Our MCN Dispatch — Sept 9, 2025
Hello Missional Friends,
In this newsletter, watch for:
- Reminders of why we exist as a Missional Church Network
- Our support for EFC initiatives
- Why the renewed interest in the Kingdom of God?
- Relating effectively with young professionals
- Fall programming notes
Why we exist as a Missional Church Network
Evangelicals can be enriched personally and corporately through local connectedness, friendship, and common endeavours. We focus on ministry opportunities in the community and with needs not commonly addressed by the local church. We are here to encourage one another in both Faith and Good Deeds. See our Purpose Statement.
Our emphasis is on service to others, promoting a sense of Christian social responsibility. We value bridge-building with others who share core Christian commitments even if we may differ on secondary matters. We are guided by what the Lausanne Covenant identifies as Evangelical and their explicit commitment to Christian Social Responsibility.
We desire to effectively communicate the Gospel of Christ in its fullness to an increasingly confused society. Societal changes are bringing about new challenges and a need for new opportunities to witness through well-informed leadership. We find special meaning in Christ’s instructions to his disciples to “go out” as “salt and light.”
Finally, we are a network and invite others of common conviction to relate, to share, and to encourage each other. We value the diversity of gifts and differences in background and experience.
Support for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
Over the years, EFC has attempted to speak nationally on behalf of Evangelicals. But whether nationally, or locally, we believe it is the role of all Christians to grow in knowledge, skill, and wisdom for effective public service. While national leadership is needed, so is effective local leadership and local engagement.
EFC has been highlighting action themes on their website and encouraging Christian social involvement on matters of both service and policy development. We see much potential in contributing to the national agenda in many of these themes while drawing on centralized EFC resources to strengthen our local commitments to involvement.
Below is the EFC current listing of topics for engagement. We may be back with some suggestions for local MCN focus groups.
A Foundational Focus on the Kingdom of God?
Whether it be books, articles, or sermon topics these days, the Kingdom of God can be viewed as a growth theme in Evangelical circles. Some of us believe we need a re-centering on this primary teaching of Christ.
A Christ-centred and Gospel-centred approach will encourage us to focus on our common values and commitments in contrast to the peripheral matters that often divide us.
We recommend the commentary by Sam Berg – Sam has been slowly releasing his thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount via Facebook postings. MCN has been gathering these on our website for broader viewing as follows:
Reflections on The Kingdom, by Sam Berg
We recommend a new book by Ted Yule – Wake Up To The Kingdom: Embrace God’s Unstoppable Plan to Transform Lives and Nations. Our own TV Thomas has written the Foreword to this book.
Wake Up To The Kingdom, by Ted Yule
Please note the One Kingdom Campaign by Christianity Today. It seeks to uplift what is good, overcome what is evil, and heal what is broken. For more details, see:
Christianity Today Releases One Kingdom Vision for the Ministry’s Next Season | Christianity Today
Our Quick Search on the topic using MS Copilot:
QS — Insights into the Kingdom of God
Our interest in promoting Christian leadership among young professionals
Elsewhere, significant initiatives are underway to promote leadership development among our laity. Here are just a few examples worthy of our reflection and potential involvement:
Cardus Communio (and NEXTGEN Fellowship), already five years underway, recruits a cohort of young “fellows” annually. The program is expanding, with groups currently functioning in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. Learn more here:
12 Remarkable Canadians Named to NextGEN Fellowship | Cardus
Christianity Today Next Gen Initiative. This initiative is in the launching stage, but expectations include:
- Gatherings
- Media development
- Field guides
- Promotion of NextGen Fellowship programs
A news release in funding the CT Next Gen Initiative
More initiatives we discovered elsewhere with MS Copilot search
QS Evangelical Leadership Development Initiatives with Youth
Local Interest
Locally, there are individuals in our network that are expressing strong interest in local initiatives along these lines.. If this is a recognized need in your personal circles, we would love to hear from you. We hope to bring you more on this in our next MCN Dispatch.
Fall Programming
A number of our MCN leadership group are heavily committed this fall. We will continue to generate mailings such as this, and invite participation to events as they are scheduled in coming weeks and months.
The networking idea is a new concept. The emphasis on community involvement, likewise, is a growth area for many lay people. We are attempting to build slowly and attract individuals with a heart for this type of public ministry.
Currently a number of us enjoy breakfasts at Nicky’s monthly or more often. We see this is a core group exploring the potential of MCN and planning promotion of our network. We would love to have any of our readers join us.
Call Ron at 306.591.3936 to inquire re the next breakfast event.
Share and Connect
We love to hear from our network. Your reactions and personal views are valued and welcomed.
Alternet contacts: Our MCN Advisory Team
Views expressed in this communication are those of the current coordinator if not otherwise identified.
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Ron Richmond
Acting Coordinator
Missional Church Network
306.591.3936
Ronald.Richmond@sasktel.net