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    Presentations & Dialogue About the Future of Theological Education – Join Us!

    October 6, 2011 // 3 Comments »

    Back in August I posted about a partnership brewing b/t Northern Seminary and 3DM as we share a vision for discipleship-oriented theological education.  I also intimated that I would be sharing about more work along these lines in the future.  I’m here to make good on that promise.

    We all know that 3DM is coming to Chicago to conduct a workshop on discipleship and mission at the end of the month, right?  This is happening on Friday, October 28 in the morning and afternoon.  Following this will be the annual Missional Learning Commons, which starts that evening and wraps up around 3PM on Saturday.

    Well, before all of this goodness, Northern will be hosting an event on Thursday evening during which 3DM will present a video and paper as a way to spark some conversation about the future of theological education.

    From Mike Breen’s blog,

    One of the things that has become abundantly clear in our work with pastors and leaders is that there is a devastating disconnect between the ways that our seminaries and theological schools train and equip leaders for ministry and the realities that these leaders are facing day in and day out.  Noticing this has caused us to begin asking (along with many others), “What is the future of theological education?”  While we don’t think we have all answers to that question, we do have some thoughts and would like to invite you to an evening of dialogue about this important topic in Chicago.

    So here’s your shot, if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, or ideas about the future of theological education, we’d love for you to join us and contribute to the discussion.  The video and paper will be made publicly available in November, but those who join us for this event will have some advance access to them.

    Note: We don’t anticipate this being a large event, but we really do want to advance the word to those who share a genuine interest in this topic, so please feel free to use the social sharing options below or your own avenues of social networking to let others know about this Thursday evening event as well as the workshop and Commons.  Here’s some additional details on the Thursday night event…

    Posted in 3DM, chicago, conference, kingdom, leadership, missiology, missional learning commons, missional theology, Northern Seminary, post-christendom, theological education, theology

    Missional Learning Commons 2011

    September 16, 2011 // No Comments »

    That time of year again – fall is in the air and pumpkin spice lattes abound. You know what that means right?  The annual Missional Learning Commons is right around the corner!!

    I can’t say it with enough passion – I LOVE THIS EVENT!

    I love that I get to come together with brothers and sisters who find themselves in the midst of leadership and ministry around the Mid-West to encourage, pray for, and support one another.  I love that the topics we look to address spring from the day-to-day issues facing our local churches and those looking to live out a missional existence in the midst of their jobs and neighborhoods.  I love that we get to learn from one another and I love the opportunity this gathering presents to build a truly relational regional network of Christian pastors, church planters, and other leaders who are all facing the vagaries of our emerging Post-Christian context.  I love it!  I need it and I love it!

    We’ll be gathering during the last weekend of October again (Friday, Oct. 28 – Saturday, Oct. 29) at Northern’s, Lindner Conference Center.  The theme for this year is something that we feel has risen to the surface for many of us – DISCIPLESHIP.  We’re planning to try and facilitate some discussions around how we’ve come to understand discipleship & what it’s looked like in our lives, how discipleship relates to the gospel, how discipleship plays out in the lives of our church communities, and what relevance discipleship has for the formation of our leaders.  Lots of great people will be presenting and provoking conversation – hope you’ll come and add your voice.  Get all the details and register at missionalcommons.org.  You can also connect via the Facebook event here.  Care to spread the word via a web banner or a PDF flyer?  My buddy Ben went ahead and made that possible, get em here.

    Oh, by the way, I want to mention an additional event that I am thinking some of you may really want to consider taking advantage of if you are able.

    On Friday morning and afternoon of Oct. 28, Mike Breen and some others from the 3DM team will be offering a free (yup, FREE!) workshop on how, as a ministry, they try to get at the issues of discipleship and mission.  If those topics are of interest to you or if you are looking to learn more about 3DM and what they do (top notch stuff if you ask me!), this would be a great thing to be a part of.  Find out more and register here.

    Posted in 3DM, chicago, discipleship, missional, missional learning commons, Northern Seminary, post-christendom, theological education, theology, western culture

    My (Ana)baptism

    September 7, 2011 // 19 Comments »

    Wrote this post for the blog of the good people behind the Anabaptist Missional Project.

    I’m an Anabaptist.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not Mennonite, Hutterite, Brethren, or Amish and my name is Rozko for Pete’s sake!, but I’m an Anabaptist nonetheless.  I may have been baptized in an Episcopalian church when I was a baby, baptized again in a Church of Christ in high school when my faith became my own, ordained in the Christian Church tradition, and I may be part of a church community that is part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination and work for an American Baptist seminary, but I’m an Anabaptist nonetheless.

    “How’s that work exactly?” you ask.  Good question.  In fact, it’s the question behind this post which is itself the result of a conversation I had with my good friend Dave Stutzman (he’s my Anabaptist passport for those of you skeptics out there ;)

    Well, here’s my brief answer.  It works because I’m one of thousands of seminary-trained people between the ages of 25 and 35 who have been orphaned by the Christendom-shaped theology and ecclesiology that raised us.  Like many, many others, left to fend for ourselves among the cultural wilderness that is Post-Christendom, Anabaptism has provided me with the theological and ecclesiological shelter and nourishment that I needed to sustain and guide me as I’ve sought to make sense of the world and my personal and ministerial place in it. 

    To be a bit more specific, as Christianity has moved (been pushed?) from the center to the margins of our society, by and large, the responses of the Church have come in two types:

    1) Fight – here I have in mind the typical right-wing Christian response of scraping and clawing through powerful maneuvering and campaigning to “take back America for God” in order to regain a place of power and privilege believed to be, if not rightfully ours, God’s ultimate aim for his people.

    2) Ignore – here, there is either a complete lack of awareness (especially in the South) of the growing reality of Post-Christendom or an apathetic attitude toward what is simply dismissed as an inevitability.

    Anabaptism, I believe, presents a third way, a posture more faithful to a biblical (at least through the lenses of Anabaptist theology & ecclesiology) vision of what it means to be the people of God living under the reign of God in the midst of a world that, while fallen, remains deeply loved and addressed by God.  It was this humble and hopeful vision that drew me in.

    My initial touch points with Anabaptism came through a handful of professors at Fuller Theological Seminary such as Wilbert Shenk (anyone else think Wilbert needs to start a blog already?!), Nancey Murphy, and Glen Stassen (though there’s a palpable Anabaptist current throughout much of the school) and some time at Pasadena Mennonite Church.  These opened me up to the world of Anabaptist theology and (missional) ecclesiology, which has worked to powerfully shape both my identity and the contours of my life.

    Anabaptist theology has had a profound impact on my thinking and practice with regard to, among many other things, missional church, politics, preaching, theological education, and the Gospel.  In fact, it was these touch points and their consequent exposure to the unique features of Anabaptism that inclined me to further study with Wilbert Shenk and James Krabill as part of DMiss cohort at Fuller focused on Anabaptist Perspectives in Missional Ecclesiology.

    Interestingly, the one thing that my exposure to Anabaptism didn’t do, and I suppose this might be the real point of the post since it seemed to be one of the things Dave and I talked most about in our conversation, was incline me to seek out and join a (traditionally thought of) Anabaptist congregation.  I think there are 3 primary reasons for this.

    1) There are only a couple “denominationally-Anabaptist” congregations near me and they are all incredibly introverted and insular – a startling reality in light of the fact that the inherently missional dimension of all Anabaptist theology was one of the things I initially found so freeing.

    2) I have experienced and continue to understand Anabaptism as a theological and ecclesiological paradigm that defies denominational hegemony.  This of course relates to the first point, but personally, inasmuch as I have come to see Anabaptism as a theological (as opposed to denominational) tradition, I actually feel like I would be close to betraying my Anabaptist convictions to not seek to live them out in whatever other contexts it seems God has and is directing me.

    3) Lastly, I am surrounded by people who share my story – people who, while having no official exposure to or experience with traditionally thought of Anabaptist congregations, have discovered, through any number of different means (books, blogs, classes, friends, conferences, etc.), that Anabaptism is the theological tradition that best expresses their core convictions. Thus, I am far more inclined band together with these folks to see the Anabaptist vision carried forth and lived out across an array of denominational and other contexts rather than I am to isolate myself to one of the few traditionally recognized contexts.

    The point I suppose is this, there is a large and growing population of Christians who resonate with Anabaptist theology and ecclesiology.  It sure would be awesome if those who have been part of historically Anabaptist traditions were leading the way on this, but as of yet, that just doesn’t seem to be the case.  I don’t claim to have any divine insight or wisdom on this, but I think this much should be apparent: as Christendom continues to crumble, as denominational identity comes to mean less and less, and as more and more Christians/ministers have to figure out how to make sense of the world and their relationship to God and God’s work in it, there is a HUGE opportunity for those who espouse Anabaptist ideals to speak up and lead the way.  I represent a group of people who would gladly welcome the guidance!

    Posted in anabaptist, chicago, christendom, culture, discipleship, DMiss, Fuller Seminary, gospel, kingdom, missiology, missional, missional theology, Northern Seminary, politics, post-christendom, preaching/teaching, salvation, spiritual formation, theological education, theology, western culture

    Free 3DM Workshop on Discipleship & Mission Coming to Chicago

    August 31, 2011 // No Comments »

    I’ve already offered a couple posts on the partnership Northern is entering into with 3DM through the Learning Communities they do (part 1/part 2). Related to that, Mike Breen & other members of the 3DM team are coming up our way to offer a free workshop on the topics of discipleship & mission and their relevance for the life & vitality of local churches.

    The workshop will take place on Friday, October 28 at Northern’s Lindner Conference Center.

    More info and registration here.

    Aside from the straight-up excellent content & discussion that will surely mark this workshop, it’ll be a perfect opportunity for anyone who is interested in learning more about 3DM as a ministry and what they do as well as ask any questions you might have about the academic partnership we’re beginning.

    Hope to see you there.

    Oh, by the way, this will kind of flow into the annual Missional Learning Commons event. I’ll post more on that real soon.

    Posted in 3DM, chicago, church, discipleship, missional, missional learning commons, Northern Seminary, theological education, theology

    Northern Seminary & 3DM: Discipleship-Oriented Theological Education (Part 2)

    August 29, 2011 // 1 Comment »

    I mentioned a couple weeks ago that as part of my role at Northern Seminary, I was in Pawley’s Island, SC working w/ the good people of 3DM to flesh out how those who participate in a 3DM Learning Community can apply that experience toward a seminary degree. Let me describe Learning Communities briefly. (check here for more)

    Learning Communities are open to church planters and small (3-5) church staff teams. LC’s are structured around 4 intensives:

    1) Building a Discipling Culture

    2) Multiplying Missional Leaders

    3) Leading Missional Communities

    4) Establishing Centers of Mission.

    During these intensives, church planters and teams have the opportunity to learn from the experience and insight of church leaders drawing on decades of ministry experience in Post-Christian England, work through the details of this teaching for their specific ministry context, and build 6-month strategic ministry plans that members of the 3DM team will mentor and coach them through during weekly “huddle” calls until the following intensive. That’s just a basic sketch, it doesn’t even begin to get into the ways that they intersperse worship and ministry time with social time for connecting and building relationships. It’s really an all-around incredible experience as I’ve said before.

    So, we’ve been working on pairing this existing paradigm of training and formation with additional course work, i.e., books, writing (reflection & research) projects, and assessment exercises, to create something of a “Scholar Track.” Guess what excites me most is that as I have shared this with a number of people, including people who are thinking about seminary, are in seminary, or have finished seminary, the response has been the same, “Man, that’s what all of theological education should look like!” (By the way, if you’re one of those people, drop me a line directly via the contact page and I can share a little more about how you might be part of a growing initiative in this regard).

    On Northern’s end, we hope that new and existing students will want to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in a 3DM Learning Community as way to, on the one hand, bring the issues of discipleship and mission to the forefront of their education and formation, and on the other, to benefit from a learning experience that is rooted in community as well as a local ministry context.

    On 3DM’s end, we are hoping that making this option available will be not just an added incentive to those who are interested in working toward a seminary degree, but will bring a dimension to their experience that proves additionally valuable and formative. In either case, doing so will result in 9 courses that count as…

    1) The completion of an entire Certificate Program
    2) An emphasis of courses that count toward the completion of an MA or MDiv at Northern (or which can be transferred to another school’s program)
    3) The focus section of a DMin degree

    Maybe just me, but I happen to think this is a pretty exciting opportunity. Anyone have any thoughts or reactions?

    Posted in 3DM, christendom, church, community, discipleship, missional, Northern Seminary, post-christendom, spiritual formation, theological education, theology

    Northern Seminary & 3DM: Discipleship Oriented Theological Education

    August 4, 2011 // 5 Comments »

    It’s interesting how things come together. I’ve been cultivating a growing interest in the future of theological education, especially under the direction of missional approaches to theology and ecclesiology since about the time I started into my own seminary experience, almost seven years ago now. Shortly thereafter, through a handful of professors and some involvement in Pasadena Mennonite Church, I was introduced to the Anabaptist tradition and its unique approach to theology and ecclesiology. I was especially taken with the way in which, for them, discipleship wasn’t something extraneous to “being saved,” but was the way in which we fully receive and participate in the good news of God’s salvation. Personally then, I’ve got these two passions, missional approaches to theological education and the centrality of discipleship for how we understand and practice being the Church.

    Working at Northern Seminary, a school that is radically committed to exploring the best ways to come alongside the Church and Christian ministries to equip men and women for service and leadership in an increasingly Post-Christian context, sometimes affords me the opportunity to bring these two areas of passion together. This is especially true as I am in Pawley’s Island, SC working with my pal Doug Paul and other members of the 3DM team as we develop a partnership that will 1) Make it possible for participants in 3DM Learning Communities to earn seminary credit for the work they do over the two years of that journey and 2) Bring discipleship front and center as the focus of earning an Certificate, MA, MDiv, or DMin from a seminary.

    Northern, in my opinion, has gotten quite good at creating partnership-driven programs that afford students the opportunity to craft degree programs that are both rooted in concrete ministry contexts and directly related to the area of Christian ministry and leadership that God has called them to. This partnership with 3DM is no exception. Over the course of two years, 3DM guides pastors and leaders through not just the ideas of creating a discipling culture, multiplying missional leaders, launching missional communities, and establishing centers of mission, but the nuts and bolts of those endeavors as well. This is what makes them so unique. They are not just content providers, they serve as mentors and coaches through two years of implementing these ideas. The nature and fruit of this process is more than enough to make someone scratch their head when comparing it to traditional models of theological education, which are almost always class based rather than ministry based. This partnership is a deliberate attempt to begin to rectify this shortcoming by creating a definitive bond between theological reflection and ministry experience with a view toward spiritual formation.

    Crafting syllabi and shaping the contours of these various degree programs is just a part of what I’ll be spending my time on while I’m down here with the good people of 3DM We’re also working on a couple side projects that I think will add some value to the conversations and initiatives related to the reshaping of theological education and the place and practice of discipleship in the Church.

    Posted in 3DM, anabaptist, christendom, church, discipleship, Fuller Seminary, leadership, missional, missional theology, Northern Seminary, post-christendom, salvation, spiritual formation, theological education, theology

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