Similarly, there are two ways to find an approach to mission education
that \"fits\" your church. You can try out approach after approach until you find one that fits, or
you can assess your church's needs with a tool designed to tell you what approaches to mission education
are most likely to fit.
The Missions Development Life Cycle is such a tool, designed for
churches that are tired of a \"hit or miss\" style of educational planning. It is designed to give
specific recommendations, based on an assessment of specific needs, in relation to four specific
dimensions of mission learning and three specific \"life cycles\" of mission involvement.
";}
if ($page==2){print "These dimensions and life cycles are illustrated in the following diagram:
The four dimensions of mission learning are portrayed as quadrants of a circle, each one labeled
and assigned a symbolic color.
";}
if ($page==3){include "1.html";
print "The upper-right-hand quadrant, representing the relational dimension of mission learning, is yellow.
This color symbolizes the bright light of knowledge conveyed through relationships. The relational
dimension includes learning that occurs via role models, mentors, and apprenticeships. It nurtures
an other-focused world-view involving intentional interaction with other cultures and parts of society.
";}
if ($page==4){include "2.html";
print "The lower-right-hand quadrant, representing the foundational dimension of mission
learning, is blue. This color symbolizes the calm, cool peace of well-founded discernment. The
foundational dimension includes practices such as Bible study, personal discipleship, and the
experience of God's call to mission. It nurtures awareness of the fact that God has called every
Christian to be involved in mission work, and that Christians have a responsibility to carry out
that call through an obedient lifestyle.
";}
if ($page==5){include "3.html";
print "The lower-left-hand quadrant, representing the integrative dimension of mission
learning, is red. This color symbolizes the warmth, passion, and focused energy of an integrated life.
The integrative dimension includes activities such as prayer, internalization of experiences, and
weaving of life stories. It is an intentional external and internal process of experiencing and
knowing God in one's personal life.
";}
if ($page==6){include "4.html";
print "The upper-left-hand quadrant, representing the experiential dimension of mission
learning, is green.
This color symbolizes the growth, individual and corporate, that comes from hands-on mission work.
The experiential dimension includes activities such as gift discovery, personality discovery, hands
on mission work, and cultural awareness training. It is a process of action learning which provides
opportunities to encounter God at work in the world through utilization of one's spiritual gifts,
skills, and life experiences.
";}
if ($page==7){print "The three life cycles of mission involvement are portrayed as concentric circles
within the circular MDLC diagram. The innermost of these life cycles highlights mission involvement
at the personal level. The middle of the three life cycles highlights mission involvement at the
level of the family or small group. The outermost life cycle highlights mission involvement at a
church-wide level. These levels are called \"life cycles\" because they cycle through (exist in
relation to) all four quadrants of mission learning.
".
"
Connected to all four quadrants and all
three lifecycles, the word \"Reflection\" is included in the diagram to remind us that reflection
(personal, familiar, church-based, experiential, relational, integrative, foundational) is required
for growth and development.
One can \"enter\" this diagram at any point - in any quadrant, in
any lifecycle - but one must be careful to engage all four quadrants and all three life cycles if one
hopes to live a balanced mission lifestyle and develop a well-rounded approach to mission education.
Ideally, a church's approach to mission education should challenge individuals to cycle in, out, and
around the MDLC's symbolic world.
";}
if ($page==8){print "With this information in mind, you are ready to complete the Missions Development
Life Cycle assessment tool!
".
"For each question, type your response into the box to the right,
and rate the question's difficulty in the box below, according to the following scale:
-1 - 0 Difficult to answer(-1 if no response)
1 - 5 Moderately difficult to answer
6 - 10 Easy and natural response
Click
here to begin";}
$showpage=$page+1;
if ($page<8){print "Continue";}
?>