Created and Led by the Spirit

November 6 and 7 of 2009 saw a gathering of over 150 dignified scholars and practitioners of mission and theology at the campus of Luther Seminary for a missional church consultation under the theme "Created and Led by the Spirit: Planting Missional Churches."

It was a landmark conversation, at least from my perspective, in its effort to manage the tension between being academically rigorous and spiritually powerful at the same time. Generally, there has been a watershed between the two. However, in this conference, the two managed to meet in an amazingly sweet way. It was an excellent sight to see the openness of many to the Spirit--something most people agreed would not have happened a generation ago.

All the four plenaries were great. The workshops and break-out sessions were also incredibly resourceful. The mix was even better than most of us expected; the practical aspects of missional church planting, the theological-philosophical aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit, not to mention the cultural mix of the participants. Some of the highlights for me were when I talked to two missionaries from Asia that are now serving in New Jersey. Hearing their views on evangelism and church planting as foreign missionaries trying to work in a multicultural context in the US was really helpful.

I am already looking forward to next year's consultation.