About Our Conversation
Churches in Canada no longer hold a position of influence. That doesn't diminish the message they have, but it does highlight the absolute need to adjust the way we 'DO' church. Calgary Church is a 'missional' church community that strives to release leaders in their existing networks around our city.
Missional churches are different than conventional churches in a few core ways. Firstly, they seek to communicate a message of redemption within a context where an increasing majority of people have no 'religious memory'. We do not assume people have the stories about Christianity, and thus have different expectations on how we engage our communities.
Rather than relying on creating a 'service' for the public to come in and 'consume' we choose to live out our faith in tangible ways within our communities. Missional community participants take seriously the call to be 'sent' on a mission to engage in the redemption of our city, rather than leaving mission to a select few 'chosen' people who go overseas.
Our movement is like the one guy dancing his heart out unashamed of his purpose to dance, only our purpose is connecting into God's plan to redeem humanity. Nobody remembers person 49 that joined the crowd, they're just following the masses, they're doing something safe.
We're looking for persons 2 and 3 to join in our movement. These people are leaders, people who are unique and ready to strike out into something new because they believe it's their purpose and will be understood by others.
But we're also looking for persons 22 and 33 to join in our movement. These people want express their faith in a language our city and friends can understand. They want a faith with greater depth that seeks to right the wrongs in our city and join God on his redemption plan for our lives and those we know.
These folks may not have all the pieces put together, but they know in their heart there's something more to be grasped when it comes to their Christianity. Maybe that's you?
One of the first steps to figure out if this might be you is to see if you connect with our vision that seeks to join God in His plan to redeem our city. There is a need to communicate a different direction for our city. One that points in the direction of love, social justice, beauty, and relationships in a language our networks and friends can understand.
We seek to become community leaders in our city and to get our hands dirty with the issues around us rather than existing amongst ourselves within the confines of closed groups.
God's plan for a redeemed creation begins with you and me therefore a church community should be built to grow together in the things we're gifted in--not handing off primary responsibilities to 'clergy' or 'missionaries'--rather we're all missionaries who live in the places we already exist.
You can read this post on the 'Ten things to NOT expect' at Calgary Church to give you more information on what we represent. You can also view this quick video that explains 'missional church'.
Curious to learn more about this movement? We're looking for people who resonate with our vision, if that's you please get connected into the discussion!
Also, check our gatherings page to see what's happening this month.
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Calgary Church is shaped with a distinct and intentional flavour--read the vision for a glimpse of our dream. We also serve as a catalyst for building emerging missional leaders in our city, and also for connecting existing missional leaders and communities.