Myths/Leadership and Church Ministry/DB & Reply

1. Myths, Symbols

(PowerPoint) (5 slides) (Must include Footnotes) (APA format) (in-text citations are a must)

Activity 3: Audio-Visual Presentation & Discussion: Sharing Your Research

*Title of Paper: The Sword of Grutte Pier

Using whichever software you prefer – PowerPoint – design and record a slide audio-visual presentation in which you briefly (5-7 min) talk about the highlights of your final paper. Your slides should include images, text, or a combination of the two. In your narration, please cover the following key points (in no particular order). This can be as formal or informal as you like. It is worth 10-points – twice as much as a normal discussion post.

• Your topic and your thesis statement
• The key points you made in support of your thesis statement
• How this paper has further shaped your understanding of myth, symbol, and culture
• The elements of this course that you found most helpful as you worked on your paper
• (Optional) Other helpful resources, tips, or tricks that you found in the process of researching and writing.
• After you share your presentation, comment on 3-5 presentations of your classmates.

2. Leadership in Church Ministry

(400 words for the reply) (Kate Turabian Format) (Must include footnotes in Kate Turabian Format) (No Plagiarism) (No Use of Artificial Intelligence)

*Must cite these sources:

a.

b. McNeal, Reggie. Missional Renaissance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.

25 Feb 22:41| Last edited 25 Feb 22:44| Last reply 25 Feb 23:23

Reply from Kwame Paige

What do you see as one of the most important paradigms needed to advance the Kingdom in the 21st century?

One particular paradigm shift that I believe is very important in advancing the kingdom in the 21st century is building and growing holistic small groups. According to Natural Church Development, holistic small groups are disciple-making groups that focus on reaching the unchurched, meeting the needs of people, and raising them up in their God-given purpose (1). These types of groups are not to be communities of people that simply come together to fellowship; these groups have the intention to grow and multiply (2). In Genesis 1:28, the Lord gives man its first command to be fruitful and to multiply, not for Adam and Eve to simply sit and enjoy each others presence. In Reggie McNeal’s Missional Renaissance book, the missional church is an expression of God’s heart and serves as a continuation of the mission of God to save the world (3). McNeal says that because God is on a mission, His people must be a part of that mission as well (4).

Small groups are the best way to see the church from a microscopic level, where members cannot hide on a Sunday service pretending to be fulfilling the mission to go and make disciples of all nations. Holistic small groups position disciples to practice what is being preached in communities where spiritual interactions can happen (5).

How, if any, has your view of the church and leadership in the church expanded as a result of this course?

The best lesson that I learned from the course mostly comes from the Autopsy of a Deceased Church book that we read. In this book, I was able to truly see how small deviations from the church’s mission, which is to make disciples of the nations, can lead a church to death. According to Natural Church Development, the most important criterion for forms and structures in a church is that they submit to the mission of the church (6). Constant checks and balances are needed to be aware of the slight deviations from the mission as times move forward and the ministry gets busier. As McNeal says, God’s mission is to redeem what sin has damaged, so coming up with the latest trendy sermon series is not necessarily the most important priority and often doesn’t meaningfully connect to the mission (7).

Bibliography

1. Schwarz, Christian. Natural Church Development: A Summary. Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 2004.

2. Ibid.

3. McNeal, Reggie. Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009.