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Leslie Newbigin, who is considered by many to be the instigator of this conversation, poised the question in his book Foolishness to the Greeks: “What would be involved in a missionary encounter between the gospel and this whole way of perceiving, thinking, and living that we call ‘modern Western Culture?” We’ve been wrestling with that question for forty years.
Of course, microchurch is not a new form of the church, but the most ancient one. A compelling case can be made that the microchurch is the original design within the pages of the New Testament. In addition, it is also the primary expression of the church in the most significant Disciple-Making Movements on the planet today, in places like India and China. Now is the time for us to return to the microchurch in the West for biblical, cultural, and missiological reasons.
Join Leadership Network this year for a series of catalytic conversations with leading practitioners. Join this move of the Spirit that is causing the return of the microchurch.
Leadership Network is convening Microchurch Learning Communities in partnership with KC Underground where practitioners and thought leaders can catalyze paradigm shifting conversations to help church leaders return to the microchurch in the West for biblical, cultural, and missiological reasons.
Learning Community Guides: Rob Wegner, Brian Johnson, Jason Shepperd
Brought to you by Exponential NEXT and KC Underground
Before we can begin disciple-making, we must know the answer to the question, “To whom have you been sent?” Breanna Wiebe will walk us through the context map, a tool that helps us explore the various relational networks in which exist and determine where we might have the most spiritual interest. These are often the best places to engage in missionary living. We can be a missionary everywhere we go. To be effective in missional living, we need to discern one or two contexts and approach those relationships with greater intentionality. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Once we know our primary context in which we will focus our disciple-making, we have to begin the relational work to know the people in that network of relationships. Jay Pathak walks us through the neighboring map, a tool that will assist us in knowing the people in our lives in a deeper way. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Jesus sent the 12 disciples and the group of people known as “the 72” on mission to the next towns and villages he was about to travel to. He instructs his followers to identify people of peace who would welcome them and receive the Good News from them as well as open their network of relationships. Gina Mueller teaches us that the finding the persons of peace in our context can accelerate our mission as well. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Each of the BLESS rhythms has a breathing in and breathing out element. As we Begin In Prayer, we breathe in prayer first, that is, we start with listening prayer. Rob Wegner will walk us through a listening prayer practice called The Prayer of Examen. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Breathing out prayer is probably far more natural to most followers of Jesus. This is where we bring our requests to God or engage in some form of intercession. Jill Randall will teach us another form of prayer we call “Blessing Prayer.” This form of prayer is how we join God in praying blessing into this world. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Jesus was a listener. He asks a lot of questions. Even when he is asked a question, he often begins his response with another question. Good missionary leaders practice listening first, rather than bringing our own ideas to the table. Darryl Answer will challenge us to think about how we approach our context as a listener first. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
The BLESS rhythm that most of us love is Eating. There’s something about sharing a meal that can move a relationship from merely an acquaintance to deeper intimacy. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus sharing meals as part of the way he learns more about the people he is asking to follow him. Hugh Halters shares about how meals have played an integral part in his family’s disciple-making practices. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Serving often feels like the BLESS rhythm that is the most missional. It’s the rhythm where we get to do something for another person. Stacy Gaskins helps us reframe our serving to see that our serving must be highly contextualized based on our specific calling. The way we serve, that is, must be a natural response to the needs of the people to whom we’ve been sent. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
We must breathe in the Gospel before we can speak Good News. If we are not regularly proclaiming the Good News to ourselves, we will not have a Gospel to speak to others. And the Good News will always reshape our lives. Jeff Vanderstelt will walk us through a practical tool called Fruit to Root which helps us identify areas of unbelief in our life, speak the Good News over those areas, and move toward greater belief in Jesus in response. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
We breathe out the Gospel in natural ways by helping others discover Jesus in the Scripture and then respond in obedience. Dori Yuen will share how their network engages Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) to lead people toward a surrendered life to Jesus while also helping believers grow in their faith. Brought to you by Leadership Network and KC Underground.
Watch Leadership Network’s Microchurch Next Directors, Rob Wegner and Brian Johnson, with guest Doug Paul from Catapult for Part 1 of, “The State of the Microchurch in the West,” Over the course of three gatherings in 2022 hosted by Leadership Network, Microchurch Networks from across the US gathered to explore three questions, “How did we get here? Where are we currently? Where are we headed?”
In part 1 of this 2 part series, Rob, Brian, and Doug will primarily explore the answers discovered to the first question, “How did we get here?” You’ll hear about the process these networks engaged to discern the critical factors that led to the return of the Microchurch in the West over the past three decades, both within the church world and the cultural contributing factors.
Over the course of three gatherings in 2022 hosted by Leadership Network, microchurch networks from across the US gathered to explore three questions: “How did we get here? Where are we currently? Where are we headed?”
In part 2 of this 2 part series, Rob, Brian, and Doug will address the barriers to success and sustainability discovered by these microchurch networks. As a note, we admit that we don’t have holistic answers to these barriers, but we do see bright spots where networks are creatively exploring solutions. There will also be Q/A time with Rob and Brian following the discussion. Before joining us for the second part of this webinar, we encourage you to read the “State of the Microchurch in the West” which you can find at leadnet.org/microchurch-next.
In our present moment, Microchurch is at the fore-front of the conversation for many in light of the changing cultural landscape we find ourselves in, coupled with the ongoing deconstruction and reform back to what many believe is a return to a more biblically faithful expression of church. Call it Missional Community or MicroChurch (MCs for short in this article), there really is a big difference between typical small groups and MCs.
by Jeff Vanderstelt
Rob is a ragamuffin who lives to love Jesus, his wife, his daughters, and his extended spiritual family in his neighborhood. He’s also one of the founding leaders and directors of the Kansas City Underground, a mission agency and decentralized network of microchurches and missional leaders committed to filling Kansas with the beauty, justice, and Good News of Jesus. Rob also serves on the Global Leadership Team of NewThing, a global tribe equipping catalytic leaders in every nation of the world who believe in building networks around the Jesus Mission.
The Starfish and the Spirit: Unleashing the Leadership Potential of Churches and Organizations is his latest book, which he co-wrote with Lance Ford and Alan Hirsch.
Brian Johnson serves as one of the founders and directors of the Kansas City Underground, a mission agency and decentralized network of missionaries and microchurches in Kansas City. KCU’s forty-year vision is to have a missionary on every street and a microchurch in every network of relationships, connecting with training Hubs throughout the city, saturating Kansas City with the beauty, justice, and Good News of Jesus.
Brian and his wife Kristen live as missionaries with their five kids in their neighborhood, seeking to build an extended spiritual family there.
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