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
The bright spots for me were pretty simple. (1) 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. (2) 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks for everything. It's definitely been worth it!
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 vidion. All of us care deeply about Denver desire to see transformation occur through vibrant families of Jesus within easy access of everyone.
ReplyDeleteSecond, 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, I really like your point about corporate listening. Thanks for making it. I agree, listening together is special - much, much better than listening alone.
ReplyDeleteI've tried to understand why it's better, here's my thinking.
o Doing anything together is more fun.
o It's easier to give up if you work alone.
o Two or more can test, question, and weigh what is heard.
o What one hears may inspire another to hear more.
o Taking what several have heard and putting it together sometimes results in an even greater vision and understanding.
the biggest bright spot for me is:
ReplyDeletesimplicity.
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.
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.
ReplyDeleteWhat we saw as bright spots:
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).
2. 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.
3. I liked that this community of practice was happening worldwide - sharing insights, connecting pockets of experience/expertise, and connecting maybe somewhat isolated practioners.
4. Another highlight was experiencing how much can be shared and learned in just five minutes.
-James
I agree with most everything else that has been said here. I think a bright spot has been noticing how simple and tranferable this posture and these practices are. I love that our participation with God doesn't have to be complicated!
ReplyDeleteLee Price is a church planter with a great network of house churches on the Western Slope of Colorado (the other side of the mountains). He has been a sort of silent participant in our MRT Experiment and just sent me his comments on the "bright spots"...
ReplyDeleteJohn,
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 LTG’s.
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.
Just one quick story… I have two guys who have been doing a CO2 together for the past couple months. The incredible fruit of this CO2 has been early morning prayer meeting that they started a few weeks into their CO2. They now meet 4 days a week to pray together from 5 – 7 am. These early morning prayer meetings are now being attended by a few other people. The CO2’s are a great starting place to see new life birthed in the Body.
Lee