This video is the second of two introducing you to the work of the Riverside Innovation Hub which is an initiative of Augsburg University’s Christensen Center for Vocation. You can see the first video and blog post here.
At Augsburg University, we are convening learning communities of congregations and ministry leaders to explore new ways of being engaged in their contexts that create opportunities for the mutual sharing of good news with our neighbors.
We call this place-based vocational discernment in the common square for the common good. It is place-based because location matters. You do not need to travel far and wide to find your neighbor, suffering, or resurrection. They are happening all around you. Be committed to those things in your location. It is vocational discernment because we wonder together how God might be calling us to show up in this location to participate in good news. It is in the public square because this work of discernment must happen in relationship with our neighbors. We can no longer decide our congregation’s mission in a church board room behind closed doors. It is for the common good because it is more important that we invest in the thriving of our neighbors and our neighborhoods than our congregations.
We approach this work through a framework we call the Public Church Framework. It is not the only way to do this work, but we have found it a helpful way to frame the work. It is a framework because it is only a structure, like a bare Christmas tree, you and your congregation will embellish this bare structure with your own unique practices and ways of doing this work in your context.
The previous video introduced to the theoretical and theological foundations of this framework. This video, which is about 45 minutes long and will introduce you to the artforms of the Public Church Framework. The word “artform” is used intentionally to communicate the dynamic and various ways we all implement and practice these artforms. We have included a PDF of the PowerPoint slides so you can take notes as you watch the presentation. Please contact us if you have questions or would like a follow-up conversation.