So this past week I began an intensive 6 week Online Learning Collective (OLC) course with Jesus Collective called “How to Lead and Disciple in a Polarized World.” Lemme tell you what it looks like each week. In addition to listening to a thoughtful 2 hr lecture and a subsequent Q&A from an expert in the field, we’re given hours of articles, videos and book chapters to read as well as a specific spiritual practice. Following this, we provide reflection papers on the material and video reflections on the spiritual practices. Next, we engage with one another and offer thoughtful critique and feedback to their submissions before beginning the next week with another lecture from another expert in the field. Oh right, did I mention it’s intensive?

Despite the ridiculous workload, I’m REALLY enjoying this. In fact, the course is far less concerned with information gathering and much more so with spiritual formation and be able to practically address how we might successfully navigate the polarizations of our world through a Jesus Centred approach. Here’s the breakdown of what this course teaches from the website description:

• The root causes of polarization unfolding in our broader culture
• The implications of Jesus’ core message and vocation for discipleship, mission, and nonviolent peacemaking enemy love.
• How a centered-set discipleship paradigm can equip new postures and mindsets for approaching polarization in our communities.
• How Jesus can transform polarization in our own hearts as leaders.
• How an overly Eurocentric Gospel can stifle ethnic and racial diversity in churches.
• How a Jesus-centered faith calls us to address systemic polarization across race, economics, and political lines.

Pretty cool, amiright?

Sooooo, why am I sharing all of this with you? Mostly to invoke piles and piles of sympathy (sprinkled with a healthy dose of pity, please!?) for how much I’ve got on my plate these days. Just jokes. But actually, sharing this will inform you of the ideas that have been informing how I think and see the world which, obviously, informs how I preach and teach and what you can expect to hear when you come to Grassroots Church on any given Sunday.

To be fair, we’ve already been moving down this road for some time now. No one can doubt the stark polarization that has already taken place in the Church and continues to rip apart communities everywhere we look. COVID stuff, sexual identity, politics, Bible interpretation, theology or any number of other matters are causing untold division. I am optimistic that such division is not inevitable and that there’s a way forward that allows for differing views without separation. It’s a journey, to be sure, but we’ve already begun it and this OLC is the latest step, at least in my pursuit of wrapping my head and heart around these concepts, for us to venture down this road. I’m excited to continue to share what I’m learning over the next few weeks and incorporate into our teaching and, more importantly, our community’s ethos moving forward.

Polarization is not inevitable and Grassroots yearns to be a community that lives this out. Amen?! (Amen!)