We started Missio Dei church about two years ago with a small group of rebellious Christians that were pretty fed up with church as they knew it, they were drawn to us because of what might be considered a more “liberal” approach to culture; that is a desire to engage and redeem culture rather than flee from it or create a Christian sub-culture.

As our church grew (very slowly btw) we began to add more conservative folks that were attracted to our theology; that is a God-centered emphasis that addresses sin, and focuses on humanity’s only hope, Jesus and His amazing gospel.

This created a very interesting mix of liberal Christians with lots of zeal and more conservative Christians who were passionate about theology but not as interested in missional living.

This mixing has brought an uncomfortable rub for both sides. The liberal zealots are being introduced to a deeper theology that exhorts them to evaluate their personal lives in light of the gospel, and the conservative theologians are being challenged to live out their theology in light of the Great Commission.

The result has been a wonderful meeting in the middle where both sides understand their need for growth and also recognize an opportunity to help each other think critically and act Christianly in all areas of their life.

I would offer three practical ways to foster and perpetuate this healthy environment -

1. This is obvious but necessary nevertheless – you and your church must have a desire to be both theologically deep and accurate as well as live out your theology for the good of your city and culture.

2. Allow the rub to happen – let these diverse groups interact and don’t be afraid of the fall out. Too often church planters and pastors attempt to protect their people from any and all conflict failing to understand that it’s this conflict that very often leads to growth.

3. Don’t apologize for either side – as a pastor you will inevitably hear about this rub from both groups, don’t  take sides or become a chameleon who speaks the language of the person your talking to, placating their convictions without challenging their blind spots.

We are still very much a church plant with a LONG, LONG way to go but this is one area of success that I wanted to pass along.

You can find the original article written by Elliot Grudem here.

“The Lenten season starts on Ash Wednesday. For many recognizing Lent, that day marks the
first day of a forty-day fast from something.

The day before Ash Wednesday is known as Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras
(French for “Fat Tuesday”). Many people have at least a day of feasting before the season of
fasting. Perhaps no city in America celebrates Mardi Gras better than New Orleans.
The weeks leading up to Mardi Gras (again, the Tuesday before the first day of Lent) as well as
the actual day are a season of parties and parades throughout New Orleans. Many revelers—
especially those who have traveled to New Orleans to celebrate—gather on Bourbon Street on
Tuesday evening. The party goes long into the night, ending at Midnight on Tuesday night. Since
Lent starts at 12:01 a.m. on Ash Wednesday, the New Orleans Police Department gather at
Midnight on Mardi Gras, form a wall of officers and horses, and use that wall to clear Bourbon
Street. In the minds of many, that‟s a great picture of Lent: Party up to the last minute before the Lenten
season starts. Get what you can before you have to give it up. Feast before you have to fast. It‟s
the reason the celebrations associated with Mardi Gras are often referred to as Carnival—a word
that comes from the Latin for “goodbye meat.” In the minds of others, that‟s also what makes the Lenten season at best a disappointment and at worst a farce. It seems almost hypocritical to celebrate the Seven Deadly Sins before suppressing
them.

CONFUSION REGARDING LENT

There is much confusion in the American Evangelical Church regarding Lent. To be sure, the
Bible doesn‟t require us to recognize seasons like Lent or even Advent. In Romans 14:5, Paul
writes that the celebration of holy days is a matter of Christian liberty. Paul continues, “The one
who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord” (Rom. 14:6). Therefore, any recognition
of Lent must be done in a way that honors God.
As Jesus made clear when he quoted Isaiah to the Pharisees, external actions void of heartengagement
are not honoring to God. Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites… „This people honors me with their lips, but
their heart is far from me.‟ Therefore, any special attention to the Lenten season that honors God must include heart-level
repentance and real faith, not external obedience to church tradition. So the Lenten season and its encouragement to take an extended time to focus on the death and resurrection of Christ provides us with an opportunity to honor God as well as a temptation
toward sin. There can be a real value in marking this season, but only if done with a heart that
seeks to honor God.

HISTORY

Lent is one of the liturgical seasons of the church calendar that precedes Easter. The name of
this season originates from the Anglo-Saxon lencten meaning “spring.” The origins of Lent are
controversial. Traditionally it is understood as an intense season of preparation for
“Catechumens” (converts under training) who were preparing to be baptized on Easter.
By the Council of Nicea, A.D. 325, it officially referred to Lent as “forty days” and made it
immediately precede Easter. Sundays are not counted as part of Lent, since Sundays are
reserved for celebration. The Season of Lent now officially begins with Ash Wednesday because
of the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of Christians. This practice is dated back at least from
the late-eleventh century.

LENTEN THEMES

Lent carries in its tide a number of biblical themes, stories, and structures.
Again, Lent was a season that the early church used to prepare catechumens—new converts that
wished to join the church through baptism, which was typically accomplished at Easter. The
catechumens were encouraged during the 40 days to engage in regular times of repentance and
confession and to seek reconciliation with those whom they had sinned, and been sinned
against—the very spiritual disciplines that every Christian should engage in daily. (Matt. 5:24, 2
Cor. 5:18) Now, you don‟t need a special season to do this. But there also is a benefit in setting aside a
specific time to focus on these things. Throughout the history of the church, many believers have
benefitted from using the Lenten season to do just that.

PRACTICE

The Season of Lent is part of a larger church calendar that includes Advent, Christmas,
Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Ordinary time. These are celebrations that have
been developed over a long period of time originally in the Catholic Church and have flowed
into practice in other denominations (Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian). The practices connected
to each season mostly find their roots in observing the life of Jesus as it is portrayed in the
gospels. Some of the practices and celebrations may also be connected to ancient pagan
celebrations that Christians re-appropriated over time.

Historically, the Reformed tradition has largely discarded the celebration of a complete church
calendar because it binds the conscience to follow rules and rituals from man. Nowhere is the
church calendar commanded in Scripture. Calvin and others thought it permissible to recognize
the chief evangelical feasts of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost but felt that the focus should
always be on the proclamation of the whole gospel for the people of God each Sunday.
Today, you will find that many churches are beginning to use bits and pieces of this church
calendar as a guide to meditating on certain themes through out the year. The church calendar
can be helpful in giving us a guide in proclaiming the whole counsel of God. Every Sunday
should be a mini-narrative of the whole gospel story. Yet some churches in the Reformed
tradition tend to focus on the cross more than the empty tomb, Jesus and God to the neglect of
the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine of justification and not sanctification, adoption, or glorification.
The church calendar, when used with great wisdom, can be a helpful tool to observe the ancient
practice of lectio continua—preaching through both the easy and difficult parts of a book of
Scripture.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

Churches and individuals can recognize the Lenten season in a variety of ways.
Ash Wednesday Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2010).
The use of ashes in the observance of Ash Wednesday, to start a season of repentance and faith,
is rooted in the ancient biblical practice of severe repentance and contrition. You can read about
it in Daniel 9:3 or concerning the city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:6).

Ash Wednesday provides an opportunity to remember our mortality and to ask God to “teach us
to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). It is also a time to remember
Jesus‟ promise in light of our mortality: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in
me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die”
(John 11:25-26).

We can, as Jesus encouraged Martha to, then reflect on that promise and answer ourselves, “Do
you believe this?” (John 11:26). If we do believe it, as we consider our weakness and mortality
and remember our salvation and the promises it holds, our heart should be overwhelmed with a
love for Jesus that helps us grow in our distaste for sin.

Fasting and Prayer

Fasting and prayer are two traditional focuses of Lent.
Fasting, joined with fervent prayer and reading of Scriptures, is a spiritual discipline of humbling
ourselves in abstinence before God to turn away some tragedy, or for obtaining of some special
blessing. Fasting is traditionally the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or
both, for a limited time. Some people give up a certain behavior or habits during the season.
We fast (not just during Lent) because Jesus told us to do so (Matt. 6:16, Mark 2:20). We fast
because we continue to see the pattern of fasting practiced in the church (Acts 13, for example).
We fast because it is one of the means God uses to break the power of sin in our lives, prepare us
well for prayer, and humble us before him (for unlike God, we need food to live).
The act of self-denial can be a helpful tool in your Christian growth. There is nothing magic
about it; however it can be a helpful reminder of your deep need for Jesus and the way that Jesus
meets and satisfies your every need.

So as you pray, join the Psalmist in praying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me
and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24).

Almsgiving

Often the money that is saved from giving up something for Lent is given to help the poor and
oppressed (giving of alms). As we fast, we are reminded that we have a Savior who is rich in
mercy. In response to this mercy, we follow the pattern set by the One who became poor for our
sake, so that we, by his poverty, could become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
As we give of our resources (time and treasure) to those in need, we remind ourselves of Jesus‟
self-giving mercy and we demonstrate to those in need the kind of Savior we serve.

Baptism

Since Lent was a season where people new in the faith would prepare for baptism, the church has
often used this time to teach on baptism, deepening our understanding and applications of the
union we have in Christ in his death and resurrection.
If you haven‟t been baptized, get baptized and join a church! If you have been baptized, use the
Lenten season as a time to improve on that baptism by remembering the promises signified and
sealed to you in that sacrament.
Study

Historically, Lent was a time when recent converts would learn the fundamentals of the faith in
preparation for Baptism at Easter. Use the Lenten season as a time to read the story of Jesus,
especially his journey to the cross. Read through the Gospel of Mark, trying to get through Mark
8 during the first 20 days of Lent and then reading Mark‟s description of Jesus‟ journey to the
cross during the second 20 days of Lent.

PREPARATION FOR EASTER

Again, the Lenten season and its encouragement to take an extended time to focus on the death
and resurrection of Christ provides us with an opportunity to honor God as we prepare for Easter
Sunday.

Another way to consider the value of recognizing Lent is to consider the ways you currently
prepare for Easter Sunday.

*New clothes for the kids?
*A flower for mom?
*A roast for the oven?
*Candy for baskets?

Now, consider if there might be a better and more beneficial way to think about the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus.”

This video has had over 14M views to date, and it has created a virtual firestorm across the Internet.

As a church that is attracting many young families and is desiring to faithfully equip gospel-centered parents who raise their kids to love Jesus and His gospel I thought it would be good to share a few thoughts here.

1. This young girl (Hannah) was wrong.

She was ungrateful, lazy, and rebellious. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, not to this father, nor to any parent…the Bible says that there is no one who does good and that our default mode as people is to be lover’s of self at whatever cost, including hurting the very people who brought us into this world.

2. She needed to be disciplined.

As parents it is our responsibility to raise our children to be responsible citizens and productive members of society. This man needed to take action and frankly not enough parents (especially fathers) are actively engaged in the lives of their children, so for that he needs to be commended.

The book of Proverbs is filled with exhortations to parents to discipline their children.

“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.” (13:24)

“Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.” (23:13-14)

In no way am I saying that corporal punishment is the only way to discipline. I do believe it is one method, but certainly there are many ways in which we disciple, instruct, and train our children. The key principle we should glean is that disciplining your children is good, God disciplines us because He loves us (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:6).

3. Discipline should flow from love not anger.

This father never affirmed his love for his daughter. Now I’m not saying he doesn’t love her, I’m sure he loves and cares for her deeply. He is extremely hurt and disappointed by his daughter’s words and I’m sure it’s because he loves her and has sacrificed much for her. But despite our hurt and disappointment as parents it’s incumbent upon us to affirm our love for our children. This father’s antics seem to do more to assuage his anger than instruct his child. Now I’m no perfect parent, I’m a broken man raising very flawed children, but in my brokenness I really seek to affirm my children and remind them of my love for them, especially when I’m disciplining them. I do this by reminding them that I love them even when they’re bad and that my love for them is not conditioned upon their behavior or their performance. And this leads me to my last point.

4. Parents need parenting too.

God has entrusted our children to us. As parents we are God’s kids and it’s our responsibility to parent our children the way God parents us. Now look, I know this is impossible to do perfectly and as I said before I’m often a miserable failure as a parent. But the fact remains, our task as parents is to point our children to Jesus and His gospel and while we do this by teaching our kids the Scriptures we must also do it by modeling the gospel in the way we discipline. God loved us while we were still sinners, in fact we continue to sin and God continues to love us (Romans 5:8, 20). Parenting is about sinners leading other sinners to Jesus. Our kids need to hear us admit our failures. They need to see us running to Jesus as men and women who have fallen short of God’s best, just as our kids fall short of our best.

In short parents we need grace.

We need grace from our Heavenly Father because we’re deeply sinful people who have done a really good job of destroying our lives.  (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Our kids need grace…in fact they will respond much more positively to grace and kindness than to anger and wrath (Romans 2:4).

We need grace for one another. We all have different parenting approaches and styles and as we live life with other Christians who have a philosophy that differs from ours, show them grace. When you see someone’s kid(s) misbehaving, please don’t judge the parents, love them, pray for them, help them.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Shortly after Tyler served as an intern with Teen Mania Ministries in Garden Valley, TX.

He’s now pursuing a degree through the distance learning program at Moody Bible Institute and works as optometry technician at the local Lens Crafters (thus the sweet Ray-Bans).

Tyler enjoys reading, playing and writing music, and being an avid indoors-man.

What’s in the iPod – Band of Horses, Derek Webb, and Mumford and Sons

Book you’re reading – Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

TV Show – Lost

Food – Pad Thai

Connect with Tyler on Facebook

Follow Tyler on Twitter

Ryan and Andrea have been married for 15 years and have 2 children, Kaitlyn (9) and Carson (7).

Ryan has been involved in pastoral ministry for 14 years, serving for almost 8 years as the founding and lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Crook County, in Prineville, OR.

In the spring of 2009 Ryan was assessed and approved as an Acts 29 church planter.

Ryan and Andrea are thrilled to be here in Fort Collins as missionaries and church planters. They are extremely excited about what Jesus is doing in their hearts individually, as well as what He’s doing through them to impact the people of Missio Dei and this great city.

Ryan is passionate about pointing people to Jesus, preaching the gospel (both to himself and others), and developing leaders.

Music – Loving the new Gungor album, my “solid folk” playlist on Spotify

Book You’re Reading – Just finished Calvin’s biography by Selderhuis, working on about 10 other books at the moment.

Favorite food? – My wife’s homemade tacos.

Favorite Movie? – Tossup between Tombstone and Braveheart

Favorite Quote? – “The gospel is not the abc’s of Christianity it’s the a to z of Christianity.” ~Tim Keller

Recreation? – Riding both my road and mountain bike. Occasional disc golf.

Pastor Ryan’s facebook

Pastor Ryan’s twitter

Jason is an entrepreneur and has even written a book on business that you can find here. 

He is married to his wife Carrie and they have two children, Anna (8) and Max (3).

View Jason’s Teaching

To Volunteer working in media, communications or marketing, please contact Jason

Dominick and his wife Chelsea moved to Fort Collins in 2010 from Dallas, TX.

They met at Southwestern Theological Seminary and have been married for just over a year.

Dominick grew up in Austin, TX. and graduated from the acclaimed Texas A&M with a Bachelors Degree in Communications.

Before moving to Fort Collins Dominick was an elder and worship leader at Bethel Fellowship in Fort Worth.

Dominick enjoys the outdoors – biking, hiking, and rock climbing – and he’s super excited to be living in FoCo where all of this is at his fingertips.

Follow Dom on Twitter – @dominickfoco

Dustin and his family moved to Colorado after he retired from the Air Force. Dustin served our country honorably in Afghanistan and around the world as a Master Sargent on the award winning Pedro 16 crew.

Dustin is currently pursuing a career as a fire fighter and is studying at Aimes Community College in Greeley.

Dustin has been married to Meghan for 12 years and they have 4 children: Dustin (8) Lily (6) Annie (4), Gloria (1), with another on the way.

Will oversees both our Mission Groups and Fight Clubs, focusing on spiritual formation through healthy gospel community.

Will serves along with his wife, Angela, and his two daughters Sophia and Abigail.

Will and Angela both hold Masters degrees from the University of Central Arkansas as well as Master of Divinity degrees from Emmanuel Household Seminary.

The Spicer’s enjoy living on the front-range because it allows them to enjoy outdoor hobbies, the scenery, and hospitable climate.

Outside of discipleship, Will’s other passions include eating well, travel, good stories, and thinking about/making music.

Follow Will on Twitter

Brandi grew up in Vancouver, WA and spent most of her adult life in Prineville, OR. She is married to Kelly (our tech and drummer dude) and has three wonderful children of her own at home (Josiah, Zoee, and Spencer).

Brandi loves to spend time with her family playing the Wii and board games. They are absolutely loving their new home in Fort Collins and look forward to all that God has for them here.

Email Brandi Avery for questions about Missio Dei’s Children’s Ministry

Download Children’s Ministry Application