David Fitch asks how we lead a church community to engage mission as a way of life? How do we train a congregation out of Christendom habits and instill post Christendom virtues? Curiously, I had a conversation a few mornings ago and was reminded of a comment Todd Hunter made some years ago. “Nurture the kind of life and practices you want; starve those you don’t want.” Dave advocates the gentle rejection of certain assumptions and practices in favor of a missional imagination and missional practices.

Check out David’s post. To his nine items I’d like to add these:
10. Kindly reject strategic planning in favor of thoughtful preparation. We really don’t know the future… but we know that the Spirit is birthing his kingdom among us as we respond faithfully day by day. We keep our eyes on Jesus. Newbigin warned us that, “the significant advances of the church have not been the result of our own decision about the mobilizing and allocating of “resources” [rather] the significant advances have come through happenings of which the story of Peter and Cornelius is a paradigm, in ways of which we have no advance knowledge.” (The Open Secret)

11. Kindly reject heroic paradigms of leadership. Sola pastora is neither a biblical principle nor sound wisdom, and our emphasis on professionalism has subverted the spiritual nature of the task. Furthermore, Paul’s letters are addressed to entire communities (except Timothy, Titus and Philemon), and Eph. 4 tells us that apostolic teams are the norm. Missional thinkers like Alan Hirsch, Eddie Gibbs, Robert Webber and Alan Roxburgh have demonstrated that certain leadership types are conspicuously absent in our communities. Others have helped us to see that hierarchical models are unbiblical. (See Fitch ch 3 The Great Giveaway, Gibbs, ch 2 LeadershipNext and Missional Church ch 7).

12. Kindly reject the dualistic mode of Christendom, and rediscover the Holy in daily life. Lots could be said about this..