Comments on: Final Reflections on Verge 2010: Community is Hard

By: Reformissionary

Reformissionary — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:02:00 +0000

On the Verge – Part 4…

*The last of my series of posts on Verge. See Pt 1, 2, 3. I’ve been struggling. Personally, spiritually, pastorally, physically. I was talking with my wife on Saturday night about some of the stuff I’ve dealt with in the……

By: 5 Reflections on Verge Conference, & Links « the SENTinel

5 Reflections on Verge Conference, & Links « the SENTinel — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:16:57 +0000

[...] McIntosh (who I also got to meet) gives his reflections on Francis Chan, Community, and whether we should still have large group [...]

By: Jeff Patterson

Jeff Patterson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:50:29 +0000

Jonathan,

It was good to say hello (if only for a moment on our and your way out of town) on Sunday in Austin. Loved the emphasis at the Verge on everyday (messy) lives with Gospel intentionality, of equipping and sending out our people to be everyday missionaries, and that it isn’t “rocket surgery” as Alan Hirsch described.

Embrace the ordinary, not just the extraordinary. In that way it was unlike any “pastors” conference I’ve seen, and in fact not really aimed at helping pastors fulfill their calling outside of making disciples in community, with the Gospel and God’s Mission — as we embrace Communitas > community. It’s hard, and it’s worth it.

Hope I’ll be able to someday live-stream the The Converge Confluence Church Multiplication (Next Gen) Missional Global Awareness Summit™ :-/

All the best as you plant Christ City Church — great vision video, BTW.

Praying,

JP (@deTheos)

By: Burly

Burly — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:48:17 +0000

“Letting people in close enough to see through your every motivation is stinking painful. But the alternative – living life alone, surrounded only by admirers and no real friends – is infinitely worse.” It’s so freeing! That’s so right. Seminary was a great time for me for many reasons, but I received the message (if not directly [which did happen] – implied) that the “pastor” is above the people and that you can’t let people get too close. If I actually thought about it, I would have had to ask my professor the question: “In other words, we’re better than Jesus?”

By: Jonathan McIntosh

Jonathan McIntosh — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:41:22 +0000

Darren – Would love to see you when I’m up that way.

Marti – thanks for weighing in. I think we can (lovingly) disagree here. I don’t see a commitment to incarnational, missional living as opposed to a gathering of God’s people for worship, teaching and observation of the sacraments.

We don’t have to have the pressure of wiping the slate clean and rethinking everything that has to do with church.

I sort of stand in the liturgical tradition (which most evangelicals have abandoned) and say that faithful men (not always but most often) have handed something good down to us over the past 1,900 years. I believe that church history should also a leg of interpretation – especially when it comes to ecclessiology. We don’t blindly accept every piece – but we should know why it was there in the first place before we abandon a form completely.

By: marti

marti — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:29:36 +0000

Good report. Point one and point two were a bit contradictory–at this point in sorting all of this out,everything not in scripture has to be reconsidered and we must be willing to let go. How this will turn out for me maybe different than for you. There will always be a place for passionate,spirit breathed preaching but the format may or may not be a worship services. As for us, we had to detox from everything in order to be open enough for the spirit to begin to change us. God bless in your journey to follow the spirit and break free.

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:26:17 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to put all this up from Verge. Would loved to have been there…but your site and the live video was a blessing.

Hope to see you in March

By: Jonathan McIntosh

Jonathan McIntosh — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:18:32 +0000

Thanks Jacob. (I did plenty of mere “notes” post on the conference, too.)

Good to hang this weekend. Keep praying.

By: Tweets that mention Final Reflections on Verge 2010: Community is Hard | Rethink Mission -- Topsy.com

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:23:19 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jonathan McIntosh, Jesse Winkler, Josh Cousineau, Laurie Carlson, heather lods and others. heather lods said: Final Reflections on #Verge10: Community is Hard [Rethink Mission] http://bit.ly/dD2zO9 (via @JonMcIntosh)#fb [...]

By: Jacob Vanhorn

Jacob Vanhorn — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:10:03 +0000

Great wrap up bro. Most blogs about Verge are mere notes of what was said. This captures more of the ethos of what occurred, and the cost of going forward.

Good to visit with you Friday evening. Praying for you in Memphis.