PMC In the Words of Its Practitioners

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Rev. Alix Pridgen
Lutheran Church of the Resurrection
Prairie Village, KS
We have learned that God has a preferred and promised future in mind for our congregation, but to discover it we have to talk to relatively friendly looking strangers, that the Holy Spirit will guide us if we learn to listen (to God and one another), that experiments usually fail and failure is good because that's how we learn. We have also learned to take the promises of God more seriously than we take ourselves, remembering that the goal is to get close to the next identifiable buoy — not to sail a straight line across the ocean to an unseen shore. In the meantime, we are terrified but also hopeful to become a 21st Century missional church, because Jesus sent the disciples out with orders to carry no bag, no shirt, no sandals—so feeling vulnerable is probably a good sign.

As a result of the PMC journey so far, I see more intimate relationships between congregations and between clergy within the cluster, the beginnings of the practice of sharing testimonials and laments, leadership emerging within our congregation from unexpected places, more openness to trying different things (experiments), and a re-awakening of God-talk within the church walls, and also as we go out into the world and talk about our faith with others. We have also learned that when we are anxious we like to substitute process for progress – but now we know that we can't get away with that for long.

Rev. Len A Dale
Director of Evangelical Mission
Central States Synod - ELCA
Kansas City, KS
Look around at all the opportunities for congregations to become engaged in mission and you will find that thereare programs, techniques, and one-shot efforts to add on to a congregation’s present ministry. Although advertised oas transformational, the market is full of “technical” change, slick tricks a congregation can pull out of its hat to make them more missional. It sure is nice to have tricks, but unfortunately, they haven’t reached the majority of our culture which doesn’t see the church speaking to their spiritual needs. Yes, we certainly know that we live in a society that is one of the largest mission fields in the world, but all the techniques, programs and slick ideas have not increased our impact.

To make a difference, we need huge adaptive change – change that gets to the very foundation of how we understand ourselves to be church in the world. To make an impact we need to see how God is at work already in the world. To make an impact we need to see how we can become partners with God in what God is already doing. To make an impact we need to see that the church is not the mission of God, but simply is a partner in what God is up to in the world. When we see that, the way we function as a congregation/church changes. The Partnership for the Missional Church (PMC) provides a guided, longer-term process for helping a congregation participate in God’s mission in the world. Learning from its culture/context, other congregations in the process, cluster events, specific congregational activity, and Dwelling in the Word, congregations develop a new self awareness that mission is the heart of God’s Church. That is not a slick trick or a simple program. It is living into God’s future. It’s a tremendous leap of faith to live not knowing the exact outcome, but living confidently in the fact that our life and being is in the heart of God whose heart is in the world which God has made.

Amy Baue-Living Lord Lutheran Church
Lake Saint Louis, MO
Steering Chairperson
From my perspective, one of the greatest gifts from becoming focused on where God is already at work and where we as a congregation and as individuals can meet God has been Dwelling in the Word. It has infiltrated our church and is now being conducted at every staff meeting, small group/large group gathering, Council meetings and is flowing down into the congregation.

Becoming aware by focused listening, discerning what we hear individually and with others, and having an understanding that after attending church services we are equipped to step out into our community where God is ALREADY at work is a refreshing way to look at each day. Since this process started, our congregation has been asking the question, "God, what are you up to here and how can we help?"

We are learning that change, especially adaptive change, is a challenge for most disciples as we begin to have a different perspective and view of our world and how we "do" things. The great thing is that we are left feeling very hopeful and excited in the midst of this missional process and this journey of awareness, understanding and knowledge.

Being missional has brought me alongside of God rather than the old image of "me here on Earth and God up high in the sky." It has been a wonderful growing and awareness experience!

Karl Runge
Hope Lutheran
St. Charles, MO
PMC: By definition, if the congregation buys in to this process, it changes how the congregation operates. Instead of the current business model of "self care" if you will, "let's take care of our own problems while ‘helping out’ where we can," we learn that the congregation is a loving, living, ever-changing entity of love and community care.

DWELLING: This is the most important part of PMC. This exercise encourages the congregation to begin a conversational opinion in scripture through concentrated conversation among small groups. This pulls a common thought through an entire body of Christ allowing the WORD to affect their lives in a communal manner.

CLUSTER EVENTS: By encouraging the council members, "the elected body," to participate, - these church leaders gain valuable buy-in to participate in the "larger church community.". We all learn through conversation and practice that "reasonably friendly strangers” are okay. This process teaches us the conversational skills of listening and empathy that we all need when "going out into the community" and participating in the Great Commission –making friends in Christ, with Christ.

PLUNGING and BRIDGE BUILDING: This is great! Only Christendom-thinking-enriched Christians need special phrases and exercises to learn how to go out and make friends in Christ. After making a whole plan, going into the community and finding out all kinds of technical things about "them," getting all of our church friends excited to go do an "event," we see that the main objective is to "GO." Main lesson: failing is great if you stop for a second, lose your pride, get back up and laugh at yourself; then LEARN...

CONCLUSIONS: The congregation is praying together more, Sunday school and small group participation is up, attendance for all services is up and people are congregating in the commons between services to just talk. A key to this process, no offense meant, is to have the pastoral team stay out of the way. Our pastors did a phenomenal job at this. They were "hanging out" in the wings when questions arose, led many a Dwelling, encouraged participation and prayed with/for the other members of the congregation building community as a result. I truly believe that this process allows us to develop the skills needed as a community to let the HOLY SPIRIT effectively change our method of worship, evangelism, prayer and participation in the lives of our community - internal and at large.