What is Mission-link?
Mission-link is a network of simple churches that share a common vision and mission: Discipleship-based, organically led communities of Jesus followers who are learning how to be the Church instead of go to one. These communities engage in this common mission through the sharing of training, fellowship, commissioning, and ministry experiences.
Mission & Vision
VISION: To Re-identify the Church as a Movement STARFISH
MISSION: To Change How the Church is Led
OBJECTIVES: To Recover…
- Jesus’ way of leadership: upside-down, decentralized, servant leaders
- Jesus’ way of discipleship: taking responsibility for the success of another, with rigorous honesty
- Jesus’ way of ministry: healing, deliverance, & witnessing to His life, death and resurrection
STRATEGIES:
- Discover and spread the discipleship culture and “upside-down” servant leadership of Jesus.
- Provide training and ministry development in spiritual warfare, healing, and the witness of the Message the God is in the room in daily life.
- To put these principles into context by multiplying simple, missional fellowships that are learning to be led by God’s Spirit, as Jesus did.
For a good overview of our current rhythms, click here.
Our History
Mission-link began in February 2009 when Bob & Becky Roby left New Hope Community Church to establish a discipleship-based missional fellowship around the servant leadership culture of Jesus Christ. The unique direction and culture of the associated house churches that have come about since then draw from the founding vision, which continues to provide training and resources for The Journey, Threshing Floor and other simple fellowships from St. Paul to Liberia.
People in these groups usually meet weekly in homes and in discipling triads, and less often in larger gatherings for learning and leadership growth.
Over the past six years Mission-link has been on a journey in the “school” of Jesus Christ, with the purpose of distilling and purifying our understanding of His vision for the His Body, the Church…(See our latest Blog)
“SIMPLE CHURCH INTRO” (Something some of us use to start our house gatherings…)
This is a simple gathering of Jesus-followers for teaching, fellowship, sharing of a meal, and prayer – not necessarily in that order. We are “notorious sinners” who share one thing in common: We have been drawn to Jesus by the Spirit of God, and have agreed with Him that Jesus is our life and our only hope, and greatest treasure. We are defined by this – not by our meetings.
Our most important connections here are our discipling groups, where 2-4 of us meet to learn how to give and receive grace, how to be vulnerable, and how to tell the truth: essentially, how to be friends. We live in the benefit of the promise that where ever at least two or three are gathered “in His Name” (under Jesus’ authority, agreeing that He is Lord) that He is personally present. We have come to meet with Him this way right now – He is the only “Lord” and “Savior” in this room.
Leadership
Learning New Leadership – Being a part of the “Mission-link” network, we take steps to grow in our discipleship and “organic” leadership = learning to allow the “Christ in you” (the “Head”) to lead through all members of the body…like a starfish. See, “The Starfish and the Spider”, by Brafman & Beckstrom).
Where are we headed with this? – We are building a movement around the simple model of Jesus’ instruction to “make disciples”; We are holding our relationships as the center of the movement; they are the “treasure and the measure”, of what we Jesus is building. John 13:35 As it is written:
“Stand by the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16
See more pics of The Journey at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/12/08/home-church/
