The Mission of God and You

Followers of Jesus find themselves in an interconnected yet lonely, globalized yet tribalized, spiritual yet post-modern world. What does all this mean for each and every follower of Jesus? Where and how is God at work? How should believers respond to this world and to God’s work? This plenary session will define and discuss some of our global realities, examine and affirm the biblical and theological foundations of the missio dei (mission of God), and explore how every day Christians can missionally respond to God’s invitation to join him on mission. The redemption of the nations has been God’s mission and plan from the beginning. Are you on board with that mission? Do your purpose, your passion, and your personal mission align with his mission? Let’s explore the answers together.

Seeing Jesus by Expanding Your Context

In a post-Christian culture, what are some things we can do to express the gospel of Christ in relevant and compelling ways that help people to see Jesus? How do we get on board with God\'s constant pursuit of creation and begin to recover an awareness of the Holy in all situations? Drawing on her experiences in mission and as a pastor and pastoral counselor, Dr. Engelmann will expand upon these themes and show how living one's faith outside of ones \'safe\' church culture but in the broader current culture can be a conduit to seeing Jesus in just about any situation. The gist of this talk counters the often shallow compartmentalized presentation of the gospel, challenging us to go deeper to see and recognize Jesus' presence everywhere and eagerly participate in the tremendous movement of God on earth to engage with his people.

Christian Witness in the Mission of God

The mission of God is one of redemption, reconciliation, restoration, and renewal. That is his work. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that change in the hearts of people occurs. Since we are sent by God, then, how do we join in the mission where God is at work? Christian believers are called upon to bear witness to the objective reality and factual accuracy of the work of God in the world. But how do we do that? This presentation deals with the biblical concept of bearing witness in terms of being, doing and saying the gospel in ways that announce the good news of the kingdom of God. The announcement of a kingdom (which is coming in fact and in prospect) is the announcement of the “the kingdom of peace and justice, of love and life, the consummation of God’s purpose of love with humanity and his universe – to announce the undefeatable fulfillment of creation.” [Mortimer Arias]

Enter the Drama

What might be the theological significance—if there is any—of story? Does humanity understand story? One quick look at the current scenes of society points to an overwhelming yes. That is, we tell stories because they help us make sense of who we are. Understanding life through our stories seems to comfort us because we all live out stories in our lives. But is this how we are meant to live?
This presentation seeks to explore the implications of entering the drama of life by stepping out of our boxes and into the center of the stage so to interact with the other. The dramatic breaking out of our tribal boxes, it will be argued, awakens humanity to the life of faith and its expression so as to find our place in the greatest drama ever staged.

Mission-Shaped Disciplemaking in Post-Christendom

There are three creation ordinances in Genesis — the preservation of marriage between one man and one woman, the necessity and propriety of work, and the keeping of the Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3, 15, 18-24). The specific creation ordinance of work was therefore stitched into the fabric of God’s creation— God blessed you with the skill, gifts, talent or ability you possess to do the work He has given you to do, e.g., welder, teacher, custodian, physician, grocery clerk, lawyer, nurse, bank executive, business owner, police officer, etc. The work God has blessed you with is your vocation. Before “the creation of the world,” God “purposed” his plan for the cosmos “in Christ” (Eph. 1:4) and, he has called believers, those who are “in Christ,” by grace, through faith— to join him and do what he created us to do: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” Eph. 2:10. Every believer is to involve themselves “… in the eternal purposes of God in the world to redeem it to Himself, to sum up all things to Himself in Christ Jesus” — Every believer is to seek to transform their vocation into a missional – vocation.

All Things Missional

The closing celebration draws the conference back to it's missional foundation. The conference planners, technology supporter, and session facilitators together with the presenters are celebrated for their contributions. Five core questions that formed the initial thinking behind the conference are discussed together with the way in which the tracks composed of plenary, workshop and panel sessions bring perspectives to those questions. Finally, the unique purpose, passion, and mission of every believer are celebrated as all of God's people become missional as they were designed to be.