Roundtable Discussion from Gathering 2010
June 11, 2010 By: Filed in: Culture and Context | Events
Our recent Gathering 2010 was a great day of fun, worship, learning and being together as a community of believers in Jesus. One of the best parts was the stimulating interaction around tables after lunch about how to be a missionary in your own neighbourhood, the “gospel according to you”. Here’s the link to the pdf document, or see below for the full text of the responses shared in the discussions. Feel free to comment or expand on things!
Roundtable Discussion responses
BGCA Gathering 2010
June 5, 2010 at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Wetaskiwin AB
1. What are three top challenges you face in being a missionary in our 21st century culture?
- inconsistent living of Christians
- too busy “doing church” (inward-focused)
- lack of willingness/availability to share; busyness
- fear of rejection
- indifferent / apathetic
- too results-oriented, not focussed on relationships
- lack of faith; will God really do anything?
- isolationism; no deep relationships
- don’t understand other cultures/ages
- hostile culture; pluralistic and inclusive
2. What are the three top practices you can adopt to address the challenge?
- be willing to follow Jesus and “go do it”; obedience, integrity, humility
- take people with you and go follow Jesus
- simplify schedules, give permission not to participate for mission reasons
- choose to connect/relate to people, make space in your life for them; practice hospitality, invite people into your home
- deep relationships give a voice to speak into culture
- don’t give up loving people in practical ways
- talk about the uniqueness of Jesus
- PRAY!!!
3. What are three top ways you can lessen the gap between challenges and opportunities for you to be a missionary in our 21st century culture
- consistent, daily Christ-like example
- spiritual disciplines form the foundation of our spiritual lives
- seek out opportunities to make connections
- love others, love love love people
- celebrate the “wins”
- take the opportunities that you encounter
One Response to “Roundtable Discussion from Gathering 2010”
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Become a Fan of BGCA:
Sounds like an interesting time of sharing, sharpening, seeking and sounding out things. I wish I could have been part of it. The challenge often is for me (and for others too) is to move from research and analysis into directions and actions. I was reading the other day that “you don’t truly grow unless that growth has a direction” (putting on 10kg of weight sounds like growth, but it could be all around the middle!). So, what would growth look like for the BGCA in the next season?