Mission Alive

Mission Alive not only seeks qualified church leaders who, with training, can become missional church planters but also provides ministry-shaping experiences for apprentices and interns within the context of church planting.  An apprentice works with a church planting or with Mission Alive as a ministry for a full-year to learn how to (1) reach searchers and skeptics with the gospel and (2) participate in ministries of church planting.  An intern works with a new church planting for a shorter period, usually a summer, with a focus on reaching unbelievers.  The life-forming experiences of Gabe Peterson, our first apprentice, and Mitch Anderson, our first intern, illustrate apprenticeships and internships.
 
Gabe Peterson, Apprentice
 
Becky and I first met Gabe Peterson in the cafeteria of Oklahoma Christian University.  Gabe, realizing the need for ministry-shaping experiences, was searching for a practical learning experience between his undergraduate and graduate studies.  A number of professors at OC, including Missions professor Bob Carpenter, recommended Mission Alive.  Gabe at that time was a senior Bible major, campus leader (the student body president), and a developing scholar (greatly respected by the faculty).  Bob Carpenter introduced us to Gabe in OC’s cafeteria and joined us for the meal.  We were impressed at that time not only with Gabe’s credentials but also his desire to learn.
 
We were soon awed with Gabe’s faith.  He decided to become a year-long apprentice with Mission Alive without any support or guaranteed job.  But these jumps of faith form the fabric of missionary service.  And God, who is faithful, worked beyond our expectations.  The Shawnee Trail Church of Christ, a relatively new church in Frisco, hired Gabe as their youth and children’s minister. 
 
During the year with Mission Alive and Shawnee Trail, Gabe helped with logistics during the various equipping labs for incoming church planters, developed theological (missional) frameworks for ministry application, researched in person and on the internet various models of church planting, and grew to understand evangelism within a congregational context.  Gabe testified to the nature of his apprenticeship:

Before my Mission Alive apprenticeship, I had no framework to think of how to plant a church in an urban or suburban context in North America. Now, one year later, I not only have a framework for how God might use me to plant a church in the future, but also a greater understanding of the changing cultural face of North America. I've become convinced that planting new churches of a missional framework is not just a nice thought to ponder now and then – it is a dire need essential to the survival of our fellowship and Christ's church.

We thank God for Gabe’s growth in one short year.  Later this month Gabe begins his graduate studies at Abilene Christian University.  “Gabe, you were great!  We learned much from you.  Go with God.”

Gabe Peterson	Mitch Anderson

Mitch Anderson, Intern
 
Mitch Anderson was encouraged to become a missionary to Olomouc, Czech Republic, through Razorbacks for Christ, the campus ministry at the University of Arkansas.  Currently he is finishing his Masters in Missions at Abilene Christian University in preparation for this ministry.  Mitch, realizing the need for practical experience in church planting, became Mission Alive’s first intern.  He spent this summer learning in the context of ministry with Christ Journey, a new church planting in Southwest Fort Worth.  He worked with church planter Chris Chappotin to develop a small group curriculum for new Christians, co-led a weekly basketball outreach in a local park, assisted with the launching of a summer tutoring program, ministered in the summer KidVentures Camp, began spiritual friendships at a local athletic club, and redesigned the website for the church (www.christjourney.net).
 
Mitch’s mentor Phil Jackson of Missions Resource Network wrote, “This past week I spent some time with Mitch Anderson and found that his experience with Mission Alive has been a great blessing to him – and I believe for his [mission] team . . . .  It is our hope that every Euro church planter has some meaningful experience with a US church planting effort.  Otherwise, a gap in preparation and readiness remains.  Thank you for your work, your vision, your willingness to walk by faith.”
 
We were also touched by Mitch’s description of his internship: 

My summer internship with Christ Journey was an amazing learning and growing experience.  Chris, Heidi, and the whole Christ Journey family welcomed me warmly and encouraged me immensely.  It was hard to leave.  What I experienced and learned this summer--about church planting, small group ministry, outreach in the local community, and relying on God in all aspects of life and ministry--will no doubt come in handy in my future church planting work in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

As the number of church plantings grow in Mission Alive, our ability to use more interns and apprentices will also expand.  Our goal is to equip 300 interns in evangelistic ministry and 100 apprentices as participants in church planting by 2015.  We expect that many of these interns and apprentices will go overseas as church planting missionaries and others will become church planters with Mission Alive in North America. 
 
Mentoring and coaching, interning and apprenticing are at the core of equipping in Mission Alive.  As Christ trained his apostles, Moses trained Joshua, Paul trained Timothy, so we seek to equip not only through labs but also through “seminaries in the streets.”