Join the “Missional Futures Learning Community,” 2009-2010

This is the invitation flyer for people to consider registering to participate in the two-year “Missional Futures Learning Community.”

Missional Futures Learning Community

January 2009 – December 2010,

with “futuristguy” – Brad Sargent

Where We are Now, and an Invitation for the Future …

Leaders in ministries and churches are rarely given tools for facing the future – for figuring out relevant issues on engaging with culture, finding and filling the gaps in their ministry infrastructures, and adapting plans in ways that last for the long haul.

For 15 years, I’ve been developing such sustainability tools, and believe they can make a difference. I plan to complete my work on theory, applications, and evaluations over the next two years, and want to invite you to join me on this final phase of that journey. Participation in this one-time-only learning community is open to learners of all types: parents, disciplers, spiritual directors, church and ministry leaders, strategists – anyone concerned about futures and cultural transformation. We’ll use a combination of beta-test versions of my training modules plus some of your situations in discipleship and ministry, and together explore practical ways to:

• Evaluate the soundness of your basic ministry systems so you can get them to a minimum threshold needed to develop new ministries in church and community, and implement them in a future-friendly way.
• Interpret the unique, providential “redemptive purpose” in which you or your organization find yourself, at the intersection of your own history, surrounding community’s history, and local cultures of influence.
• Consider whether, when, and how to make healthy changes in your organization’s paradigm, culture, methodological model, and ministry styles – in ways that minimize the culture shock impact on people.
• Process current concerns with more creativity and more consideration of the future in mind.
• Set up systems to train next generations of leaders in ways that will make sense to them. We’ll also make it a regular practice to consider the “so what” of our topics for helping train next generations.

My curriculum is not designed as a quick solution to questions of change, but a layered approach to considering complex issues for survival in a world of constant change. So, expect that it be more mosaic than linear – but then, the future won’t likely be linear either! Also, I’ll be working hard to make the text of each module clear and concise, and rich with such supplementary media as tables, graphics, videos, discussion questions, fieldwork exercises, and assessment tools. We’ll explore topics with case studies, questions, and online discussions.

And we’ll regularly watch films and occasionally read books as part of the process. A significant percentage of these will be young adult oriented, with study guides to shape our thinking about how to use such media to grow next generations to be social entrepreneurs, cultural engagement workers, and other kinds of missional leaders.

Training Topics

• learning styles, generations, cultures, spiritual gifts
• creativity and entrepreneurship
• diversity and strengthening teamwork
• intermediate spiritual gift training, mentoring systems
• cultural deconstruction and reconstruction
• strategic foresight and futurist skills
• long-term planning and sustainability
• monocultural, multicultural, and intercultural
• “welcoming and transforming” missional approach
• core of personal discipleship and cultural engagement
• paradigm analysis and cultural interpretation
• contextual relevance and countercultural resistance
• transformation trajectory
• organizational redemptive purpose
• culture clash and cross-cultural communication
• change catalysts, paradigm shifts, and culture shock
• methodological models and ministry styles
• ministry systems and infrastructures
• spiritually abusive leadership/toxic ministry systems
• Kingdom collaboration modes
• spiritual warfare in an increasingly occult world
• critiques of spiritual mapping and related perspectives

Interested? Here are Specifics Participation Packages and Enrollment Costs

	Individual Plan	Partnership	Team Plan
Enrollment plan features	Access to training modules, web components, opportunity to submit questions by email, and a one-hour phone call each quarter.	Same features as Individual plan but for two people, with a one-hour conference call monthly instead of quarterly.	Same features as Partner-ship Plan but for up to seven team members, with four hours phone consultation monthly, either with the team together or four individuals.
Monthly fee (due by the 10th of each month)*	$60 per month	$120 per month	$350 per month
One year paid in advance	$500 per year	$1,000 per year	$3,000 per year
Pay entire two-year fee	$875 for full fee	$1,750 for full fee	$5,250 for full fee

*If you cannot afford this fee scale, please contact me to see what we can work out so you can participate.

There will also be about six or seven books to read in two years, five of them relatively short and mostly young adult fiction. We will also have  a few film studies each month. Costs for books and movie rental/purchase are each participant’s responsibility.

Registration Deadline and Contact Information

Registration deadline is January 17, 2009, and at least the first month’s enrollment fee needs to be received on or before that day.

If you have any questions or want to request a registration packet, leave a comment on this blog post - comments are moderated and someone will send you an email with the material you request.

NOTE: Your comment will not be posted. However, I may edit any questions asked if I post responses to common questions. In such cases, your name will not be associated with the question.

Notes and Timelines

Preliminary surveys for participant issues of interest will begin in early January 2009. Assignments begin in mid-January 2009, and the group will finish in mid-December 2010.

All participants are expected to do the assignments: regular blog readings and commenting, viewing media, submitting questions and/or responses. This will not have the same pace or intensity as an online seminary course. It is designed to address beginning to intermediate issues, but at a pace that encourages integration of the material by asking questions, considering case studies, doing fieldwork, and interacting with others.

The website will be for members only. Once begun, it will be a closed group with password access to materials.

Handouts, group exercises, and beta-test assessment tools will sometimes be provided for distribution and use in your local situation, leadership team, ministry, or church. Otherwise, please do not copy or distribute copyrighted materials unless permission is secured in advance.

For my overall perspectives on discipleship, church planting, transformation, spiritual warfare, missional, etc., see the “my core views” page on http://radoxodar.wordpress.com.

For detailed theory on paradigms, culture, and media, see my main blog: http://futuristguy.wordpress.com.

If the necessary minimum number does not register to sustain this project, I reserve the right to cancel it in January 2009 and refund all fees paid.

Additional details will be posted as they become available.