In case you read or heard about the “Missional Futures Study Group” and were interested, this is the final week for registering to participate.

The group is shaping up in very intriguing ways – it’s international, with about equal numbers of men and women, and multigenerational, ranging in age from 20-something to 60-something. Participants represent diverse interests and involvements: ministers to children and teens, college student workers, church planters, house church learner-leaders, virtual networkers, crosscultural skill trainers, students of organizational or church development, media geeks, theologians, artists, writers, futurists.

This is a course with basic conceptual frameworks and field work skills for becoming a practitioner-strategist for missional engagement, using a narrative theology approach. You could think of it as an integrative introduction to “cultural recon,” cultural interpretation, missional practice and theory, spiritual formation, strategic foresight for mapping possible futures, and how to create healthy organizational infrastructures. All the puzzle pieces are introduced, applied to current cultural situations and your own setting, and eventually interconnected through another cycle of case studies and applications. Should be fun and challenging, yet intentionally run at a pace that will not fry our brains nor drain all of our time. Here’s a quote from the syllabus:

This will not have the same pace or intensity as an online seminary course. It is designed to address beginning to intermediate issues, but considering key themes more than analyzing details. And we’ll take it at a pace that encourages assimilation of the material by asking questions, considering various kinds of smaller and larger case studies, and interacting with others. [...]

We will read 9 books together over the two-year period, and watch 8 films together. Most of the books are relatively short. Some are fiction for children and young adults.Also, I am working hard to make the introductory articles for each Module no more than a few pages each, and these will deal primarily with major themes in each topic area. We do have other assignments, and most give the option for films or books or online research, according to each member’s areas of interest. The main point for all assignments is to explore the main themes, not get lost in mountains of details. It is my hope that these core assignments help us integrate the set of themes into a fairly comprehensive and integrative system that helps us interpret our personal and ministry stories. It’s about building a big-picture perspective.

For more details, see Overview-Missional Futures Study Group 2009-2010.

So – this is the time to let me know if you want to register or want more information. Feel free to leave a comment on this post. Since comments are moderated, it won’t appear but I’ll have your contact information for a direct response.