participating
One of our central practices at Missio Dei is hospitality; we welcome guests to almost all of our regular events. What follows is a brief introduction we’ve put together to help visitors learn about life at Missio Dei.
Missio Dei has a couple ways of doing intentional community: living in proximity or living in a community house.
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 or those who wish to spend a short period of time learning from our community. 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 rhythms of our community.
Long Term Guests:
Sometimes our guests stick around longer than planned. If a guest is around for more than a month, they become a regular part of the community. Long Term guests are involved in almost every area of life at Missio Dei–even in community discussions.
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. Anyone with a desire to live in one of our community houses agrees to go through the apprenticeship process, unless they are already a member living in proximity or are receiving hospitality as a guest.
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; the potential member either requests to be a member or is invited. At that time, a discernment process begins until both the potential member and the existing members reach consensus.
Every year, community members re-affirm their commitment on Pentecost Sunday. Someone must be an active part of our community for at least 6 months before becoming a member. When someone becomes a member, they commit to following our rule and rhythm for at least one year…and are invited each year to renew that commitment.
They also agree to affirm the Confession of Faith from a Mennonite Perspective, 1995 as Missio Dei’s official statement of faith for teaching and nurture. Not all of our members live in intentional community, so living in one of our community houses isn’t a requirement for membership.
Regarding Decision-making:
At Missio Dei, we practice communal discernment. Most things, we let people decide on the fly. But things that effect the whole community requires group discernment. Everyone who is a regular part of Missio Dei (members, apprentices, long-term guests, and regular attenders) are invited to be a part of our discernment meetings, though only members can block consensus.
