Mission For Our Day :
An Adventurous
Vision
Missionary WOWEE 2009
Doctrine and Covenants 163
• Despite the challenges involved, it is my
pleasure to be able to serve you, my
brothers and sisters in Christ, who have
been claimed by the adventurous vision
and spirit of the Restoration movement.
Steven M. Veazey
President of the church
March 29, 2007
The Challenges
Involved
Understanding the Times
• The World We Once Knew
– A world of enlightened, rational thought
– A world of answers
– A world where scientific method promised to
bring order out of any chaos
– A world where humans are the ultimate of all
God’s creation
– A world where progress was inevitable
The Modern World
• Individualism - “I did it my way…”
– Society is subservient to the individual – “I gotta be
me…”
•
•
•
•
•
Idealism – “To dream the impossible dream…”
Rationalism – “Like a circle in a spiral…”
Humanism – “John Henry, he could hammer”
Work ethic – “Hi-ho, Hi-ho, it’s off to work we go”
Materialism – “Money makes the world go
around…”
The Modern World
•
•
•
•
•
•
The triumph of Western culture
Industrialization
Urbanization
Advanced technology
Universally accepted truth
Promote change toward progress
But the World Changed
• Two World Wars shattered idealism
• Nuclear weapons called into question the
wisdom of science and progress
• Disillusionment with organized religion
began
• Questions no longer had answers
• Truth, morals, ethics were relative
• Television, computers and internet
Post-modern Chaos
•
•
•
•
•
The impossibility of truth
Rejection of institutional religion
Rebirth of magic, myth, paganism
Permanence of chaos, fragmentation
Rejection of history, which is useless,
unknowable, and unexplainable
• Lack of meaning and purpose
• Rise of escapism in media and life
Decline of Churches
• Growth of a “secular” society
• Rise of radical fundamentalism—and the
reaction against it to reject all faith
• Scandals involving ministers
• Multiple options for fellowship, for finding
meaning, for connecting with others
• Religion perceived as dry, boring, staid,
irrelevant, ridiculous, or dangerous
Traditional Church
• Centered on the building – “If you build it,
they will come” doesn’t work
• Isolated and insulated from the struggles
of life
• Loyalty to the institution has disappeared
• Comfort replaced active discipleship
• Church is perceived as a social club
rather than social transformation
What Can We Do?
• Offer something other than
“traditional church”
• Meet people where they live and
make the Gospel relevant
• Provide a small, safe community
where people can be real and
share themselves
Welcome to the
Adventurous
Vision
• TRACK 2: EFFECTIVE SMALL
GROUP MINISTRY
There’s More to the Story
Postmodernity has a
positive, hopeful side
The Post-modern World
• Each person’s story is as important and
valid as every one else’s
• Celebration of community
• New emphasis on spirituality and Spirit
• Embracing multi-cultural diversity
• Non-sexist, non-agist, global
• Participation and collaboration
Community of Christ
• Community of Christ provides the kind of
community that is needed in the
postmodern world:
– Zion
– The Kingdom of God than Jesus proclaimed
– Communities of joy, hope, love, and peace
• Our emphasis on the peace of Christ is
desperately needed in people’s lives
• Our values and principles fit the positive
side of “postmodernity!”
• Each person’s story is as important and
valid as every one else’s - WORTH OF
PERSONS
• Celebration of community - ZION
• Spirituality and Spirit – HOLY SPIRIT,
DISCERNMENT, CONT. REVELATION
• Multi-cultural diversity – UNITY IN
DIVERSITY
• Non-sexist, non-agist, global – A
WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT
• Participation and collaboration – ALL
ARE CALLED AND GIFTED
What Can We Do?
• It’s easy to reach people! Just be
yourself, and let God do the rest!
• People aren’t looking for religion;
they’re looking for something real –
so be real!
• Evangelism can be as simple as
listening!
• TRACK 1: INTRODUCTION TO
MISSIONARY OPPORTUNITIES –
THE NATURAL WAY
Capture the
Adventurous
Vision
Looking to the Future
• When you look at an average
congregation, how many youth are
present?
• How many young adults are present?
• What is the average age of the leadership
in the church?
• What’s going on?
Survey of Young Adults
• 93% aged 12-25 believe there is a
spiritual aspect to life
• 55% said they are more spiritual now
than 2 years ago
• 32% do not trust organized religion
• Church-goers are about as loyal to their
brand of toothpaste as they are to their
church denomination
Where do you feel spiritual?
• 1. Spending time in nature
• 2. Listening to music
• 3. Helping other people in the community
• 9. Attending religious services
Our young people are …
• Finding spirituality in meditation practices
• Feeling everything is connected in a
larger whole
• Rejecting the idea of making distinctions
(“and religion is all about making
distinctions”)
• Looking for new and diverse experiences
that transcend cultural and traditional
barriers
What can we do?
•
•
•
•
Listen more and talk less
Ask open-ended questions
Build bridges of understanding
Learn from their search and
their vision
• TRACK 3: YOUNG ADULTS
AND ENVISIONING THE
FUTURE OF THE CHURCH
Live the
Adventurous
Vision
Capture the
Adventurous
Vision
Welcome to the
Adventurous
Vision
THE
ADVENTUROUS
VISION
Live the
Adventurous
Vision