9 Reasons Why Clarity Catalyzes Movement
Why should you believe in vision today? Here are a few bullet points from Chapter 5. Remember, clarity isn't everything but it changes everything!
Over the last 2 years, I have been delighted to work with a unique group of movement-minded practitioners and thinkers about the next chapter of the missional conversation. The outcome of those gatherings is a brand new non-profit consultative training organization named 100 Movements.
The big idea of 100 Movements is to shift from conversation to competency; from paradigm to practice. It is building on Leadership Network's and Exponential's multisite learning community and programs like Future Travelers where the basic ideas of the missional reorientation were explored from the view point of the megachurch and early expressions of the multisite form of multiplication.
The conclusion of many is that multisite church expressions have not become multiplication movements. We are still figuring out what real movement and rapid church multiplication looks like in the North American context. Research's Warren Bird and Ed Stetzer attest to this in their book, Viral Church. In response, Todd Wilson, the leader of the Exponential conference, is dedicating an e-book and the 2016 conference theme to the "Becoming a Level Five Multiplying Church." Everyone agrees that we have a long way to go to really embed the "forgotten ways" into tangible results in our "leading churches." In fact, Exponential will unveil a provocative assessment and show that our most celebrated churches are operating as an "addition only" model that will be dubbed as "level 3" (and hopefully on their way to "level 5.") In the end, no one argues that less than 0.5% of churches in North America are multiplying.
What is happening with 100 Movements (100M)?
Dave Rhodes, the former national team leader of 3dM and I have worked with Alan Hirsch and Neil Cole to design a developmental pathway around six movement competencies. My role is helping to build the toolbox and understand deep process change in existing churches. Dave is an amazing toolmaker, trainer and coach himself. Alan and Neil have written more on the subject than anyone over several decades. We are building the 6 Movement Competencies from the apostolic genius model from Alan's seminal work, "The Forgotten Ways." Neil Cole has perhaps led a multiplication movement more than any single practitioner in the United States. To top off the design team, we invited Jessie Cruikshank, a Harvard trained learning expert to help us. I think God has assembled an amazing team.
Why Am I Blogging About 100M?
The foundational Movement Competency is "Identity Declaring" — that is each church will articulate it's radical minimum standard for disciple-making and its' "Jesus is Lord" conviction. We will be using Church Unique's Vision Frame and Auxano's Vision Framing Process to deliver tools and training for this competency. But the thing I am most excited about is that 100M is designed for break-thru practice with leadership teams, not just more conferences, speakers, books and collaborative hang outs.
Your Invited - How to Take a Next Step
If you are interest in more information, grab this digital brochure: 100_Movements_Introduction.
You can also register to get updates at 100Movements.com.
Finally, if you want to sign-up to be one of the first 100 churches in our starter track called, Leap Year, which starts in late Spring of 2016, you can download, fill in and send back our Good Faith Agreement: 100M_GFA.