“What Are We Here For?: A Theological Position Paper on Mission,” first distributed in February 2007 as part of the first half of the Mission Strategy process, is now available here (181kB download). It describes the theological grounding of the process.

We’ve also posted the MSN budget (165kB download) as passed by Diocesan Council, in the interest of transparency.

Both documents are in PDF format.

Gospel Based Discipleship is not a program. It is an ongoing process of asking three central questions of the Gospel of the day. These three questions are deceptively simplistic. But what they lead us to is the discovery of what it means to live as Disciples of Christ and how that living transforms our ways of seeing and hearing. The Rev. Paul Allick spoke at Diocesan Convention on October 25 about his experiences with the transformative power of Gospel Based Discipleship, both at the University Episcopal Center (now the University Episcopal Community), where he served as chaplain; and at St. Edward’s, Wayzata, where he served as interim rector.

“The cup is overflowing” at St. John in the Wilderness, White Bear Lake! St. John’s is the oldest church in the community of White Bear Lake. Over the past five years it has moved from a pastoral to a program congregation. Its rector, Mark Kelm, speaks of how the work of the BCMS has provided St. John’s with a focus for the growth of its mission and ministry. This story shows some of the ways in which BCMS concepts have been — and continue to be — applied in individual congregations, through the work of the people themselves.