Ecclesia is a relational network of churches, leaders and movements that seek to equip, partner and multiply missional churches and movements.
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αγγελος 2010
Download the brochure here: αγγελος Brochure
αγγελος is church planting training that presents a theological and practical trajectory for missional church planting.
αγγελος is unique in comparison to other church planters training opportunities available.
First, there will not be hundreds of people here. More than likely, there will be somewhere between 20-30. This means plenty of room for dialog, conversation, and questions amidst all of the planned training.
Second, everyone stays, eats, and prays together for the week. Most people leave with better friendships, some of which will be life-long, because they started the church planting journey – in this way – together.
Third, there will be a host of different equippers with unique planting stories. This gathering (as in all we try to do) isn’t dominated by just a few individuals or models of church planting. You’ll hear from a variety of planters, both seasoned and new, and learn from their experiences and approaches.
Finally, we hope to provide a good balance of theology, theory, and practicality. Each component is vital
We hope you’ll join us in May!Topics Covered:
- Planting Missional Churches
- Planting Equipping Churches
- Staying Healthy While Planting
- Developing a Philosophy of Discipleship
- Incarnational Ecclessiology: Reading Your City
- Developing Models & Approaches
- Developing Your Team
- Navigating Team Dynamics
- Fundraising for Church Planting
- Administrative & Legal Issues
- Keeping Heart Till the End ….
General Information
Location
Richmond Hill Urban Retreat Center (www.richmondhillva.org).
Richmond Hillis a former monastery, located in the heart of the city of Richmond. Most people will be sharing a room with one other person throughout the week. All meals are all included as part of our stay and will take place on the grounds.Registration
Email info@ecclesianet.org to confirm your spot followed by payment. A 20% deposit is required within two weeks of registration to qualify for rate and space. Full payment due May 1st, 2010.Arrival/Departure
You should plan to arrive at the Richmond Hill Urban Retreat Center (www.richmondhillva.org) between 4.00 and 4.30 on Monday, May 17th. Please be prompt because we will start with an orientation to the week around 5.00 that evening. We plan to finish on Friday at approximately 4.00 pm.What to Bring:
Richmond Hill provides sheets and towels for each guest. You will need to bring all other toiletries with you. In addition, please bring along any relevant documents and resources related to your particular church plant. This could include vision pieces, working budgets, drafts of values, demographic information, etc. Obviously, you should bring a copy of the scriptures with you.Preparing to Come:
Spend some time in prayer, perhaps asking specific people to pray for you during this week. This will be a very “intense” week with a full schedule, but our hope is that it will launch God’s church planting efforts through you in an effective way.Pricing
- Super Earlybird – before Feb 1, 2010 – $499
- Earlybird – before Mar 1, 2010 – $599
- Regular – before May 1, 2010 – $699
- Late – after May 1, 2010 – $799
A Word from a previous participant:
From the moment I arrived, I began to realize – this is a room of like-minded individuals intent on seeing the Gospel spread and healthy, missionally-minded communities planted. And in the lonely world of church planting, I can think of few things more valuable than having a handful of friends like that.
The boot camp itself was a great mix of the theoretical and the practical, the motivational and the devotional. Times of prayer, times of discussion, lots of learning and lots of dreaming. This was a healthy mix of seasoned practitioners and newer church planters all sharing what they’ve learned. And everyone was invited and expected to do the same.
The setting of the Richmond Hill community was wonderful with its rhythm of prayer and contemplative atmosphere. Hard to imagine a better setting for listening to God and seeing what it is He might be birthing through you.
-Bob Hyatt, Portland OR
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Focused Sessions: Updated Schedule
Here’s the updated schedule and locations for the focused sessions:
Focused Session # 1:
Practical Steps to Growth in the Spirit – Ben Sternke (Iowa A)
What NOT To Do When Church Planting – Bruce Hopler (Iowa B)
Membership in the Missional Congregation – Winn Collier (America A)
Developing Reproducing Disciples – Bob Hyatt (America B)
Developing a Contextual Church – Bob & Mary Hopkins (OHIO Room – This Room)Focused Session # 2:
Evangelism Strategies– Bob Hopkins (Iowa A)
Worship, Liturgy, Mission – Geoff Holsclaw (Iowa B)
Explorations in Missional Theology – David Fitch (America A)
What To Do When The Tank Is Empty – Keith Matthews (America B)
Christianity In A Pluralistic Age – Dallas Willard (OHIO Room – This Room)Focused Session # 3:
Evangelism Strategies II – Bob & Mary Hopkins (Iowa A)
Lasting in Ministry: Lessons From Ignatius – JR Woodward (Iowa B)
Creative Missional Leadership Teams – Todd Hiestand (America A)
Moving Towards Bi-Vocational Ministry – Geoff Holsclaw (America B)
Christianity in a Pluralistic Age – Dallas Willard (OHIO Room – This Room)Focused Session # 4:
Missional Communities Roundtable – Doug Paul (Iowa A)
Practical Steps To Growth in the Spirit – Ben Sternke (Iowa B)
Biblical Social Justice – Aaron Graham & Gary Alloway (America A)
Coaching in the Missional Congregation – Brian Hopper (America B)
Developing a Contextual Church – Bob & Mary Hopkins (OHIO Room – This Room) -
Ecclesia Liveblog
As the 2010 National Gathering kicks off this week, we are excited to launch a liveblog to extend our experience beyond the room we gather in. It’s designed to function somewhat as a collaborative blog, and somewhat as an encased social media platform. We hope it can extend our learnings and conversations together.
How it works
Gathering participants can register for the site to post updates. If you are going to be at the Gathering, you can register here. Once you register and log in, you will see a post box at the top of the home screen. Any entries you post will automatically be added to the site without refreshing.
Non-attendees are welcome to participate by leaving comments on the attendees’ posts. No registration will be necessary, though there may be a delay for your first comments to appear until they have been moderated.
Ecclesia Network Liveblog
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National Gathering Weather Update
Currently, we are proceeding as planned with the National Gathering. The 4H Conference Center has shared that the parking lot will be cleared and that currently the main road in front of their building is also clear. We also understand that there is the prediction of a small snow storm on Monday. At the moment we don’t expect that this will impact the start of the National Gathering. Please stay posted.
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Verge LA 2009
We are pleased to announced Verge LA 2009. This unconference is hosted JR Woodward and the Ecclesia Network. It takes place next month — November 13-14 — at the Fountain Room in Los Angeles.
JR describes the event this way:
The next big idea is about giving time to interact about innovative ways to partner with God in the renewal of all things. Unconference is about freely sharing creative ideas with one another without putting anyone on a pedestal. It is more participant oriented than personality driven, which is why there will be no lists of speakers. There is also no cost, because people share their gifts and knowledge freely.
Within a 24-hour period there will be twenty 14-minute presentations by 20 different speakers from 20 different churches on innovative ways to think and live missionally.
I will be in LA for this event. I love the format JR is putting together, and I’m going to be one of the presenters. You can learn more on JR’s blog or on the event page on Facebook.
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Scripture and Culture Seminar Info
We’re excited about the upcoming Scripture and Culture Seminar with Darrell Guder and Andy Crouch at The Well in Suburban Philadelphia. This event is put on by both The Well and The Renew Community. It should be a great event. If you are coming, directions can be found here. We’ll also be trying to do a video cast as well so check the Ecclesia Twitter stream for more info.But, we’re more excited about all the proceeds from the event going to two organizations that are working hard to care for the poor. One Days Wages and HELP (Help End Local Poverty).
You can find more information about these organizations on their websites.
Oh, and if you are attending, register here.
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Training Event: Ministry Partner Development
History
We will be using the best resources developed by GCM and other support raising mission agencies who have trained and helped hundreds of people develop funding for their mission over the years. The teachers are practitioners with over 20 years of experience in development.Purpose
This intense training time is design to give you theological confidence and practical training in developing a ministry partner team so that you can be fully funded to fulfill the vision that God has given you.Goals
Theological Grounding for Support Raising
Gaining a Positive Perspective in Raising Support
Overcoming The Major Fears to Raising Support
Gathering the Necessary Skills for Ministry Partner Development
Developing a Workable Plan and Accountability
How to Maintain and Cultivate Your Support TeamDates
Tuesday, October 27th @ Noon until Thursday, October 29th @5:00 p.m.Place
Richmond Hill [An ecumenical Christian Fellowship Monastery]
2209 E. Grace St., Richmond, Virginia 23223 (map)
804.783.7903Cost
$400 for Training, Room and Board
$350 for Ecclesia Network MembersRegistration
Due to the reading and work that must be completed prior to registration, it is encouraged to register as soon as possible. To register, please email JR Woodward @
totalpraxis@gmail.com. -
Scripture & Culture Seminar
- How do we read and interact with scripture as communities of faith?
- How do we read and interact culture as communities of faith?
These two questions will be giving shape to our time together during this day.
We are excited to have two exceptional conversation partners for this event:
Dr. Darrell Guder
Dr. Guder is the Dean of Academic Affairs and Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princteon Theological Seminary and author of the landmark book Missional Church, among others.Andy Crouch
Andy is the author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, winner of Christianity Today’s 2009 Book Award for Christianity and Culture and named one of the best books of 2008 by Publishers Weekly, Relevant, Outreach and Leadership. (Read more about Andy here)Event Schedule:
- 10:00am – 12:00pm / Reading Scripture with Dr. Guder
- 12:00pm – 1:00pm / Lunch at local restaurants
- 1:00pm – 3:00pm / Culture Making with Andy Crouch
- 3:00pm – 4:00pm / Panel & Discussion led by Scott Jones
About the Location:
The Well is a church community in Feasterville, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Check out some pictures of the seminar space here.More info and registration for this seminar: http://scriptureandculture09.eventbrite.com/
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2009 National Gathering Schedule
Below you will find the tentative schedule for the national gathering. All times, speakers and topics are subject to change. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Location:
National 4-H Youth Conference Ctr.
(www.4Hcenter.org)
7100 Connecticut Avenue
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815Schedule
Wednesday March 4th
1.00 – 2.00 – Arrival & Registration
2.00 – 3.45 – “Engaging: Missionary Strategies Then & Now” – Gibbs, Breen
3.45 – 4.00 – Stretch Break
4.00 – 5.30 – “Organizing: Structures for Incarnational Church” – Breen
5.30 – 6.45 – Dinner
7.00 – 8.30 – “Challenges: Barriers to Mission in the Western Context” – Gibbs, BreenThursday March 5th
7.30 – 8.30 – Breakfast
8.30 – 10.30 – “Leadership: Guiding Missional Movements” – Guder, Gibbs, Breen (forum)
10.30 – 10.45 – Break
10.45 – 12.00 – Discussion Groups
12.00 – 1.30 – Lunch (Introduction to Ecclesia in separate room)
1.30 – 3.30 – “Sending: Releasing the Lay Apostolate” – Guder, Breen
3.30 – 4.00 – Break
4.00 – 5.30 – Discussion Groups
5.30 – 7.00 – Dinner
7.00 – 8.30 – “Communication: Hearing the Good News in Context” – Gibbs, TysonFriday, March 6th
7.30 – 8.45 – Breakfast
8.45 – 10.00 – “Scripture: A Missional Hermeneutic” – Guder
10.00 – 10.15 – Break
10.15 – 11.30 – Forum Discussion
11.30 – 12.00 – Departures -
Baltimore Area Ecclesia Gathering – Feb. 19, 2009
This is a gathering before the National gathering. The goal is relationship building so that the National Gathering is of even greater value.
Wether you are going to the national conference or not, if you live in the Baltimore area, we would like to invite you to a localized gathering at Cornerstone Community Church of Columbia Maryland on February 19th from 10 am – noon.
The format will be simple. Over coffee we will share what has been going on in our lives, share some cool stuff you have seen and perhaps share a few scars as well. Also the hope is that ways we can work together as churches will emerge as well. Anyone who wants to go out to lunch afterwards is invited.
For more information, contact Bruce Hopler (pastor at cornerstone-d6.org)
