Summary of Insights, Challenges and Experiments from Mission Summit Conversations (June 2013)

• Insights
  • Anxiety paralyzes, vision frees us up.
  • At times it feels like God is forcing our hand to deal with very uncomfortable realities but in truth God is creating new opportunities for the church to change and be faithful.
  • Don’t confuse building with the entire mission of a church.
  • Younger generations are much more interested in relational connections (spiritual, personal, missional) than with a building.
• Challenges
  • We yearn to be good stewards of what God has given us while being Missional congregations.
• Experiments
  • Emphasize the joy of giving while living – memorials.
  • Sharing facilities – not as tenants but as shared partners. View the building as a gift, not a moneymaker.
  • Ask trustees “What do you view your mission as being?”

Summary of Insights, Challenges and Experiments from the Mission Table (November 2013)

• Insights
  • “Viable buildings and Aging Congregations” can be an alternate wording or concern.
• Challenges
  • What is a valid congregation in The ABC? Right now, the church building is the center of the congregation. Is this viable for the future given the changing dynamic of the church?
• Experiments/Projects
• Repurposing the church building is an alternative.

Read the full notes:

Mission Summit Conversations:

• Group 1 Learnings
• Group 2 Learnings

Mission Table:

• Day 1

Views expressed are the sole opinion of conversation participants. They do not express the views of American Baptist Churches USA, or individual American Baptist churches. Conversation notes and summaries are shared to allow American Baptists and friends to easily review and use these Mission Summit Conversations and the Mission Table learnings as they wish.