Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Missional Moves eBook: The G3 Map

If you haven't heard the story, when Rob and I sat down to write Missional Moves , we thought that we were being asked to write a 250 page book... so we did just that.  Problem is, Rob and I typically write using Arial Narrow, 10 pt, single spaced, so our 250 pages ended as a combined 225,000 word document... but it fit into 250 of OUR pages as described.

So we had to re-work it to fit a 50,000 word target, and were able to do so for the finished product that is now on shelves as Missional Moves, but we sort of felt that the contents of those extra 175,000 still had value, and we wondered what to do with them.  As a result, we drafted four eBooks that contain some of that content.  They add to, supplement, augment and amplify the concepts in Missional Moves, but they are available for free download through missionalmoves.com in the Resources section.

Over the next three months, we'll be rolling out each of four eBooks, and while they could each sort of "stand alone" on their own, they are really intended to be better understood within the framework of Missional Moves.  The first eBook is available for download today (and it's called "The G3 Map:  Discover God's Map For Your Church" -- you can also download it here).  It's one of our favorites, and I'm so glad that it will be the first available.  It's basically about understanding the arc of both Scripture and our lives in terms of God's redemptive plan for all of mankind, and how to find our place in that story as we lead churches, organizations, families, others and ourselves.

Transformational Partnerships:  Church to Church (available for download on 10/22/12):
Partnerships are critical, whether in local communities or around the world, and we believe that at the hub of each truly transformative partnership, you are going to find On Mission local churches and faith communities at work.  But how do local churches in one context partner with local churches in another without creating Dependency and dysfunctional relationships that lead to damage and disharmony over the long haul?  This eBook explains how we have sought to navigate those waters both in India and in our local context here with Granger Community Church, and lists some principles we have found helpful when coaching others as they have chartered those waters.


Transformational Partnerships:  Church to Organization (available for download on 11/19/12):
Partnerships are critical, whether in local communities or around the world, and we believe that at the hub of each truly transformative partnership, you are going to find On Mission local churches and faith communities at work.  But surely local churches aren't meant to supplant the hard fought work, experience and field expertise of world-class NGO's and organizations who have served for years or decades in contexts around the world, right?  Right.  In most instances, all sorts of agencies, organizations, parachurch ministries and NGO's have had to carry the freight when the Church has contented itself with a "Saved Souls" Gospel message (see Missional Move #1 in Missional Moves if you would like an explanation) rather than the transformation and redemption of every area of life, so we never posit that the Church should operate independently of such organizations.  However, this eBook outlines the fact that we do believe that there are some solid principles for how local churches should approach and be understood by such organizations to minimize misunderstanding and maximize effect wherever they join together.


Spectrum of Involvement:  Moving Your People Out On Mission (available for download on 12/17/12):  
"Yeah, but how?" is a question we hear often from local church leaders when we start talking about giving our people practical hand-holds for jumping into the flow of Mission as a local church.  As a result, this eBook seeks to elaborate what we outline specifically in Missional Move #10:  From Professionals to Full Participation.  It gives greater insight into how Granger Community Church is experimenting with its own Spectrum of Involvement, and what is really going on in helping to create a monolithic and centralized local church process for helping people take their next steps toward Christ... together, On Mission.

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