A Geometric Missional Model

Joe Thorn and Steve McCoy, two young SBC pastors whose blogs are on my regular reading list, have worked out a missional paradigm for their churches based around three aspects of church life: the table, the pulpit, and the square. Joe has a nice diagram:

Instead of copying Joe's full description of the three parts, I refer you to his own explanation. The gist of it is this:
The Table, represented by a circle, is the hospitality and friendship aspect of personal and corporate ministry. Steve's explanation fleshes this out as ranging from neutral third-place relationship-building to private dinners or coffee with people.
The Pulpit, represented by a triangle, is the gathered activities of the church, including corporate worship, equipping ministries, and community groups.
The Square, represented by a square, is the civic engagement aspect of personal and corporate ministry.

I like this paradigm for a few reasons:
1. Every aspect of life is involved.
2. It is doable. Everyone and anyone can sign on.
3. It is memorable.

This really isn't all that much different from the connecting, maturing, and unleashing mission of Bear Valley. One could even propose the following one-to-one relationships:
Connecting = The Table
Maturing = The Pulpit
Unleashing = The Square

Maybe that can give us some food for thought—or at least a clearer mental model.

Reflections on the Church & Young Adults

Trevin Wax has written a chapter-by-chapter summary of the book After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings are Shaping the Future of American Religion. His concluding thoughts about the book and the subject are interesting and possibly worth discussing.

1... 2... 3... GO!