the question, “How would we know?”

Coaching (2)

So, what will coaching look like in MRT 2.0?

This is where we will do some experimenting. We'll try some things and see what works. Here's some of what we're thinking. (We would love to hear your ideas about this!)

1. Being coached is optional. No one in MRT 2.0 is required to be coached but it will be part of our conversation on the blog this summer. We encourage you to give it a try.

2. Experience one coaching appointment with Tim Pynes. Tim is part of the Luke Ten Leadership Team and is a trained coach. He will make himself available to those who sign up for MRT 2.0 so that you can at least experience what this is like. In most cases, this would be via phone or Skype.

3. I will set aside several hours each week for coaching those in my cohort. First come first serve.

4. Tim and I will schedule three conference calls this summer where we will work on coaching for everyone who is interested.

5. Hobby will determine how to integrate coaching into his cohort.

6. We are considering a weekend gathering in Denver (probably in July) for training. The added benefit would be face to face time with other MRT people.

As you can tell, these are preliminary ideas. One of our objectives is to learn what can realistically be done with a cohort of twelve teams. Your thoughts about all of this?

John

Coaching (1)

The second innovation we'll be adding to MRT 2.0 this summer is coaching.

In making disciples, there are many parallels with good parenting. Early in both processes there is a need for some "telling". "Tie your shoes this way." But, as soon as possible it's important to begin doing some "asking". "Would you like to wear your coat today or carry it with you?" The older the child, the less you tell and the more you ask questions.

Why? Because in both parenting and in training leaders, the goal is to help them to do good thinking on their own. Remember the old saying - "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a life time."

Coaching is a name we give to the process of asking really good questions. It's what highly effective parents do. And, it's what highly effective spiritual parents do. It's a central part of teaching your disciples to "fish for themselves". Coaching will be part of the conversations in MRT 2.0 this summer. More tomorrow.

What kind of training have you had in coaching? Formal training? Informal? Have you experienced being coached? What was it like? Click on "comments" below and weight in on this.

John

PS. At the top of my list of good coaching books is the one below by Tony Stoltzfus. You might consider working through it this summer if you are going to be part of MRT 2.0.

Mad Scientists

Tomorrow I'll introduce the second of three innovations we will be working on this summer in our MRT Experiment (2.0). But, today I felt led to say a word about the mindset necessary to be a part of these Experiments. (There's a reason I call them Experiments!)

The Luke Ten Community in general and the MRT Experiments in particular are about innovation. They aren't for everyone. This is a place for curious people. For risk takers. For passionate dreamers. (Mad scientists?!) For people who have a feeling in their gut that God must have more in mind for the Church (His Bride!) than we have often experienced in traditional church. For people who want to hang out with and learn from (and teach) others on a similar journey.

This is a place for people who see God as a wise Father who encourages His kids to try things out, to explore, to experiment. And, to pay close attention to what they learn in the process. A Father who doesn't freak out at failure. In fact, who believes you sometimes learn more from your failures than from your successes. A Father who is easy to please but hard to satisfy. (Thank you, C. S. Lewis!)

Some examples of hypotheses we are experimenting with...

*Listening to God results in more and better mission than trying to be missional

*The marriage (and then the family) is the first and most foundational expression of church

*A house church comprised of multiple CO2s is more vibrant than one that isn't

*Doing SASHET with an individual or a group over time leads to deep, heart level connections

*CO2s and MRTs are viral and will multiply spontaneously

*CO2s are an effective discipleship tool to at least four generations

*It is desirable and possible to plant a million new vibrant families of Jesus in the US (fill in your country)

Any hypotheses you would like to suggest?

So, that's the kind of people we're looking for. Apostolic pioneers. Students of transformation and multiplication. Passionate practitioners. Mad scientists. Interested?

John

Cohorts (2)

We are continuing to think about three new elements that we are planning to add to the MRT Experiment (2.0). We introduced the first one yesterday - the idea of two cohorts this summer with the possibility of more this fall.

I loved Sean's comment on his associations with the word "cohort". "I now have visions of groups of wild "christian" warriors running down hills to ransack and plunder (this may not be a bad thing)." Of course, we're using a slightly different definition of the word!

Notice in the graphic above that there are six cohorts all connected through the circle in the middle. Of course, I picture Jesus as standing in that circle because He is the one who connects all of us. But, the MRT community is also connected by a common DNA. We choose to express this DNA through specific practices or rhythms that we all commit to. (One example of this would be the CO2 or church of two.) I'll send out a description of the common practices for the summer MRT (2.0) in a week or two.

Love to hear any further thoughts or comments you have about the idea of "cohorts". Click on "comments" below.

John

First new element: Cohort(s)

A big "thank you" to all of you for your comments about the "bright spots" from our MRT Experiment (1.0)!

Our sense is that the Lord is directing us to do an MRT Experiment (2.0) this summer. In addition to the specific practices that were a part of MRT (1.0), there are three new elements that we will experiment with this summer. I want to introduce them to you one at a time and get your comments.

First new element: cohorts. co·hort (kō'hôrt') n. 1. A group or band of people.

There are a growing number of people who are interested in being part of an MRT Experiment. That's a good thing! However, as the numbers increase, it becomes increasingly difficult for there to be a sense of community - there are just too many people to relate to.

So, this summer we are going to experiment with two cohorts. Each cohort will be limited to no more than 12 regional teams (MRTs). Twelve groups who are willing to commit to the spiritual practices of the MRT Community for three months. I will lead one cohort and everyone who has been part of MRT 1.0 will be invited to join (before we invite new people - if there is room). Hobby Chapin will lead the second cohort which will mostly be made up of other church planters that he is already coaching (although anyone from MRT (1.0) can also join Hobby).

Depending on how this summer Experiment goes, we see the possibility some of you leading cohorts in the fall if it's something you feel led to. (Let me know if this is something you are interested in.) This is a way that the movement can continue to expand in a viral manner.

So, let's take a couple of days on the idea of cohorts. What's your initial response? What questions come to mind? Click on "comments" below and share your perspective.

John

"How can we do more of it?" (2)

I know yesterday's post was really long. I thank you for your patience on this.

However, what you were reading was the Community speaking. And, I think that's important to pay attention to. So, what are you hearing as the Community speaks? What's your sense of what the Lord is saying to us through this?

Click on "comments" below and share your thoughts.

Thanks for taking time on this.

John

"How can we do more of it?"

Responding to this post will take a little longer. So, give me 5 minutes today and 5 tomorrow.

Remember the quote from the book a couple of days ago? (I recommend the book, by the way: Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard)

Here's the quote: Find the Bright Spots! To pursue bright spots is to ask the question "What's working, and how can we do more of it?"

Our variation of that might be - What do we see God doing and how does He wants to build on that?

So, below I've compiled and arranged the bright spots you all identified with our MRT Experiment. Today, I would just like you to read over the list. See what the Lord says to you about it and tomorrow give us your comments.

So, just read today.

John

Bright Spots from the MRT Experiment

Mission from listening. It (MRT) has helped me to focus together with another local person (Sean) on how we can best take mission forward in our area. There's a tendency to 'drift' in life - manana! But meeting weekly helps to avoid this. Listening together and sharing what we hear is very valuable. It informs our thinking and our conversations with others.

-Chris UK)

A bright spot for me as a part of the Denver MRT has been to listen to God together for the whole city. I feel like I am a part of a band of brothers with a common vision. All of us care deeply about Denver desire to see transformation occur through vibrant families of Jesus within easy access of everyone. –Hugh (Denver)

Both Jorge and I were drawn more toward our community of practice's common baseline - intimacy with God, listening to him and each other, and having that be the step that moves us into mission. It translates a way of seeing into practice. We are "sasheting" all the time now, checking the heart, intentionally watching our lives to ask and notice what God is doing. –James (Mexico City)

Hi John just quick note to let you know Chris and I discussed the experiment last night. I am sure Chris' notes will be better but our general consensus was that hearing the stories helped us to connect and be encouraged. There was confirmation that what we had been doing with CO2 , specifically listening to God, draws towards mission. It has facilitated us to focus our thoughts towards mission by bringing us together for this purpose so we meet up twice a week now with the second meeting with mission specifically in mind (at least that's the intention). We agree that we should continue this beyond the experiment unless we are lead in a different direction, we believe strongly that we must continuously be listening and not to continue out of habit. –Sean (UK)

Community (“I’m not alone). 2 - It has been wonderfully encouraging to have this blog available. Every time I have visited I have read, seen, and heard good stuff from the rest of you. I think that every single one who has commented has helped me in one way or another. You have been inspirational companions on the journey. Thank you all!

I echo Peg's comment recently. Even if the experiment ends (and I hope it won't) Sean and I are likely to continue with the weekly sessions.

-Chris (UK)

I like knowing there are many others in the same boat I am as far as working with and training other church planters. I enjoy the challenge of hearing your stories, and pressing into God on things I need to do here. I'm one of the few church planters here in NM with a vision for the 'bigger picture' of the region, so the conversations I see hear are a great encouragement. –Peg (Albuquerque)

(Local MRT) Because we connected at the heart level, I've really appreciated the deep fellowship we share. We're intimately connected with each other, praying for one another, and have a feeling of being "in it together" like the missionary pairs and teams in scripture. –Marty (Denver)

(Local MRT) Second, these people have become friends through whom I can hear God speak to me and all of us. Corporate listening is a miracle I can't stop marveling over. –Hugh (Denver)

(Local MRT) Hugh, I really like your point about corporate listening. Thanks for making it. I agree, listening together is special - much, much better than listening alone. –Chris (UK)

(Local MRT) I think the MRT Experiment has been fantastic. The best part of it is daily walking with brothers and sisters in Christ to listen and obey the Spirit. One of the things we must combat in our culture is compartmentalizing our lives. We have found the CO2’s to be a great way of crossing this barrier and helping people stay connected with each other and their King. This is something we were lacking by only meeting together a couple times a week for simple church or LTG’s. We still encourage reading lots of scripture reading and have noticed that our CO2’s spend a good amount of time talking through the scriptures being read from the LTGs. Lee (Colorado – Western Slope)

I liked that this community of practice was happening worldwide - sharing insights, connecting pockets of experience/expertise, and connecting maybe somewhat isolated practioners. 
-James (Mexico City)

Helped my local MRT. This MRT Community has played an exemplary role to MRTs in which I participate. It is easy to replicate striving groups. –EEM (Houston, then Russia)

The bright spots for me have been hearing the stories of other MRT's and what type of things have come out of their time together - what kind of things they have been hearing together and what actions have resulted. These things help our MRT to know whether we are on the right track or not and to learn (even indirectly) how to better do it ourselves. –Artman (Denver)

Viral. So where next with MRT? Well, we'll see! I hope it will grow and spread rather as CO2 is doing. In fact I think there's evidence that's already happening. It wasn't too hard for John to find a few extra MRTs along the way. –Chris (UK)

the biggest bright spot for me is:
simplicity.
basing mrts around the same principles that we base co2s on:
1. connecting on a heart level
2. listening to the Lord

if we are going to see a movement of transformation it has to start small and spread and with these two simple principles we can see new believers learn to hear their own hearts, each other's hearts and the Lord and then get a heart for a city and develop into leaders in a region who ask the Lord what He has to say to them about their cities as well.
i guess what i'm saying is:
co2s can birth both organic churches and mrts that help resource and provide leadership and empowerment for whole regions while all being based on 2 simple principles.
now that sounds like something that can spread virally. –Desi (Denver)

I agree with most everything else that has been said here. I think a bright spot has been noticing how simple and transferable this posture and these practices are. I love that our participation with God doesn't have to be complicated! -Chadd (Guadalajara)

(I wrote to EEM saying that I was looking forward to seeing how the MRT concept might work in Russia.) His response…. Truly, what you and others have done with MRT experiment here makes its implementation in other places much easier.

Training/learning. Not everyone knows what leadership based on listening to God looks like…. The MRT Experiment has been extremely valuable to me as an alternative form of leadership. For me, it is a clear example of ministry flowing out of listening to God… Most valuable was input from more mature people and questions from fellow MRTers… Every post had valuable information in it. Among most recent ones, the post about the nature of CO2 was very helpful. –EEM (Houston, then Russia)

It's also a place I can bring my questions and concerns to others for their suggestions. –Peg (Albuquerque)

I'm finding the things I've learned in the MRT context are CRITICAL to true and lasting regional networking. (Contrasts with “man-oriented networking”) MRT is about putting GOD in the center and regional workers, who are already in relationship, gather around and LISTEN to HIM and share their HEARTS (not their accomplishments). …
By employing disciplines that get us out of OUR heads and into GODS heart, we can triumph over all of the things that divide us and focus on our common desire to see God glorified and His Kingdom spread throughout the planet!

I believe this is KEY to the forward motion of the gospel in our world. Noah (New Zealand)

Thanks to listening to Jesus, mission has flowed from that. We've heard from God several times on exactly where we're supposed to go to find good soil, share the gospel, and even reap a harvest at times. It's been a real paradigm shift to listen and do rather than strategize. –Marty

I stay on the run, and my blackberry doesn't allow me to post comments, so sorry, but I read each post, and discussed our learning each week with Jorge in our weekly MRT. 1. The intentional and systematic shared learning is significant. As community practitioners (each one of us) and operational team members (in many different contexts), we created learning loops. In other words, what I was reading and learning from you, I shared with others in my circle of influence. This intentional knowledge/experience sharing and listening was something that is very helpful - I think it will carry over into how we are moving in mission. (I think someone said the other day that it is like we are sharing a community journal).

Should this continue? Even if the experiment ends (and I hope it won't) Sean and I are likely to continue with the weekly sessions.

-Chris (UK)

I do not see this experiment ending any time soon. –EEM (Houston, then Russia)

Hopefully this will continue. –Peg (Albuquerque)

We have not added the weekly/bi-weekly MRT meetings to this point. We have monthly network leadership meetings that function somewhat like this, but not in the purest form of what you have recommended. I would be willing to try this if you do another MRT experiment. –Lee (Western Slope of Colorado)

What is a MRT?

Great responses on "bright spots"! Thank you.

Next question.

The name that we have used for these small groups of church planters is MRT (Missional Resource Team). We're thinking about a 2.0 Experiment this summer. Is MRT the name we want to stick with? Some have commented that MRT is confusing and doesn't inspire people to ask questions about it. What do you think?

Is there a better name?

One suggestion is a Regional Apostolic Team. "Regional" and "apostolic" seem to be good descriptors and "apostle" is right out of Scripture. But, I know some are squeamish about anything with "apostle" in it. Do we try and recapture the term or avoid it all together? (And, of course, this leads to the acronym RAT!)

Here's another possibility... Strategic Listening Team. This focuses on what we actually do. We listen and God provides the strategy. However, it doesn't put the focus on church planting.

Other ideas?

No doubt every term has pluses and minuses but I wanted to hear your thoughts on this. Hit "comments" below and weigh in on this if you have a strong opinion.

John

Bright Spots (2)

Let's stay on this topic of "bright spots" from our MRT Experiment. (See yesterday's post) We need to hear from as many of you as possible. Our goal is to be able to identify what is "working" and build on that.

If you haven't commented yet on this, please do so.

If you have commented, take a look at the other comments and see if that sparks any new thoughts.

Thanks!

John

What are the "bright spots"?

Find the Bright Spots

That's the title of a chapter from the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Here's a quote from that chapter:

To pursue bright spots is to ask the question "What's working, and how can we do more of it?"

As we think together about where we go from here with our MRT Experiment, that's the question I would like you to comment on. What have been the "bright spots" for you? What has been helpful to you as a church planter? What's "working" for you in the MRT Experiment?

Click on "Comments" below and give us your response.

John

Guadalajara MRT

As an apostolic "Community of Practice", we can learn a lot from other MRTs. Below is Chadd Schroeder's description of one of their recent meetings. What seems important to you in this picture?

We had our Guadalajara MRT gathering this past Tuesday morning; we try to do this every two weeks. Gerardo, Nancy and I met around our table. Tim and Kim Rush joined us through a Skype connection on my laptop computer (they are on furlough for a couple of months more in Tulsa). Cory was traveling that day and unable to join us. As usual, we began checking in with each other allowing each to describe the state of our heart that morning. Then, the rest of our time was used to pray and listen together around our common translocal mission to those in our region.

These times seem to be really good for us! At least two important things regularly happen. We connect with each other’s heart and have an outlet to describe what is really happening there knowing we are being heard by people who care about what is there and who can handle hearing it. And, we intentionally listen to God together—are getting more precious experience in doing this together.

I’ve been taking notes of the themes that God seems to be raising in the conversation, but I think God is nudging me (us) to be more intentional in taking this one step further and to perhaps explicitly name what we think God is saying each time. I desire to notice the direction of this ongoing conversation as well—to at least give God an opportunity to build on what is being said over time.

I also like that we are discovering a way to stay connected with God and one another this way even at a time when we are separated geographically. I believe the long term fruit of this practice will be huge!

Go to "Comments" below and post your observations on Chadd's email.

John

New MRT in Clovis, NM

Email from Peg Batcheller...

Hey John,

I'm still in Clovis meeting with Carolyn Spence (pictured here with her husband). We had a great time this morning with a small group of men and women who seem to be ready to start a simple church together! We were able to SASHET, we spent time listening to God for direction for the group, and had a super time sharing God's vision for His kingdom to come to this area. We also talked about the need of building the church through CO2s, and I believe they really caught the vision for it. Carolyn has a great heart for house churches to be started throughout the city, so we're going to start an MRT this week. Just thought I'd let you know.

So just a few weeks left for the official MRT date, huh? Well, now that we're just starting, we'll probably continue it anyway. Hopefully I'll still be in touch with Hobby and his women HC leader in the weeks ahead.

Peg

Lots of things to give thank to the Lord for in this email from Peg!

• A new church birthed in Clovis (not hard if there are people of peace!)

• A new MRT birthed in Clovis (not hard if there are apostolic people!)

• Answers to Peg (and others) praying Lk 10:2b for New Mexico

• Women functioning apostolically

• Members of the MRT Community praying for and encouraging one another

• What else do you see?

Peg and Carolyn - I'm pretty sure we will do a MRT Experiment (2.0) this summer so delighted that you are joining us now. Carolyn - would love to hear something from you about what you see God doing.

John

Your questions

We have just three weeks left in our three month MRT Experiment. So, I want to begin the process of evaluation. Help us out by suggesting the most important questions we need to ask the Community about this Experiment. Here are a few that occur to me...

*Scale of 1-10. How valuable was the MRT Experiment to you?

*What was most valuable? Least valuable?

*What were the top five posts in terms of value to you?

*How was this MRT Community helpful to your local MRT group? Has it helped in terms of church planting?

*If we did a 2.0 Experiment, how could we improve? What should we keep? What should we change? Would you be a part of it?

So, don't answer these questions yet. (But, be thinking about them.) What we need from you right now are other key questions that need to be asked. What are your top 3-4 questions about this Experiment?

John