come and see

Enjoying the porch.

Our central practice at Missio Dei is hospitality; guests are welcome. You are welcome to participate in the life of our community in a number of ways. What follows is a brief introduction we’ve put together to help visitors learn about life at Missio Dei.

Participants in our community tend to fall into these groupings:

Visitors:

For many people, the first encounter with Missio Dei is at one of our weekly gatherings or our hospitality meal. Folks that engage in our community by visiting these sorts of events are “visitors.” For more of our regular gatherings, visit the rhythms page.

Guests:

We often will extend hospitality to people in need of a place to stay. These are “guests” of Missio Dei. They are different from friends and family who are visiting from out of town. Guests are encouraged to be a part of the regular rhythmsof our community. Many of our guests have stayed as long term residents or members. If you are in need of housing, contact us. Space is very limited, but we’ll do what we can to help.

Residents:

Sometimes guests, visitors, or local friends discern that they would like to live in one of the houses long term. Becoming a resident is dependent upon mutual discernment and housing availability. Often it is a step towards becoming a member.

Apprentices:

Apprentices are those who have come to Missio Dei to learn about our way of life. At Missio Dei, the apprenticeship period is at least 9 months long. It can be a time where someone comes to learn about Christian intentional community with the goal of moving on at the end of the apprenticeship. Others come intending (or at least open to the possibility) of becoming members of Missio Dei at the end of their internship. Usually, the only way that we receive longer-term residents from outside of the Twin Cities is through the apprenticeship program. Apprentices are like residents, but with an additional learning/volunteering component. 

If you are interested in being an apprentice at Missio Dei, contact us and we’ll send you more information and an application.

Community Members:

The process for becoming a member is straight-forward; a potential member either requests to be a member or is invited. Someone must be an active part of our community for at least 9 months before becoming a member. At that time, a season of discernment and learning (usually several months) begins until both the potential member and the existing members reach consensus.

Every year, community members re-affirm their commitment on Pentecost Sunday. When someone becomes a member, they commit to following  our rule and rhythm for at least two years…and are invited each year to renew that commitment.

Residence in one of our community houses isn’t a requirement for becoming. We have had members who are committed to the ongoing ministry of Missio Dei without living in one of the community houses.