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Dr. John Nuessle
is an Ordained Elder of the United Methodist
Church. He has served in a various positions within the Global
Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He held the position
of an Associate General Secretary before his retirement from
the Global Ministries
Mission Journal
3
going just as Abraham. Intentional dreaming is a prag-
matic approach which is an openness to faithful mission
activity, based on being a connected community and with
communities around the globe, rather than individual
notions of wandering activity outside of God s Mission.
Here are some
specific, pragmatic steps
to putting these
theologically sound principles for mission into practice in
your ministry setting.
First
, call together a small group of
persons committed to these ideals of God s Mission. These
are not just interested leaders from the congregation, but
those who see the vision of connected communities of
intentional dreaming for the whole Church. Together
research where and what type of missional involvement is
most meaningful to your congregation, and very early seek
to enlist other congregations in this common objective.
Next
, and very important, be sure you have a viable and
interested community of persons with whom you will be in
partnership in mission. And before you engage in any
specific action or activity, have a team from your congrega-
tion, or better yet those other congregations also, to visit
that site and community. Seek their vital input and agree-
ment to any plans, always open to changes and shifts in the
strategies which come from them. (Remember: money
and resources must not dictate the plans this is a commu-
nal and community based effort of partnership.)
Lastly
, look to a creating a long-term plan. I would suggest
at least a five-year commitment from all participants,
partners, and communities. If situations change, or need to
change based on learnings from your work, these plans can
always change. Yet the five-year commitment up front
ensures that this is meant as a fully intentional participation
in God s Mission.
Go forth, not always knowing exactly where you are going,
just as the pilgrim Abraham did so long ago. Go forth by
our connected, communal, and intentional Christian faith.
Be pilgrims in God's Mission, and not just wandering
individuals, and you will be richly rewarded by our God of
new life and global reach.
society, and this is true also for congregations that try to 'go
it alone'. Particularly in mission work, going it alone,
working just as one person or one congregation will always
result in problems, misunderstanding among those we seek
to minister to and among, and even real disasters of safety
and security. That is not God's way, but our human
egotistical way. Be Connected.
Next, we are, in that same sense,
communities of faith and
action.
This is more than being connected. It is a focus on
communal lifestyle as a church, and as missional partici-
pants. Everything from planning to implementation of the
plans must be from a communities' perspective. This
means, rather than a collection of individuals going about
their own ideas even if physically together, to a way of life
in which everyone is included in the process and decision-
making. No one person or one small group dominates the
community in which all are equal partners. This also holds
true for how we are called to work in and among those to
whom we go in mission. We never plan or act without the
missional recipients as whole partners in all decision and
implementation. And remember, just because we tend to
bring the resources (financial and material) does NOT mean
we have greater say over the process and outcome of
mission.
Finally,
be intentional and intentionally dreaming
of all
that God is calling you to become and share with God's
world. Be intentional on your journey into God s Mission,
for this is the way God calls pilgrims to move forward in
faith and action. Seek a vision of your communities
mission work that dreams of the land to which you are