If you want to find out how your neighbourhood is changing, don’t walk into a church: walk into a store. What can you buy now that would have seemed totally exotic twenty years ago? What did you enjoy back then that seems for some reason to have disappeared from the shelves? And why have these things changed? Church, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have changed to the same extent. Have you ever wondered why the church is one to two decades behind its context or why many congregations look like relics of the past, not representative of the present and certainly not heralds of the future?

In “The Way” of Christ, how we go about fostering relationships, examining our intentions, and seeking God’s wisdom should resemble the goal that we strive towards. There are no short cuts, silver bullets or pre-packaged programs to save the day. Real community is formed by real relationships. Faith communities are just the same, but they are additionally flavoured by the expectation that God is actually a member of the community! Such a living faith seeks the promises of God in the everyday affairs and looks for their fruit. How do we lead others into this ancient way?

How to Start a Cafechurch is an opportunity to reimagine what church can be in a culture where cafes are commonplace. What cafechurch principles could shape our approaches to the way we do church? What tools do we need to make real connections with our communities?

How do we connect God’s mission, and therefore the mission of the church, with the culture in which we live and speak in ways that help people make sense of their lives and their purpose through the lens of the Gospel? How can our words as preachers help others follow Jesus’ Way of Love more closely? How can we equip people to share their transformed lives in a way that opens a generous door into faith and Christian community?

Are you frustrated by the decline in church attendance and ministry participation at your parish? Perhaps you’re hearing the buzz around terms like "missional church," "discipleship," and "fresh expressions," but are baffled about what those mean or how they might relate to your own parish. Or perhaps you are simply curious about whether a new perspective might help you and your parish engage differently with the gospel and with parish ministry.

In these unprecedented times, God continues to lead us in new challenges where the precedented ways of leadership are not always helpful. Yet, this changed and ever-changing world remains the object of God’s missional intentions. God’s Spirit continues to give us gifts for these ventures of faith. We can join in God’s mission with confidence and hope. The Evangelical Lutheran Book of Worship offers this prayer for evening: “O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us.”

People are also often confused about just what the actual foundations of our faith are. What does God want to show us and how do we conform to his “plan”? If we are to share in God’s mission for the world, then we need to have a firm idea of “the-story-so-far” and do our best to write ourselves into it—and help others to do the same!