I recently took a week-long trip to Mexico City, which you’ll be hearing a lot more about in upcoming blog entries. The original purpose of the trip was to check out a church plant formed out of ministry to the poor. Those of you who know me know that this is an area I’m increasingly studying and living into. After connecting with one of the local leaders, he suggested that we do a consultation with some others who are exploring “misión integral” (holistic mission).
Aside from getting some real Mexican food and injuring my leg, here are some of the highlight issues of my time in Mexico. I’ll likely be expanding on some of them in future blog entries:
- What does transformation look like? How do we live out the kingdom of God in a way that includes starting and multiplying churches.
- The breadth and depth of urban poverty, how multi-faceted it is, how structures are often designed to keep people in poverty and controlled in order to increase the power base of the political system
- The pervasiveness of corruption and the power of community organizing
- The vast opportunities for making disciples and multiplying Jesus followers
- When the gospel is truly lived out it’s a lot easier to share the good news because people have some experiential understanding of it. That experience opens them to who Jesus really is.
- There are leaders everywhere that are called to a more simple organic type of church with an increased focus on the core mandate to make disciples.
I’m excited to continue partnering with ministries in Mexico City and look forward to my return trip in the fall.