The Details

We would like to issue a special invitation to you to participate in our first “theological conversation” on “rediscovering a holistic gospel”.

Ever since our talks at the WWC and Sam’s subsequent MMMs, we have wrestled with how do we continue this conversation throughout CRM.  How do we continue to move all of us towards greater awareness of our cultural captivity?  How do we together think through the dimensions of a biblically holistic Good News and its implications for our calling as an apostolic movement?  How do we make it not just an intellectual exercise, but a journey that truly challenges us with new ways of doing ministry personally and in community?

After much discussion between ourselves, then with the Strategic Team and the CRM-US Board, we decided to launch our first “conversation” this summer, July 23-26 in Vancouver, BC, alongside our NieuCommunities team.  We believe that this will be the first of several such forums and we hope this first one helps shape the rest.

To this first “conversation” we are inviting approximately twenty people who represent a broad cross-section of CRM.  We would like you to consider being a part.  Advanced preparation will be required, mostly in the form of reading.  CRM will be help to underwrite the travel costs.  We will need to know by April 10 if you can participate.  If you cannot, please let us know right away since there are others on the waiting list we would like to ask.  

If you are coming, please direct your RSVP to Kevin Brown who will be coordinating all the logistics for the gathering.  

These are several core questions that will frame our exploration:

1.  What does a biblically holistic understanding of the Good News entail?

2.  How does such a holistic understanding of the Good News affect the evangelical Christianity in the U.S. (out of which CRM was birthed and many of our staff have come) and our own ministry culture? 

3.  How does this understanding of the Good News inform our calling as a ministry and a sodalic expression of the Church?  

4.  What does our understanding of the Good News inform how we intentionally form our staff?

5.  What does this understanding of the Good News have to say about the types of leaders we desire to develop for the Church and our influence on the church in its local form?  

It is questions #4&5 that will shape the outcomes of this journey.  We believe that looking at our calling through the lens of a more holistic gospel will give us clarity on what kind of leaders our staff need to become and what kind of leaders we need to develop.

Thank you for your prayerful consideration of taking part in this conversation in July. 

Sam and Paul