Launch Team Update

Mercy Hill's "launch team" is a group of people who are committed to helping us launch weekly worship services in the fall. 

We have also called this gathering a beta version of our small group ministry, our first "Crowded House," because we have some elements of sharing life together (we eat together every week, for example) and living out the Gospel with one another.

As of a few weeks ago, the Launch Team has sharpened it's focus in response to requests from some members of our team who had been asking for some specific guidance on just how--specifically, how?--to live out a missional Christian life.

We were asked, "Can you give us some practical steps?" Below, we'll describe what kinds of changes we've been making over the past several weeks.

In response to the questions we've been hearing, we've begun studying the book The Tangible Kingdom and its accompanying workbook, called The Tangible Kingdom Primer.

The Launch Team this Sunday afternoon was a great time of dialogue with these new resources.

There was a real sense of expectation and excitement.

Having ended our "preview season," our emphasis this summer will strongly be aimed toward developing our small group ministry, our "missional communities," called Crowded Houses.

The group picked a title or term to describe this new season for Mercy Hill--the "incubation stage."

Specifically, this means that Pastor Phil Henry will be training several men to lead missional communities (aka, "Crowded Houses") starting in August or September.

Additionally, as Pastor Phil leads the beta version of our first Crowded House, we will seek to implement through the step-by-step guidance of the Tangible Kingdom Primer some principles of what it means to live "sent lives" as Christians into our culture.