Resources

• Bibby on Religion in Canada, 2012
• An Introduction to “place”
• Inviting God’s Future
• Rhymes and Reasons: the Journey Beyond the Answers
• Ancient Prayers

“The willingness to be born –
and this means the willingness to let go of all “certainties” and illusions —
requires courage and faith. Courage to let go of certainties,
courage to be different and stand isolation.”
–Erich Fromm

The first listing is a summary of Reg Bibby’s summary of his latest data on religion in Canada.

“Place – the Movie,” is based on two months of reading and research to introduce what has become a transparent reality in Modernity. Globalization and market forces push toward “space” and the abstract, because “space” is universal and non-local and therefore outside the control of those who invest their lives. However, we are now recovering an appreciation for the texture, colors, rhythms and stories of place. This will be critical as we recover a practice of parish and engage with new energy in our neighborhoods.

Inviting God’s Future moves in four distinct segments. The first segment looks at the transition from one paradigm to another. The material in this section is adapted from Beck, McLaren, Frost and Hirsch, and Miller. The next segment considers the Gospel. Why did Jesus come preaching the Kingdom and not the church? What does it mean to say that God’s mission defines us, and not we, it? This segment begins to unpack the dualistic paradigm in which Christendom largely exists in the dying culture.

The next segment looks at the lifecycle of movements and organizations. It then overlays leadership giftings with life-cycle stages, toward asking the question, “What kind of leadership is needed for the ekklesia in this generation?” The final segment examines some of the new expressions of church we are seeing in the western world, and closes with a look at the seven capacities needed to embrace a new paradigm.

Rhymes and Reasons is designed to capture the paradox that disciples are lifelong learners; therefore, if we rest in the answers and forget the questions we have actually stopped walking forward with Jesus. The presentation is around 10MB.

Ancient Prayers is a PPT presentation by Tony Jones. It includes some powerful prayers and is well presented.

Blog posts & PDF Documents

• Books – Theology of Place
• DRAFT – A Trinitarian Spirituality of Mission
• Church Leavers and Faith Stages
• Joining Discipleship and Mission
• Post-Christendom: Interview with Stuart Murray
• Toward a Leadership Communitas Len Hjalmarson
• The Prayer of the Kingdom
• Short Notes on Prayer
• Truth in Film
• Leadership in the New Testament Len Hjalmarson
•  A New Way of Thinking about Church: MCM Feb. 07 Len Hjalmarson
• Blogging and Communal Formation Len Hjalmarson
• Beyond Church Health Len Hjalmarson
• Poets, Pastors, Prophets: Governance and Formation Len Hjalmarson
• A Paradigm for Spiritual Formation Len Hjalmarson
• Mission-Shaped Church 189 pages
• Toward a Theology of Ministry Hjalmarson
• Releasing the Gospel from Western Bondage J. Campbell
• Dr. David Mills responds to DA Carson
• Evangelism as Risky Negotiation M. Frost
• Creativity and Leadership in Learning Communities Capra
• Reimagining the Church Neave
• 40 Years in a Narrow Space: Liminality Hjalmarson
• To Change the World Hunter
• How to Plant House Churches
• Risk Society – A Summary (Ulrich Beck) Hjalmarson
• Toward a Theology of Public Presence L. Hjalmarson
• The Marketplace of New (Church) Models R. Capon
• Toward a Missional Spirituality L. Hjalmarson
• The Shaping of Things to Come: Evolution or Revolution? Frost and Hirsch
• Communities of Leaders and Learners by Peter Senge
• Leadership in the Postmodern Era by Len Hjalmarson
• Beyond the Event Centered Community by Len Hjalmarson
• Decoding the Church by Howard Snyder
• Custom and Command by Stan Firth
• Eating Sacred Cows: Tithing
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margerey Williams
• Post-Modern Possibilities by Len Hjalmarson and Rob McAlpine
• Restorationism: Hype or Hope? by Len Hjalmarson
• A New Look at Tithing by Graeme Carle
• Equipping for Missional Spirituality in the Academy (2012)