At Q, Rick McKinley of Imago Dei Community (Portland, OR) shared the four elements of missional imagination.

At the core is someone so passionate about the gospel that they are willing to give everything up to pursue a crazy dream.

4 Elements of Missional Imagination

1. Strong Leadership
   You need strong leaders, who can allow people to create while still leaving space for God to knock on the door. Leaders need humility and should not try to be a celebrity.
2. Transformed Disciples
   It is not about church but movement. We can grow big churches full of undiscipled disciples, but they will not transform culture. Create a movement of transformed disciples. Truly transformed disciples don’t need permission or a program to reach people. They are a movement of God to release on the city.
3. Imagine What God Can Do in Your Context
   Imagine what the Kingdom of God would look like expressed through the gifts, talents, and passions of these transformed disciples. Don’t leverage people’s skills for your goals. It is not in our hands to control but to cultivate.
4. Conspire with Other Leaders
   For example, Imago Dei Community collaborated with other churches to create the Advent Conspiracy and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid the global water crisis.

People are ready to hear about new life when we start acting like new life is flowing through us.

Other bloggers highlighting Rick’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, James Emery White, president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, discussed our current position in church history and why we need to be an Acts 17 church.

Historian Christopher Dawson said that there are 6 identifiable ages in church history. Each one lasted 3 to 4 centuries long, and each one began and ended with attacks on Christianity.

We are transitioning into the 7th age. We are swinging back toward the spiritual. However, the new openness to the spiritual is considering everything from Christianity to Wicca.

People have become metrospirituals. They are more open than ever and pick and choose what they want.

It is like a new form of secularism with religious emotion.

An Acts 2 church model that simply proclaims the gospel will not suffice. Remember that Acts 2 was reaching God-fearing Jews.

We are reaching a culture that is like the Mars Hill Romans, and consequently, we need to have an Acts 17 style of ministry.

The real Christians are always revolutionary, always radical, always dangerous.

We need to:

1. Develop our minds with Biblical worldviews
2. Develop our souls
3. Answer our vocational calls and follow God
4. Align with the church

We need to create culture. You need to transform culture in the place that God has called you.

Other bloggers highlighting James’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church (Grand Rapids, MI) discussed the Eucharist and its example to the church to serve others. Here is what he said:

Consider John 3:16. At the center of our faith is the understanding of the giving of the Son.

The way that God fixes things is not through power and empire but through Jesus, a broken man on a donkey. It is a power that does not coerce with a sword but serves with a towel.

Luke 22:19 (KJV)

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Maybe He meant do this – do what you have seen Me doing. Be a living Eucharist. Think of the Eucharist not just as a ritual but as a way of life. Eucharist means “be thankful.”

Whenever you serve, you are breaking your body and pouring your blood. It is Jesus through us.

The Eucharist is not a product. Everybody has to ask the difficult question, “How can I be a Eucharist?” There is danger in churches copying what other churches are doing because it is not their Eucharist.

If your church was removed from your community, who would protest?

Another blogger highlighting Rob’s talk is Duncan McFadzean.

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, Shayne Wheeler of All Souls Fellowship (Decatur, GA) and Chris Seay of Ecclesia Church (Houston, TX) shared ideas that have helped their churches reach homosexuals.

SHAYNE WHEELER

When we say God loves the sinner but hates the sin, homosexuals believe that God hates them because their sin is so wrapped up in their identity.

You can change perceptions by getting past the stereotypes of gay haters versus angry gays.

CHRIS SEAY

In your community, are you called to the gospel of Christ, or are you called to be the moral police?

Approach homosexuals without condemnation but with God’s love and the gospel. As they read the Bible, it will convict them of many things just like anyone else.

When Paul preached to the Romans, he admitted his own struggle with sin.

Other bloggers highlighting Shayne and Chris’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) asked and answered three questions about the church impacting culture.

Question #1 :: Can the church impact culture?

Absolutely! There are times where we may be discouraged, but history shows us that it is possible to impact culture. Rome and colonial America are great examples.

Questions #2 :: Should the church impact culture?

It is the responsibility of the church to impact culture. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”

Salt is a preserver. We are to keep culture from rotting and getting worse.
Light is a luminator. We are to show the world what Jesus is like.

Apart from grace, unconditional love, and forgiveness, there is no hope.

Question #3 ::  How in the world can the global church impact culture?

We as church leaders must figure out how, within our context, we can be salt and light. In other words, what does it mean for your unique church to be salt and light specifically to your context?

All along the way, hang onto grace and truth. Depending on how you were raised, you may be hard to one of these and soft to another.

All truth = intolerance
All grace = worthless to culture (because the truth is what sets us free)

Jesus was full in both grace and truth.

We have the potential to change culture because history says it is possible. Jesus said it is our responsibility, and we need to figure out how to be that within our context.

Other bloggers highlighting Andy’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group, shared the results of new research that investigated how young non-Christians perceive Christianity.

How Christianity is Perceived

Non-Christians aged 16-29 years old were asked, “What is your current perception of Christianity?”

• 91% said antihomosexual
• 87% said judgmental
• 85% said hypocritical
• 78% said old-fashioned
• 75% said too involved in politics
• 72% said out of touch with reality
• 70% said insensitive to others

Present-day Christianity is no longer like Jesus intended.

84% of non-Christians are friends with Christians, but 15% say the lifestyle of the Christians they know is not different.

The Truth About Christians

The top priority of Christians is not to sin, etc.

• 40% (roughly) of Christians want to see homosexual teachers fired from schools
• 40% (roughly) of Christians would rather support cancer research than AIDS research

We are much clearer with the sin of homosexuality than we are with the sin of divorce, but only 1% of Christians have prayed to address what they believe is the problem with homosexuality.

It is not us versus them but us versus us.

Matthew 23:13 (The Message)

I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either.

Hypocrites hurt the gospel.

The Truth About Non-Christians

• 80% (roughly) of non-Christians have attended a church for 3 months in their life
• 50% (roughly) of non-Christians have considered becoming a Christian

Many decided against Christianity because of their experiences in church. We are losing Christianity’s attraction in our culture.

Among Non-Christians Aged 16-29

• 3% have a favorable view of evangelicals
• 33% have a favorable view of homosexuals

Among Non-Christian Baby Boomers (born between ’46 & ’64)

• 25% have a favorable view of evangelicals
• 13% have a favorable view of homosexuals

Among Non-Christian Elders (born before ’46)

• 27% have a favorable view of evangelicals
• 11% have a favorable view of homosexuals

What Churches Need to Do

Unfortunately, many churches are creating an arrogant image. Do we forget that it was God’s kindness that saved us? Instead of focusing on flaws, focus on potential.

The church needs to stop being “in your face” and start focusing on service, sacrifice, humility, and grace.

Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Are we cultivating a heart for outsiders?
2. What kind of Jesus are we to outsiders?
3. How can we become know as true Christ followers?

Other bloggers highlighting David’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, Josh Jackson, editor-in-chief at Paste magazine, discussed “being in the world.”

John 17:15 (NLT) says, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.”

Being “in the world” is not some unfortunate situation that we must endure.

We haven’t really become less of the world, but we have ceased to be in it.

Instead of shaping culture, we insulate ourselves from it.

2 Bad Mindsets

1. Conservative Error
   They consider that all humanity is fallen and, consequently, reject culture or create a Christian alternative. Some call this alternative the Christian Ghetto.
2. Liberal Error
   They think that if everything is created by God, then it must all be good. But this leads to lack of discernment.

We sacrifice beauty to make the message extra bold, but even the falsehoods that permeate culture are subtle.

We copy the styles of culture, but we sanitize it.

Other bloggers highlighting Josh’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.

At Q, Mark Rodgers, president of The Clapham Group, explained the church’s important role in preserving culture.

There is a challenge to find a support mechanism within the church and in the economic marketplace for Christian artists.

Meat left to itself decays, but salt preserves.

Likewise, if there is cultural decay, it must be from the church not being the salt in the culture.

The church has been creating a culture of its own and inviting people to it instead of shaping culture.

It is time for us as a church to equip a generation of storytellers (musicians, writers, artists) by:

1. Encouraging our young artists to live out their Christian faith.
2. Educating and equipping artists.
3. Engaging with artists in creating art.

Other bloggers highlighting Mark’s talk include:
- DJ Chuang
- Duncan McFadzean

Further Reading:
View upcoming church conferences.