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When I wrote an article called Online Community as Required Reading , I was thinking of the Church's "strategists"; the ones who try to discern "where the mission" should be focused; or what missions would address the needs. The Church of the Saviour derives these strategies out of waiting; they wait on reception of a call by any of its members, and then that member "sounds the call" to the corporate body. If any one other responds, then that is a "mission group". That group becomes the support structure for those involved. They are "on mission" into the world to impact it in some way, and they are accountable to each other for their personal journeys as they seek clarification, specifics, and guidance for that call. This is the basis of their "Journey Inward, Journey Outward" emphasis.
Today as I look into the immediate future of seeking a new spot in which to carry out my vocation of helping to enable Online Church communications, I desire a structure like this. In my own Church I have sought to test the waters among those people to see if any others find themselves called to a similar vision of what Church can do and be in an online setting. Perhaps I have not been direct enough; perhaps I need to describe the Journey Inward Journey Outward, call-centered approach and directly attach my Web vision to it and ask them point blank: Does anybody else see this? I think that this is the ultimate, ideal position I seek for a professional outpost of this mission. I need a true team; a "mission" group that is being payed to carry out a mission to help Churches "be church" on the Web.
I know that this is asking for a lot. Most people do not work at a job where they are doing what they are called to do. Even fewer get to do this out of the call that comes to them out of the corporate waiting and listening that is part of the mission of the Church structure: To enable and gather around the issue of call, and then to provide the incubator and the structures to carry out that call. I had thought that perhaps 5 and a half years ago I was zeroing in on this, but it seems that the only fruit born from this was technical skills. Very valuable , yes. Perhaps these 5 years were all still within the bounds of zeroing in and oreienting myself to the tools of the trade so that I might be a more accurate dreamer. Worthy cause , no doubt. And perhaps my prescence there planted some seeds.
I'm not saying that my vision was "business ready"; but it seems to me that for visions to work, there needs to be a variety of "gifts" applied, particularly in the business environment. There are the "project planners" and the "business plans" generated, and approval processes. I was never able to get my vision into the level where the business plans were generated. I feel a sense of failure there, that I did not cast my vision in terms sufficiently persuasive to get this going. I wrote an article akin to this one in Online Community as Required Reading
8:50:06 AM 
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