Sacred Roots Thriving in Ministry: Moving Forward to Multiply

2022 E vangel G athering

TUMI Press • 3701 East 13th Street North • Suite 100 • Wichita, Kansas 67208

2022 Evangel Gathering: Sacred Roots Thriving in Ministry: Moving Forward to Multiply

© 2022. The Urban Ministry Institute. All Rights Reserved. Copying, redistribution, and/or sale of these materials, or any unauthorized transmission, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher is prohibited. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to:

The Urban Ministry Institute 3701 East 13th Street North Suite 100 Wichita, KS 67208

ISBN: 978-1-62932-347-3

Published by TUMI Press A division of World Impact, Inc.

The Urban Ministry Institute is a ministry of World Impact, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, © 2001 by Crossway Bible, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents

Welcome

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Speaker Biographies

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Plenaries P lenary 1 Unimpressive Methods: 2 Timothy 2.2 P lenary 2 Unlikely People: 1 Corinthians 1.26-31

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P lenary 3 Unlimited Impact: Matthew 28.18-20

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Workshop How to Lead a Sacred Roots Cohort Using Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics

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Appendix A ppendix 1 Cohort Thrive Plan

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A ppendix 2 “Engage Scripture Like an Augustine?”

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A ppendix 3 About the Sacred Roots Project

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A ppendix 4 Glossary of Terms for Sacred Roots Evangel Gathering A ppendix 5 Ten Key Cross-Cultural Church Planting Principles

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A ppendix 6 Advancing the Kingdom in the City: Multiplying Congregations with a Common Identity A ppendix 7 Christus Victor: An Integrated Vision for the Christian Life and Witness

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A ppendix 8 The Church Leadership Paradigm: The Case for Biblical Leadership

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A ppendix 9 The Interaction of Class, Culture, and Race

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A ppendix 10 Discipleship Diagram

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A ppendix 11 Discipling the Faithful: Establishing Leaders for the Urban Church A ppendix 12 Fit to Represent: Multiplying Disciples of the Kingdom of God

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A ppendix 13 From Before to Beyond Time: The Plan of God and Human History

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A ppendix 14 Going Forward by Looking Back: Toward an Evangelical Retrieval of the Great Tradition

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A ppendix 15 How to PLANT a Church

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A ppendix 16 In Christ

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A ppendix 17 Jesus of Nazareth: The Presence of the Future

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A ppendix 18 Let God Arise! The Seven “A’s” of Seeking the Lord and Entreating His Favor

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A ppendix 19 Living in the Already and the Not Yet Kingdom A ppendix 20 The Nicene Creed with Biblical Support

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A ppendix 21 Once Upon a Time: The Cosmic Drama through a Biblical Narration of the World A ppendix 22 Overview of Church Plant Planning Phases

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A ppendix 23 A Schematic for a Theology of the Kingdom and the Church

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A ppendix 24 Spiritual Growth Diagram 1 A ppendix 25 Spiritual Growth Diagram 2 A ppendix 26 Steps to Equipping Others

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A ppendix 27 The Way of Wisdom A ppendix 28 The Apostles’ Creed

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A ppendix 29 Apostolicity: The Unique Place of the Apostles in Christian Faith and Practice

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A ppendix 30 Ethics of the New Testament: Living in the Upside-Down Kingdom of God

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A ppendix 31 The Method of the Master: Faithful Servants Representin’

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A ppendix 32 Paul’s TeamMembers: Companions, Laborers, and FellowWorkers

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A ppendix 33 Paul’s Partnership Theology: Our Union with Christ and Partnership in KingdomMinistry

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A ppendix 34 Traditions (Paradosis)

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A ppendix 35 Understanding Leadership as Representation: The Six Stages of Formal Proxy

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A ppendix 36 The Theology of Christus Victor A ppendix 37 Story: The Crux of Revelation

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A ppendix 38 Substitute Centers to a Christ-Centered Vision: Goods and Effects Which Our Culture Substitutes as the Ultimate Concern A ppendix 39 Imagining a Unified, Connected C1 Church Planting Movement

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Welcome

Greetings, dear friends and fellow warriors, in the strong name of Jesus Christ! Welcome to the Sacred Roots Thriving in Ministry: Moving Forward to Multiply Evangel Gathering! Our partnership with Dr. Hank Voss and his colleagues and Taylor University is bearing fruit among dozens of Church leaders engaging their hearts and minds with the spiritual classics. This collaboration continues to be both significant and refreshing, linking the Evangel DNA with the scholarship and perspective of the spiritual classics. Those early fathers and mothers who anchored their remarkable testimonies and ventures in the apostolic message are now our tutors. As these valiant servants of Christ engaged the apostolic tradition they maneuvered through hurtful situations, strange doctrines, violent opposition, and internal conflict. The clarity and excellence they displayed resulted from their dedication to Christ and his Kingdom, their determination to move forward to multiply. Our conference flows from the key insights of our National Church Planting Director, Rev. Bob Engel, who has captured this vision in his new primer on global missions entitled Mere Missions: Moving Forward to Multiply . Bob’s important book articulates the foundational principles connected to effective apostolic mission. We are convinced those principles were articulated and made plain in the spiritual classics provided through the thorough and excellent translations of our SRTM classics. We seek to combine our insights regarding effective spiritual warfare with the wisdom and power of the ancient Church. They can guide, train, and empower us to be faithful in the midst of a lost world and to move forward to multiply – raising up a new generation of disciples in the most troubled neighborhoods on earth. Your involvement is key to this mission. We have prayed fervently for months for you personally and this conference, that our worship, fellowship, presentations, dialogues, and resources of this conference will challenge and inspire you to redouble your efforts in training leaders through the classics to move forward . We must take new ground, seek new vistas of outreach and mission, engage new cultures and countries to make disciples of Jesus within them. We must multiply , fulfilling the commission of Christ among the lost. Your participation inspires us. Let’s learn together and see how God can move us all forward to multiply kingdom impact around the world!

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Welcome to the 2022 Evangel Gathering! May God so ignite us that we may help set the world ablaze with Gospel fires, moving forward to multiply, playing our part to fulfill the Great Commission in these trying yet opportune times! Apprenticed by the ancient church for lasting impact today, Rev. Dr. Don Davis

Speaker Biographies

Rev. Dr. Don Davis Dr. Don Davis, founder and director of The Urban Ministry Institute, has been involved in urban ministry and missions with World Impact since 1975. He has spent his entire ministry career seeking to raise up a new generation of qualified spiritual leaders, pastors, and church planters who can build up Christ’s Church in the most vulnerable and unreached urban communities in America and across the world. He is a graduate of Wheaton College (BA, Biblical Studies) and Wheaton Graduate School (MA, Systematic Theology,) with summa cum laude honors in both degrees. He earned his PhD in Religion (2000, Theology and Ethics) from the University of Iowa School of Religion. A recipient of numerous teaching and academic awards, he has also authored a number of books, curricula, and study materials all to equip, empower, and release biblical leaders to serve the Church of Jesus among the poor and oppressed, and display Kingdom transformation where they live and minister. He married his wife, Beth in February 1975, and together they have three children (one deceased), and four grandchildren. Rev. Bob Engel Rev. Bob Engel joined The Urban Ministry Institute in October 2016, serving as the National Church Planting Director. He serves to assess, resource, and coordinate urban cross-cultural church planters and their efforts on behalf of World Impact’s missionaries, urban church plant teams, and other missional partners who are seeking to plant healthy, reproducing churches and facilitate church plant movements among America’s urban poor. Bob and his wife, Susan, have four children: Rachel, Tristan, Chase, and Mihaly. Rev. Eric Himelick Rev. Eric Himelick and his wife Rachelle are currently serving as the Director of Urban Ministry and Development for Evangelistic Faith Missions. They live with their six children— Kaylynn, Rebecca, Sarah, Samuel, Esther, and Karissa—in Upland, Indiana, at Victory Acres Farm. Eric graduated in 2000 from Union Bible College with a degree in Pastoral Ministry. Rachelle attended UBC for two years. They served as the founding directors of Victory Inner-City Ministries for fifteen years before joining EFM in June 2015.

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Dr. Evan B. Howard Dr. Evan B. Howard is the founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, a Center for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He also serves as consultant to numerous global Protestant religious missionary orders. Evan is the author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality; A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation ; and other books and articles. He leads workshops and seminars on Christian Spirituality and enjoys living a simple life with family and animals in rural Colorado. Ms. Cheyenne King Ms. Cheyenne King was a Lilly Scholar at Taylor University from which she graduated with degrees in Christian Ministry and Biblical Literature (2021). She has co-led a Sacred Roots Congregational Leader’s Cohort since the fall of 2021. Cheyenne currently serves with Forefront Experience as she seeks to share God’s love with members of the 80,000 Somali refugee community currently living in Minneapolis, MN. Rev. Susie Krehbiel Rev. Susie Krehbiel has a MA in leadership development from Azusa Pacific University. She has served in urban ministry for over forty years in Watts, Los Angeles, and Wichita. Her ministry has included service as a church plant team leader, church planting coach, and as City Director for World Impact Los Angeles. She currently resides in Wichita, KS. Rev. Dr. Greg Peters Rev. Dr. Greg Peters is Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology at Biola University. He is also the Servants of Christ Research Professor of Monastic Studies and Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and has planted the Anglican Church of the Epiphany, in La Mirada, California, where he now serves as Rector. Dr. Robert Chao Romero Dr. Robert Chao Romero (PhD, University of California at Los Angeles; JD, University of California at Berkeley) is associate professor in the Departments of Chicana/o Studies and Asian American Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles. He is the author of Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Christian Social Justice, Theology, and Identity, The Chinese in Mexico, 1882–1940, Jesus for Revolutionaries: An Introduction to Race, Social Justice, and Christianity , and Mixed-Race Student Politics .

I ntroduction • 13

Mr. Isaiah Swain Mr. Isaiah Swain graduated from Taylor University with degrees in Christian Ministry and Biblical Literature (2021). He has co-led a Sacred Roots Congregational Leader’s Cohort since the Fall of 2021. In addition to serving in ministry at his local church, Isaiah serves as managing editor for the Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics and as Project Director for the Sacred Root project. He resides in Dayton, Ohio with his wife. Dr. Isaac Voss Dr. Isaac Voss received his Master’s in Public Health from Boston University and his Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Intercultural Studies. He is the author of several articles and chapters on cross-cultural health and development issues. He served as a co-editor for the book Health, Healing and Shalom: Frontiers and Challenges for Christian Healthcare Missions (2015). He is presently conducting research on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on congregational leaders. His areas of emphasis include poverty studies, socio-cultural change in helping faith communities better understand practices that sustain human flourishing. Rev. Dr. Hank Voss Rev. Dr. Hank Voss is assistant professor of Christian Ministry at Taylor University. He has authored, co-authored, or edited twelve books including Introduction to Evangelical Theology (T&T Clark, 2021) and The Priesthood of All Believers and the Missio Dei (2016). He serves as Senior National Staff with The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI), and directs the Lilly-funded Sacred Roots Thriving in Ministry Project for which he is currently editing Aelred of Rievaulx’s (d. 1167) classic, Spiritual Friendship (SRSC 3). Hank, his wife Johanna, and their four teenage children reside in Muncie, Indiana.

Plenaries

P lenary 1 Unimpressive Methods: 2 Timothy 2.2 Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

The OddWays of Christian Identity and Strategy

A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible and knows that which passeth knowledge.

~ A. W. Tozer, Root of the Righteous. Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1955. p. 156.

I. The Burning Question

What’s the best model for a brand new world-changing movement that will face constant, violent, and powerful opposition from the start?

A. Jewish opposition and backlash

B. Roman suspicion and cruelty

C. Religious pluralism and idolatry

D. Nascent and fragile beginnings

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II. The Open Secret

God’s method for effective missions is based on rather unimpressive methods: the equipping of a new, capable generation of leaders through careful apprenticeships.

2 Timothy 2.2 (ESV) – and what you have heard fromme in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

A. An ancient organic approach

B. Whose quality is ensured

C. Whose mathematics are sound

III. An Ancient Organic Approach: The Genuis of Apprenticeship

A. The apprenticeship method of God’s prophets and ambassadors, Case Studies: Moses and Elijah

B. The rabbinic method of Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 3

C. The understudy method of the apostle Paul, 2 Tim. 2.2

IV. Quality Reproduction: TheWisdom of Craftsmanship, Mark 3

A. The standard of master and disciple: the pattern of reproduction, Luke 6.40

P lenary 1: U nimpressive M ethods • 19

B. “To be with him” and to “be like him”: memorizing and imitation, John 13

C. The impact of apprenticeship: slow, consistent, effective reproduction of powerful advocates, Phil. 4

V. Sound Mathematics: Quiet Strategy for an Explosive Movement, Luke 16

A. A tried and true method in the world: organic craftsmanship in the world-at-large

B. The simplicity of the Great Commission, Matt. 28.18-20

C. The explosive, international power of tradition, John 17

VI. Implications of the Ancient Method of Apprenticeships

A. A historically proven method

B. An organic and strategic approach

C. A powerful strategy for multiplication among communities of poverty

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VII.Conclusion

A. The Open Secret

God’s method for effective missions is based on rather unimpressive methods: the equipping of a new, capable generation of leaders through careful apprenticeships.

B. Our takeaway: Embrace the unimpressive method of apprenticeships.

1. For excellence

2. For honor

3. For impact

C. The Bottom Line _______________________________________

P lenary 1: U nimpressive M ethods • 21

Notes

P lenary 2 Unlikely People: 1 Corinthians 1.26-31 Rev. Bob Engel

I. Hacksaw Ridge – Movie Clip

II. Two Kingdoms in Conflict

A. Their Purpose

B. Their Priority

C. Their Plan

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III. The Marks of Unlikely People in God’s Plan to Move Forward to Multiply

A. Sits

B. Clothes

C. Right mind

IV. Check Yourself

A. Devotion

B. Righteousness

C. Submission

V. Moving Forward to Multiply

P lenary 2: U nlikely P eople • 25

Notes

P lenary 3 Unlimited Impact: Matthew 28.18-20 Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Every Christian Is to Go into Their World

The Christian is to go into all the world, “even to the uttermost part.” This certainly includes every Christian’s personal world, for it takes all the personal worlds of all the Christians scattered over the earth added together to cover the geographical world. The whole church is to go into the whole world. The central activity of the church is to witness or to share. Sharing is the main work of the whole church throughout the whole world. Taking the message to“every creature” suggests that the individual work of every Christian is to share with every unsaved person. Matthew adds Christ’s promise, “Lo, I am with you all the days, even to the consummation of the age.” In other words, this work is to be continued throughout the whole age.

~ Roy J. Fish and J. E. Conant, Every Member Evangelism. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2009, p. 16.

I. An Overly-ambitious Charge

Was Jesus’s commission unrealistic, simply too ambitious, for the apostolic band?

A. A global charge

B. To a lay, provincial people

C. To common and unlearned leaders

D. Nascent and fragile beginnings

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II. The Open Secret

God’s strategy for lasting, unlimited impact on the world, before his appearing, is to make disciples of Christ in all nations.

Matthew 28.18-20 (ESV) – And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

A. Anchored In Christ’s Authority

B. Empowered for all the nations

C. Underwritten by the Lord’s own presence

III. Anchored in Christ’s Authority: The Commission’s Legitimacy, v. 18

A. The Father’s exaltation of Christ the Son, Matt. 28.18

B. The Lord of the Harvest: deploying laborers everywhere, Matt. 9.35-38

C. The power of divine imprimatur: Jesus Christ is Lord, Acts 2

IV. Empowered for All the Nations: The Commission’s Latitude, v. 19

A. “As you are going”: the charge for continuous penetration, v. 19

P lenary 3: U nlimited I mpact • 29

B. Make disciples of all nations: the global scope of the Gospel, Mark 16

C. Making, baptizing, and teaching: the organic dissemination of submission, v. 19; 2 Tim. 2.2

V. Underwritten by Christ’s Own Presence: The Commission’s Lengthiness, v. 20

A. The absolute essential element of impact: the presence of the Holy Spirit, Acts 1.8

B. “My Brother, my Captain, my King”: Christ’s superintendence of the Commission, v. 20

C. “Not another second, not another moment without You”: till the end of the Age, Heb. 13.8

VI. Implications of the Unlimited Impact

A. “From everywhere to everyone”: everyone’s recruited to play their part, Rev. 22

B. The universal priesthood of all believers: the universal ministry, 1 Pet. 2.9-10

C. A new/but old strategy for universal enlistment: equipping the saints, Eph. 4

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VII.Conclusion

A. The Open Secret

God’s strategy for lasting, unlimited impact on the world, before his appearing, is to make disciples of Christ in all nations.

B. Our takeaway: Redouble your efforts to make your multiply your contribution to the Commission’s completion.

1. Focus your attention.

2. Find your leverage.

3. Execute your strategy.

C. The Bottom Line _______________________________________

P lenary 3: U nlimited I mpact • 31

Notes

Workshop

How to Lead a Sacred Roots Cohort Using Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics Rev. Eric Himelick and Rev. Dr. Hank Voss

Notes

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Notes

W orkshop : H ow to L ead a S acred R oots C ohort U sing S acred R oots S piritual C lassics • 37

Notes

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Notes

Appendix

A ppendix • 41

A ppendix 1 Cohort Thrive Plan

A Sacred Roots Thrive Plan is a way to thrive, not simply survive in ministry. A thrive plan is the specific intentional strategy a cohort adopts to apprentice together under a master practitioner of life with God. (Augustine, Athanasius, Benedict, Basil, etc.).

Movement Name: _____________________________________________________________ Cohort Leader: _______________________ Cohort “Timothy”: ___________________ Member Names: ______________________ ____________________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________________________

Model for Meeting (Any modifications or special notes)

Apprenticeship Order

Soul Work/Soul Skill Focus

1

2

3

4

Key Dates 1 First Cohort Meeting with Vol 1: _______________________________________________ 2 First Cohort Meeting with Vol 2: _______________________________________________ 3 First Cohort Meeting with Vol 3: _______________________________________________ 4 First Cohort Meeting with Vol 4: _______________________________________________ 5 Multiply Conference: May _________

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A ppendix 2 “Engage Scripture Like an Augustine?”

Wise mentors across church history have had powerful impact on their generation and many more because of their deep engagement with Scripture. Today, millions of global believers are apprenticing themselves to wise mentors and learning to practice Scripture Engagement. Below are some helpful descriptions of Scripture Engagement.

Scripture engagement calls us to a cycle of study-reflection-study reflection, which leads to a deepened relationship with God and a changed life, and is the most powerful process for developing spiritually.

~ Dr. Phil Collins, Taylor University Center for Scripture Engagement, Editor of the Abide Bible

Scripture engagement is interaction with the biblical text in a way that provides sufficient opportunity for the text to speak for itself by the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling readers and listeners to hear the voice of God and discover for themselves the unique claim Jesus Christ is making upon them.

~ Dr. Fergus Macdonald, Former Lausanne Executive Chair

Bible engagement is the process whereby people are connected with the Bible such that they have meaningful encounters with Jesus Christ and their lives are progressively transformed in Him.

~ Dr. Lawson Murray, President Scripture Union Canada

Facilitating life-changing encounters with God through His Word.

~ Wycliffe Asia-Pacific & SIL Asia Scripture Engagement Forum

Scripture Engagement is “encountering God’sWord in a life-changing way.”

~ Forum of Bible Agencies International

To learn more about Scripture Engagement visit the many free resources at www.biblegateway.com/resources/scripture-engagement/

A ppendix • 43

A ppendix 3 About the Sacred Roots Project

The Sacred Roots Thriving in Ministry Project seeks to equip and empower under-resourced congregational leaders in urban, rural, and incarcerated communities. One avenue for accomplishing this goal is the Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics, a series of abridged Christian spiritual classics that equip congregational leaders to engage the wealth of the Great Tradition. The Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics are dedicated to all Christian leaders who have loved the poor and have recognized the importance of Christian spiritual classics for nurturing the next generation. We especially recognize these fourteen:

• John Wesley (1703–1791) • Rebecca Protten (1718−1780) • Elizabeth Fry (1780–1845) • Phoebe Palmer (1807–1874) • Dora Yu (1873–1931) • A. W. Tozer (1897–1963) • Howard Thurman (1899–1981) • Watchman Nee (1903−1972) • James Houston (1922– ) • J. I. Packer (1926–2020) • Tom Oden (1931–2016) • René Padilla (1932– ) • Dallas Willard (1935–2013) • Bruce Demarest (1935–2021)

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

~ Hebrews 13.7

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A ppendix 4 Glossary of Terms for Sacred Roots Evangel Gathering

1. Scripture Engagement. Scripture Engagement is the process whereby people are connected with the Bible such that they have meaningful encounters with Jesus Christ and their lives are progressively transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. 2. Soul Work. “Soul work” is the personal work of watering, weeding, pruning, and fertilizing the garden of one’s own soul. Jesus often used metaphors from the medical and agricultural professions when describing this “soul work” to which he called his disciples. 3. Soul Care. Soul care is the pastoral work of nurturing growth in another’s friendship with God. Like a doctor for souls, or a farmer caring for an orchard of fruit trees, congregational leaders can learn much about caring for souls by apprenticing ourselves to the wisdom of the great doctors of the church from previous generations. 4. Apprenticeship. Apprenticeship provides a system for training a new generation of practitioners in a trade or profession with on-the job training and often includes accompanying study (cohort work and reading). 5. Cohort. A cohort is a group of students who work through a curriculum together to achieve particular learning objectives together. Cohorts provide a richness to the learning process due to the multiple perspectives offered by the participants. A Sacred Roots Cohort consists of Congregational Leaders who are learning together under the guidance of a local mentor, a contemporary mentor, and an ancient mentor. 6. Small Group (Conference). At the 202 2 Sacred Roots Evangel Gathering a small group consists of 4-6 church plant movement leaders who will each be leading a Sacred Roots Cohort during 2022-2023. 7. P. W. R. PWR is an abbreviation standing for Prepare. Work. Review. It is a model for developing wisdom as one engages in the important work of faithful and fruitful ministry. 8. Spiritual Classic. A spiritual classic is a non-canonical text that has proven helpful in addressing perennial pastoral problems (i.e. helpful for “curing souls”) across many cultures and over many centuries.

A ppendix • 45

9. Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics. The Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics (SRSC) are a collection of sixteen spiritual classics divided into four subject areas: Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Ministry, and Global Mission. 10. Mentor (Ancient). Every generation of the church has produced gifted leaders, but some leaders have influenced not only their own generation, but every generation that has come after them. Christian leaders have continued to find these wise practitioners to be helpful mentors for soul work and soul care across many generations. 11. Mentor (Contemporary). Sacred Roots Contemporary Mentors are world class evangelical scholars who have spent years getting to know the Ancient Mentors we meet in the Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics. Each Contemporary Mentor has edited one volume in the Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics series and produced a number of resource videos to help contemporary church leaders apprentice themselves to the ancient mentors of the church. 12. Mentor (Local). Sacred Roots Local Mentors are the leaders of specific groups of congregational leaders who have gathered in a cohort to learn from an Ancient Mentor like Augustine, Benedict, Basil, and others. Local Mentors know the context and the communities in which the cohort leaders work and they nurture and encourage friendships within the cohort they lead. 13. Thrive Plan. A Sacred Roots Thrive Plan is a way to thrive, not simply survive in ministry. A thrive plan is the specific intentional strategy a cohort adopts to apprentice together under a master practitioner of life with God (e.g. Augustine, Athanasius, Benedict, Basil, etc.). 14. Spiritual Formation. Spiritual formation is a process empowered by the Holy Spirit where the inner person is conformed more and more to the inner person of Christ. 15. Discipleship. Conforming all areas of life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ with special attention to the relational, transformational, and vocational dimensions. 16. Church Plant Movement. A church plant movement or CPM is a movement of churches that are rapidly reproducing themselves as a normal aspect of their internal DNA. 17. Five Es. The Five Es refer to: Endear. Evangelism. Equip. Empower. Embrace. Each of these “Es” describes a specific task that church planters must consider intentionally in order to thrive personally and to plant churches that will bring kingdom transformation to our broken world.

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A ppendix 5 Ten Key Cross-Cultural Church Planting Principles World Impact

1. Jesus is Lord. (Matt. 9.37-38) All church plant activity is made effective and fruitful under the watch care and power of the Lord Jesus, who himself is the Lord of the harvest. 2. Evangelize, Equip, and Empower unreached people to reach people. (1 Thess. 1.6-8) Our goal in reaching others for Christ is not only for solid conversion but also for dynamic multiplication; those who are reached must be trained to reach others as well. 3. Be inclusive: whosoever will may come. (Rom. 10.12) No strategy should forbid any person or group from entering into the Kingdom through Jesus Christ by faith. 4. Be culturally neutral: come just as you are. (Col. 3.11) The Gospel places no demands on any seeker to change their culture as a prerequisite for coming to Jesus; they may come just as they are. 5. Avoid a fortress mentality. (Acts 1.8) The goal of missions is not to create an impregnable castle in the midst of an unsaved community, but a dynamic outpost of the Kingdom which launches a witness for Jesus within and unto the very borders of their world. 6. Continue to evangelize to avoid stagnation. (Rom. 1.16-17) Keep looking to the horizons with the vision of the Great Commission in mind; foster an environment of aggressive witness for Christ. 7. Cross racial, class, gender, and language barriers. (1 Cor. 9.19-22) Use your freedom in Christ to find new, credible ways to communicate the kingdom message to those farthest from the cultural spectrum of the traditional church. 8. Respect the dominance of the receiving culture. (Acts 15.23-29) Allow the Holy Spirit to incarnate the vision and the ethics of the Kingdom of God in the words, language, customs, styles, and experience of those who have embraced Jesus as their Lord. 9. Avoid dependence. (Eph. 4.11-16) Neither patronize nor be overly stingy towards the growing congregation; do not underestimate the power of the Spirit in the midst of even the smallest Christian community to accomplish God’s work in their community. 10. Think reproducibility. (2 Tim. 2.2; Phil. 1.18) In every activity and project you initiate, think in terms of equipping others to do the same by maintaining an open mind regarding the means and ends of your missionary endeavors.

A ppendix • 47

A ppendix 6 Advancing the Kingdom in the City:

Multiplying Congregations with a Common Identity Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis. Winning theWorld: Facilitating Urban Church PlantingMovements. Foundations for Ministry Series. Wichita: The Urban Ministry Institute, 2007.

Acts 2.41-47 (ESV) – So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. [42] And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43] And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. [44] And all who believed were together and had all things in common. [45] And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. [46] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

koinonia (pronunciation: [koy-nohn-ee’-ah])

Trinitarian Principle: Unity • Diversity • Equality World Impact seeks to plant churches that are kingdom-oriented communities where Christ is exalted as Lord and the Kingdom of God is advanced in every facet of community life, and, we seek to do this in a way that respects and acknowledges the validity and significance of incarnating this community life in the receiving culture. In order to ensure the viability, protection, and flourishing of these congregations, we ought to explore forming close-knit associations between congregations where a common identity, confession, and faith are practiced, under a common oversight and governance, that connects in a fundamental way the resources and visions of each church without lording over them. Following is a chart that sketches what might be the elements of such a common coalition of churches which would link their lives in a strategic way for the well-being and enrichment of the entire fellowship of churches. (Cf. Appendix 39: Imagining a Unified, Connected C1 Church Planting Movement which in a comprehensive way suggests what may be included along ecclesial and missional, liturgical, and catechetical lines in such a fellowship).

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Sharing a Common Identity, Purpose, and Mission

Understanding the churches as fundamentally linked in history, identity, legacy, and destiny

A Common Name and Association

A Common Confession of Faith

Developing a common theological and doctrinal vision

A Common Celebration andWorship

Practicing a common liturgy with shared worship approaches

Sharing a common curriculum and process for welcoming, incorporating, and discipling new believers into our fellowship

A Common Discipleship and Catechism

A Common Governance and Oversight

Answering to a common accountability for leadership and care

Developing integrated processes and programs of justice, good works, outreach, evangelism, and missions, both at home and throughout the world Combining resources through consistent mutual contribution to maximize impact for the entire association

A Common Service and Missionary Outreach

A Common Stewardship and Partnership

Benefits of a Common Movement 1. Sense of belonging through a shared faith and identity 2. Efficiency and economy of effort 3. Ability to plant multiple plants in many different venues and populations 4. Cultivating genuine unity and diversity, with a spirit of mutuality and equality among the congregations 5. Increased productivity and viability within our missions efforts and churches 6. Interchangability and cross pollination

7. Ongoing support and encouragement of our leaders 8. Provide leverage for new projects and new initiatives

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9. Standardized processes and procedures for incorporation and training 10. Greater opportunities for convocation and exposure to other like-minded believers 11. Exploration of new connections with other associations with similar vision 12. Assistance in jump starting WI RMO spirituality and unity

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A ppendix 7 Christus Victor: An Integrated Vision for the Christian Life and Witness Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

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A ppendix 8 The Church Leadership Paradigm: The Case for Biblical Leadership Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

1. The Kingdom of God has come in the person of Jesus of Nazareth , and is now manifest through the Spirit in the Church.

2. The cities of the world, as strongholds of the devil, desperately need the presence and witness of the Church.

3. The Church cannot thrive and provide witness without leadership .

4. Authentic leadership in the Church must be called by God, represent Jesus Christ, be gifted by the Spirit, and confirmed by others in the body. 5. Called, endowed, and confirmed leaders must be given authority, resources, and opportunity in order to facilitate maturity and equip the saints for ministry.

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A ppendix 9 The Interaction of Class, Culture, and Race World Impact

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A ppendix 10 Discipleship Diagram Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

2 Timothy 2.2 (ESV) – And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

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A ppendix 11 Discipling the Faithful: Establishing Leaders for the Urban Church Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

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A ppendix 12 Fit to Represent: Multiplying Disciples of the Kingdom of God Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

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A ppendix 13 From Before to Beyond Time: The Plan of God and Human History Adapted from Suzanne de Dietrich. God’s Unfolding Purpose . Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976. I. Before Time (Eternity Past) 1 Cor. 2.7 A. The Eternal Triune God B. God’s Eternal Purpose C. The Mystery of Iniquity D. The Principalities and Powers II. Beginning of Time (Creation and Fall) Gen. 1.1 A. Creative Word B. Humanity C. Fall D. Reign of Death and First Signs of Grace III. Unfolding of Time (God’s Plan Revealed through Israel) Gal. 3.8 A. Promise (Patriarchs) B. Exodus and Covenant at Sinai C. Promised Land D. The City, the Temple, and the Throne (Prophet, Priest, and King) E. Exile F. Remnant IV. Fullness of Time (Incarnation of the Messiah) Gal. 4.4-5 A. The King Comes to His Kingdom B. The Present Reality of His Reign C. The Secret of the Kingdom: the Already and the Not Yet D. The Crucified King E. The Risen Lord V. The Last Times (The Descent of the Holy Spirit) Acts 2.16-18 A. Between the Times: the Church as Foretaste of the Kingdom B. The Church as Agent of the Kingdom C. The Conflict Between the Kingdoms of Darkness and Light VI. The Fulfillment of Time (The Second Coming) Matt. 13.40-43 A. The Return of Christ B. Judgment C. The Consummation of His Kingdom VII. Beyond Time (Eternity Future) 1 Cor. 15.24-28 A. Kingdom Handed Over to God the Father B. God as All in All

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From Before to Beyond Time: Scriptures for Major Outlines Points

I. Before Time (Eternity Past) 1 Cor. 2.7 (ESV) – But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory (cf. Titus 1.2). II. Beginning of Time (Creation and Fall) Gen. 1.1 (ESV) – In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. III. Unfolding of Time (God’s Plan Revealed Through Israel) Gal. 3.8 (ESV) – And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed” (cf. Rom. 9.4-5). IV. Fullness of Time (The Incarnation of the Messiah) Gal. 4.4-5 (ESV) – But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. V. The Last Times (The Descent of the Holy Spirit) Acts 2.16-18 (ESV) – But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be,’ God declares, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.’” VI. The Fulfillment of Time (The Second Coming) Matt. 13.40-43 (ESV) – Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. VII. Beyond Time (Eternity Future) 1 Cor. 15.24-28 (ESV) – Then comes the end, when he delivers the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

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A ppendix 14 Going Forward by Looking Back: Toward an Evangelical Retrieval of the Great Tradition Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Rediscovering the “Great Tradition” In a wonderful little book, Ola Tjorhom1 describes the Great Tradition of the Church (sometimes called the “classical Christian tradition”) as “living, organic, and dynamic.”2 The Great Tradition represents that evangelical, apostolic, and catholic core of Christian faith and practice which came largely to fruition from 100-500 AD.3 Its rich legacy and treasures represent the Church’s confession of what the Church has always believed, the worship that the ancient, undivided Church celebrated and embodied, and the mission that it embraced and undertook. While the Great Tradition neither can substitute for the Apostolic Tradition (i.e., the authoritative source of all Christian faith, the Scriptures), nor should it overshadow the living presence of Christ in the Church through the Holy Spirit, it is still authoritative and revitalizing for the people of God. It has and still can provide God’s people through time with the substance of its confession and faith. The Great Tradition has been embraced and affirmed as authoritative by Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant theologians, those ancient and modern, as it has produced the seminal documents, doctrines, confessions, and practices of the Church (e.g., the canon of Scriptures, the doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, etc.). Many evangelical scholars today believe that the way forward for dynamic faith and spiritual renewal will entail looking back, not with sentimental longings for the “good old days” of a pristine, problem-free early church, or a naive and even futile attempt to ape their heroic 1 Ola Tjorhom, Visible Church–Visible Unity: Ecumenical Ecclesiology and “The Great Tradition of the Church.” Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2004. Robert Webber defined the Great Tradition in this way: “[It is] the broad outline of Christian belief and practice developed from the Scriptures between the time of Christ and the middle of the fifth century.” Robert E. Webber, The Majestic Tapestry. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986, p. 10. 2 Ibid., p. 35. 3 The core of the Great Tradition concentrates on the formulations, confessions, and practices of the Church’s first five centuries of life and work. Thomas Oden, in my judgment, rightly asserts that “. . . . most of what is enduringly valuable in contemporary biblical exegesis was discovered by the fifth century” (cf. Thomas C. Oden, The Word of Life. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1989, p. xi.).

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journey of faith. Rather, with a critical eye to history, a devout spirit of respect for the ancient Church, and a deep commitment to Scripture, we ought to rediscover through the Great Tradition the seeds of a new, authentic, and empowered faith. We can be transformed as we retrieve and are informed by the core beliefs and practices of the Church before the horrible divisions and fragmentations of Church history. Well, if we do believe we ought to at least look again at the early Church and its life, or better yet, are convinced even to retrieve the Great Tradition for the sake of renewal in the Church – what exactly are we hoping to get back? Are we to uncritically accept everything the ancient Church said and did as “gospel,” to be truthful simply because it is closer to the amazing events of Jesus of Nazareth in the world? Is old “hip,” in and of itself? No. We neither accept all things uncritically, nor do we believe that old, in and of itself, is truly good. Truth for us is more than ideas or ancient claims; for us, truth was incarnated in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, and the Scriptures give authoritative and final claim to the meaning of his revelation and salvation in history. We cannot accept things simply because they are reported to have been done in the past, or begun in the past. Amazingly, the Great Tradition itself argued for us to be critical, to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3), to embrace and celebrate the tradition received from the Apostles, rooted and interpreted by the Holy Scriptures themselves, and expressed in Christian confession and practice. Core Dimensions of the Great Tradition While Tjorhom offers his own list of ten elements of the theological content of the Great Tradition that he believes is worthy of reinterpretation and regard,4 I believe there are seven dimensions that, from a biblical and spiritual vantage point, can enable us to understand what the early Church believed, how they worshiped and lived, and the ways they defended their living faith in Jesus Christ. Through their allegiance to the documents, confessions, and practices of this period, the ancient Church bore witness to God’s salvation promise in the midst of a pagan and crooked generation. The core of our current faith and practice was developed in this era, and deserves a second (and twenty-second) look. 4 Ibid., pp. 27-29. Tjorhom’s ten elements are argued in the context of his work where he also argues for the structural elements and the ecumenical implications of retrieving the Great Tradition. I wholeheartedly agree with the general thrust of his argument, which, like my own belief, makes the claim that an interest in and study of the Great Tradition can renew and enrich the contemporary Church in its worship, service, and mission.

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Adapting, redacting, and extending Tjorhom’s notions of the Great Tradition, I list here what I take to be, as a start, a simple listing of the critical dimensions that deserve our undivided attention and wholehearted retrieval. 1. The Apostolic Tradition. The Great Tradition is rooted in the Apostolic Tradition, i.e., the apostles’ eyewitness testimony and firsthand experience of Jesus of Nazareth, their authoritative witness to his life and work recounted in the Holy Scriptures, the canon of our Bible today. The Church is apostolic, built on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles, with Christ himself being the Cornerstone. The Scriptures themselves represent the source of our interpretation about the Kingdom of God, that story of God’s redemptive love embodied in the promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, in the covenants and experience of Israel, and which culminates in the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, as predicted in the prophets and explicated in the apostolic testimony. 2. The Ecumenical Councils and Creeds, Especially the Nicene Creed. The Great Tradition declares the truth and sets the bounds of the historic orthodox faith as defined and asserted in the ecumenical creeds of the ancient and undivided Church, with special focus on the Nicene Creed. Their declarations were taken to be an accurate interpretation and commentary on the teachings of the apostles set in Scripture. While not the source of the Faith itself, the confession of the ecumenical councils and creeds represents the substance of its teachings,5 especially those before the fifth century (where virtually all of the elemental doctrines concerning God, Christ, and salvation were articulated and embraced).6 5 I am indebted to the late Dr. Robert E. Webber for this helpful distinction between the source and the substance of Christian faith and interpretation. 6 While the seven ecumenical Councils (along with others) are affirmed by both Catholic and Orthodox communions as binding, it is the first four Councils that are to be considered the critical, most essential confessions of the ancient, undivided Church. I and others argue for this largely because the first four articulate and settle once and for all what is to be considered our orthodox faith on the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation (cf. Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom , v. 1. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996, p. 44). Similarly, even the magisterial Reformers embraced the teaching of the Great Tradition, and held its most significant confessions as authoritative. Correspondingly, Calvin could argue in his own theological interpretations that “Thus councils would come to have the majesty that is their due; yet in the meantime Scripture would stand out in the higher place, with everything subject to its standard. In this way, we willingly embrace and reverence as holy the early councils, such as those of Nicea, Constantinople, the first of Ephesus I, Chalcedon, and the like, which were concerned with refuting errors–in so far as they relate to the teachings of faith. For they contain nothing but the pure and genuine