Related Leaders: Leonard Sweet (Session One)

Notes from Session One with Leonard Sweet: (I'm sitting next to Holly...check her blog for her thoughts). God is in the process of 'defragging' his church. The 3 sessions today correspond to Sweet's thoughts about the MRI church (missional, relational, incarnational). Today we practice APC Christianity (APC is an ailment that is better known as post-traumatic stress) APC in Sweet's world - attractional, propositional, colonial. "I describe Christianity as a GOOD religion, as in a "get-out-of-doors" religion. Christianity could be described as the first non-temple religion...Christianity is, by it's nature, and outdoors religion. Name me one thing in the gospels that happens indoors...the upper room is the only one." We've turned Christianity into what Jesus was trying to free us from -- an "in here" religion. Every mission statement is about getting people in (attractional), and not about creating better people that will go out (missional). This is an area where the chuch needs MAJOR defragging. Part of the MRI deal is getting better at hearing God and following rather than casting vision for people to follow. The future is coming, COD -- change or die. Change, if you read the literature has almost been reduced to a formula, and it's a simple idea, but it's not easy. The key to change is reframing (creating a new metaphor), a big dream, and emotional engagement (emotional markers where a decision for change took place). REFRAMING -- if you have the power to change the metaphors, you have the power to change the world! Metaphors that are killing the church: "refuge," "harbor," "safe haven," "sanctuary." The primary language of our culture today, is not words, it's images. Q&A to end the session (I'll post my thoughts later today.)