Last fall we launched a crowdfunding platform (like Kickstarter) for Ukraine, it’s live at www.razomgo.com (Links to an external site.). From my experience, it’s not helpful to think missionally through the lens of static social sectors such as business, religion, education etc. The same forces shaping the de-construction of Christendom are at work in all other spheres and creating a more complex and fluid global culture.
As missional movement, our driving discovered vision among our core Slavic leadership is ‘to form culture’ under the reign of Jesus Christ, filling space with artifacts that point to the loving reign of Jesus. While we can focus on one particular sphere (e.g. medicine), as a crowdfunding platform, our missional leaders are entering all spheres, from training business leaders, funding Covid care supplies, helping orphans learn how to generate ideas-to-business-plan, to working alongside Ukrainian government to reform old Soviet banking regulations.
“Virtual networks place a premium on breaking down silos and connecting various audiences..” (Loc 111). Through the use of technology, we believe we can come alongside the Spirit in an agile, adaptive manner greeting the world that is emerging, instead of, as in the case of the old Presbyterian Church example, react and recover to unfortunate insulation from the world we are called to influence. “Collaborative technology drives innovation.. And change in government” (112) but also every sphere where collaboration is possible. We’re at a crossroads I think that requires the use of technology not as an end, or means of doing church differently, but as the world uses it, as a tool for collaboration and social impact.
Collaborative social ‘hubs’ are exciting. They are not only providing unity within typical religious spaces, but cross pollinating across traditional sectors, and as leaders we can stop considering one time ‘projects’ as the only way to do ministry, but “create a place where people are willing and able to innovate time and again (Hill 2014, Loc 312). This allows our platform for example to not only act as a conduit for emerging ministry and start-ups, but act itself as a space for Kingdom influence, through inclusion, learning, synergy and love.
Whatever the sphere (whether singular or multiplicity) I believe Ignatian spirituality is a key to create with the culture of the leadership for maximum life and sustainability:
freedom to become the person you’re meant to be, to love and to accept love, to make good decisions, and to experience the beauty of creation and the mystery of God’s love” (Martin 2012, 1).