Mission Shaped Living
£40.00 (Approx)
4.2Get the resource >
Overview
What does it say on the tin?
Being Witnesses for Jesus in Our Everyday Lives.
Equip your church or small group to share their faith in Jesus naturally and with confidence.
More than just a tool box of ‘how to do evangelism,’ over eight sessions Mission Shaped Living will build spiritual practices, vision, hope, and confidence into your life so that sharing God’s love with others becomes a joy and not a burden.
Society has shifted and the way mission was done in the past is no longer effective. People are looking for authenticity and Christians are looking for a life-long and deep discipleship that results in effective mission with authenticity. An eight-session course with a Leader’s Guide and Participant’s Guide, Mission-Shaped Living gives churches, small groups, and individual believers the tools and resources to develop discipleship and an outward focus to reach and bless their communities, cities, and nations.
What do you get?
The price quoted here is for a bundle: 1 Leader’s guide and 6 Participants’ guides. Spiral bound quality formats with 8 sessions:
Session 1: Being Sent
Session 2: Confidence
Session 3: Courage
Session 4: Compassion
Session 5: Connecting
Session 6: Continuing
Session 7: Conversion
Session 8: Mission Shaped Living
Also available slightly cheaper on Kindle.
Who is it for?
Adult and young adult small groups. Beginning and Growing.
Review
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What is the overall quality of material presentation?
A practical and prayerful resource which takes participants on a journey together – towards God, towards each other and towards their neighbours, with the unique good news of Jesus. This is a great way to learn how to share God’s love in appropriate, joyful and effective mission.
How clear are its aims and outcomes?
McGinley’s desire is for the course to be affirming, inclusive and liberating so that each person can respond appropriately to their own setting - we are all starting from different places.
How accessible are the leader’s notes?
Structure based on Up, In and Out. In (our relationship with each other in community): each session begins with ‘How are you?’ Let’s share our lives – we are in mission together. Focus on testimony and gratitude – and we are telling the story, not fulfilling a duty. Up (our relationship with God): prayer, worship and biblical material with discussion. Out (our relationship with our neighbours, and outward to others): outward journey of mission begins with prayer – our own prayers for opportunities for mission and the things we will try.
Who could lead it?
Anyone with a heart for telling people about Jesus, whether or not they consider they are ‘evangelists’.
How helpful are the participants’ resources?
No sense of experts in evangelism and learners. The participant’s guide has additional material for each sessions, with an encouraging story, a focus for prayer and space to journal. It is designed for group members to make their own.
How good is any digital material?
N/A although there is a Youtube video about the first session here.
How much prep will I have to do?
Mostly familiarisation with the material. And prayer!
Is there website support? Links?
N/A
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How well does it encourage interaction with the group?
Honesty about their worries and desires for telling people about Jesus is openly encouraged. The challenges are explored helpfully, with ways forward suggested and tried.
How well does it cater for a variety of both learning and delivery styles?
Mix of chat, engaging with the Bible, prayer, reflection. Integral to the course is practising how to talk to and pray with people who are not yet Christian. Learning is backed up and enhanced by the use of the participants’ guides which contains extra material and space for journalling.
How adaptable is it to my situation?
Broad range of ideas which will appeal to a broad range of people. The Ignatian Prayer of Consecration rubs shoulders with visual aids and prayer for infilling with the Holy Spirit.
How well does it encourage people to work together in applying the material?
The idea of praying for five people is used (cf Thy Kingdom Come resources). There are opportunities to learn how to talk about your faith, and practise it in very easy ways. The group members are consistently enabled to encourage and support each other.
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How much of the material is Bible-based?
Every session has a couple of Bible passages for discussion based around mission, from both New and Old Testaments.
How well is the biblical material presented and used?
The material is used for vision-raising and discussion, with great questions that dig into the passages. These questions revolve around learning about God, people and how we might respond to this learning personally. Some passages are used in more creative ways, with opportunities for individual reflections and responses.
How well does it apply biblical material to everyday life?
As said, the resource encourages honest responses to the challenges of telling the story of Jesus within our everyday lives. But it doesn’t stop there. It provides lots of practice and a variety of ways to be honest with those outside our Christian communities too.
Is there a particular theological perspective?
The need for people to make a response to Jesus is made clear, alongside the recognition of every individual’s journey.
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How well does it inspire people towards whole-life discipleship?
Evangelism is seen as integral to holistic discipleship, in whatever way it is expressed. There are stories of encouragement to inspire people that it is actually possible to talk to others about Jesus in honest, helpful and attractive ways.
How well does it encourage and enable people to grow in their faith?
Practical. ‘Prayer is at the heart of mission shaped living,’ says the author. Strong emphasis on gratitude as an essential foundation. Lots of discussion of relevant topics, with no assumptions made, just gentle opportunities to explore the issues, and then apply them personally.
How well does it stretch faith and vision of God and his purposes?
Great mix of grounding in understanding of God’s compassion with practical outworking of that through his disciples.
How well does it connect with real life issues?
The main issues are around our own barriers to sharing our faith, and these can be very real. They are tackled with compassion and care. The emphasis on honesty within the group should help to keep the discussions and tone ‘real’.
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How well does it encourage personal evangelism?
So good on this. There is no pressure, just a desire to learn how to follow God’s leading, showing his love and care together with the readiness to talk openly about him. Great basis of theological understanding - leading to dependence on God for opportunities - leading to practise and action!
How well does it encourage local or network-based community involvement?
Some good ideas for local involvement and events for outreach. Appropriate and varied, so something for everyone.
How well does it connect with global issues?
Not a focus apart from mission.
How well does it encourage global mission?
Clearly designed to be part of global mission. Focused on individual, local communities and Christians.