In Church 3.0, Neil Cole discusses several catalysts for creating movement. One of them is called the "Surprising Proposition."First of all why would anyone want to go through life without a Surprising Proposition to share? If we belong to the infinite creator God, are being transformed into the likeness of the living Jesus, and are leading others into eternally significant ministry, wouldn't it be natural to have a few bold ideas to guide your leadership?
Sure it would.
And, it's more than worth the time to process, pray, dialogue, wrestle, sweat and figure it out. What is God calling you to do and what difference will it make in the world?
Remember that the Gospel is God's Surprising Proposition and this message is at the center of everything. Now co-create with God and remix your ministry's DNA and audacious vision for your time and place.
Neil gives three examples from Church Multiplication Associates in his chapter on the subject:
- "We want to lower the bar of how to do church so everyone can do it, and raise the bar of what it means to be a disciple so that everyone will do it."
- "If you want to win this world for Christ, you're going to have to sit in the smoking section."
- "Bad people make good soil for the Gospel; there's a lot of fertilizer in their lives."
Here are a few of ours at Auxano:
- Clarity isn't everything but it changes everything.
- God wants to do something cosmically significant and locally specific in your church
- If your vision isn't stunningly unique, you probably don't have one.
Now grab a journal page or a napkin and give it your own a shot. What's your Surprising Proposition? I would love to hear your ideas!