North Fresno Church Blog

Welcome to NFC's blog

Our goal with this blog is to provide resources on the missional church, interact with congregants, invite comments, answer questions, etc. Please join in the conversation with the church staff and leaders by leaving comments or questions. We hope this blog will be an open forum for discussion, not just a one-way dissemination of information.

What lies below are what we consider the most essential resources for our journey as a congregation, a kind of Missional Church 101. Read posts, scan articles and selected chapters, and watch videos. All of these are outstanding resources for entering the conversation.

If you want more information about what is specifically happening at NFC, you can dig deeper by clicking on any one of the categories up there on the right. We'll keep adding content as we journey further down our road together.

NFC is a church of brothers and sisters desperate to hear the voice of God through listening to each other. This is just one church's journey. We invite you to travel with us....

Searching for God Knows What

A group of NFC attenders is reading the book Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. The reading group gathers every Thursday morning from 7:30-8:15. If you would like to join in or just read along and follow the conversation, please see the blog the group is keeping here.

Note that Donald Miller will be the speaker at Fresno Pacific University's 2008 Ministry Forum on April 17. You can find out more about this event and how to register here.

From Pastor James: the Newbigin Gauntlet

"The Newbigin Gauntlet: Developing a Domestic Missiology for North America" by George Hunsberger, (from The Church Between Gospel and Culture, Eerdmans, 1996) was a primary source for our conversation this past Sunday, September 30. The whole chapter is a worthwhile read. If you are specifically looking for message outline answers to "Telling the Gospel" and "Paying Attention" you can jump to the excerpt of the chapter below (pages 22-25).

I was going to weave in some other thoughts, but did not have the time. The article contains some primary material that I had intended to reflect on. I really like the image or model of the 'docent' (see p. 23). Docents are volunteers at museums and zoos that are trained to mix among the crowds and be available to explain the various animal behaviors and habitats, providing interpretations of the worlds represented in the exhibits. I think we as the church are called to do the same by being available to provide an interpretation of the worlds in which we find ourselves.

Chapter excerpt, pages 22-25

Full Chapter (4 mb)

Why I am Missional...

In his book, Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren has a chapter entitled "Why I am Missional." It's a great introduction to the conversation.

McLaren was the keynote speaker, along with Alan Roxburgh, at Fresno Pacific University's annual Ministry Forum in 2005. He is a well-known writer and thinker about the current situation of the church in North America.

Read the chapter here.