I just came back from Missio Intensives in Atlanta, GA and Ashland, OH and wanted to share some reflections with you. The way the Intensive is structured says a lot: there are presentations of no more than 15 to 30 minutes, each one followed by a time for teams to process the application to their situation. We help each team come up with a game plan of what they’re going to be doing when they go back, including key people they’ll need to talk with, steps that need to be taken, and a timeline for their actions. The net result is a dramatic increase in the odds of actually doing something with the material after the Intensive.
As an added bonus, more than one person on their team has experienced the workshop. When you have a team of 3 to 7 people, there’s tremendous power there. Having a critical mass of leaders with you really accelerates the implementation when returning to the ministry context post-workshop.
Having been a part of several Missio Intensives now, I’ve noticed a similar arc to the two-day workshop. The Intensive raises more creative tension toward the beginning as people recognize the complexities and the challenges, but as the journey goes on the plan begins coming together and starting to crystallize. Through the questions that begin to get raised, along with a safe environment of likeminded people to process with, more and more clarity emerges as teams explore different ways to make their churches more missional.
If you want to be a part of something like this, the next Missio Intensive is scheduled for January 18-19 in Phoenix, AZ.