WHAT WE DO
Mission-minded, confessional Lutherans have a passion for reaching lost people with the Good News of Jesus. However, too often we are operating alone and do not know how to take our next faithful step. We could use some help. Likewise, there are many experienced practitioners and networks in our theological ecosystem who could offer such help.
The problem is that those who need help and those who could offer help often don't know each other.
The Go Network helps mission-minded Lutheran practitioners find each other, build trusting relationships, encourage each other with the Gospel, and collaborate as we take our next faithful steps in mission, discipleship, and multiplication.
Connect: We help mission-minded Lutherans find one another. Those who need help can find help.
Build Trust: We facilitate the building of trusting relationships among practitioners in local, regional, or affinity-based networks so they can encourage and spur one another on.
Collaborate: At its core, the Kingdom of God grows as one everyday missionary shares the Gospel with someone in need. To that end, we advocate collaboration among practitioners so progress is made towards five mission targets: Mission Clarity & Alignment, Living on Mission, Making Disciples, Developing Leaders, and Planting New.
Curate: We curate an online network of networks that lists proven mentor-practitioners, certified coaches, training processes, and other resources available in our wider theological ecosystem.
HOW WE DO IT
Five Mission Targets have been identified to help practitioners assess their ministry’s progress and identify the kind of resources they may need to take their next faithful steps:
- Mission Clarity & Alignment: Through God’s Word, we clearly understand God's mission, how to disciple people to participate in His mission daily, and how to align the ministry culture so it consistently fuels that lifestyle.
- Every Believer Living on Mission: We have a ministry culture where every believer is being discipled to participate in God’s mission by loving their neighbors, discerning the work God is already doing in their neighbors’ lives, and sharing the Good News of Jesus with them.
- Every Disciple Making New Disciples: We have implemented Jesus’ disciple-making process so every disciple is intentionally making more disciples who are influencing their communities with the Good News of Jesus.
- Every Leader Developing New Leaders: We have a system of leadership development that trains leaders to multiply themselves and expand the reach of the Good News of Jesus.
- Every Ministry Planting New Ministries: We have a ministry culture where it is the norm to plant new ministries in order to reach new people with the Good News of Jesus.
The 5 Mission Targets are intended to be incremental, contextual, and engaged at your own pace.
However, the key to making progress towards these targets will be local leaders and practitioners building trusting relationships, collaborating, and providing the specific encouragement, resources, or insights needed. The Go Network will support this by organizing itself around Local, Regional, Affinity-Based, and Network-Wide tiers.
LOCAL
Two or more practitioners who live within proximity of each other. They come together monthly in person (or online) to build trust, collaborate, and spur each other on as they take their next steps in mission, discipleship, and multiplication.
REGIONAL
Two or more practitioners who do not live within proximity of each other. They come together online monthly to build trust, collaborate, and spur each other on as they take their next steps in mission, discipleship, and multiplication.
In addition, Local Networks that are in the same general region may consider holding conferences to share resources, teaching, and training as they prepare to take their next steps in mission, discipleship, and multiplication.
AFFINITY-BASED
Two or more practitioners who are working in a common mission or ministry context. For example, church planter, school, rural, urban, multiethnic, dual parish, large church, discipleship, children, youth, family, etc. They meet online or in person as they take their next steps in mission, discipleship, and multiplication.
NETWORK-WIDE
The Go Network has a Leadership Team to oversee the following essential services that support the entire ecosystem of the network:
1) A Priority on Relationships
- The Leadership Team helps its members cultivate and preserve trusting relationships for the sake of collaboration, support, encouragement, and mutual accountability - locally, regionally, and network-wide.
2) A Network of Networks
- There are already several networks (organizations) within our Lutheran confessional framework that have expertise in helping practitioners and ministries take their next faithful steps along the mission target progression. The Go Network will launch an online platform to connect leaders and ministries that need help with organizations that can provide it.
3) A Catalyst for What’s Next
- As new ideas and opportunities arise within the Go Network, the Leadership Team will facilitate the necessary actions.
