MISSIONAL GOVERNING BODY PROJECT UNDER WAY

“What do you think of when you hear the words, “missional church?”   That was the first question asked in a series of interviews conducted throughout the Synod by Dr. Alan Roxburg and Dr. Pat Ellison as the Missional Governing Body Research Project got under way in the Synod of the Trinity in the past month.

This project, sponsored by the Gospel and Our Culture Network and funded by the Lilly Foundation, hopes to develop tools and resources for churches and governing bodies desiring to cultivate missional congregations.  Under the direction of a research team headed by Dr. George Hunsberger and Roxburg, the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska, the Abilene Christian Union, the Mennonite Church, USA, and the Synod of the Trinity have entered a partnership to do basic research and develop and test resources in the field. In the spring of 2003, the Synod of the Trinity committed to participation in this project as part of its emphasis on developing a missional synod.

The initial set of interviews established a baseline of current awareness of missional church issues across the Synod.  A second set of interviews of 100 – 160 people will

be conducted in April and May.

By early summer, three congregations will be chosen to participate in this study for one year as they use assessment tools, educational resources and Bible studies focused on nurturing missional congregations.  At the same time, the Synod will be experimenting with resources available to other churches through their presbyteries.

For information on the Missional Church movement, you may wish to go to one of the following websites:

   www.gocn.org - the website of the Gospel and Our Culture Network

   www.missionalchurch.org - the website of the Center for Parish Development

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