Why did you start NieuCommunities?
Well, we’d like to think that the whole idea of NieuCommunities was really God’s idea and that we just happened to hear it. There were a few of us who had lived and traveled all over the world, (well, to at least 40-50 countries anyway), and we were increasingly convinced that the world was changing and that those attempting to engage culture with the good news of God were struggling. Even solid missions organizations like our mother outfit – CRM – were doing little to prepare people to thrive in emerging cultures. We felt God prompting us to do something about that.
The first job of a leader is to define reality, and the reality today is that the church and its leaders are losing their voice in culture. Ask any young adult on the street what they think of when they picture a Christian leader, and you might hear, “Out of touch,” “unspiritual,” or even “manipulative.” Ask them what they think of when they think of the church, and you’re likely to hear something like, “a disconnected institution that was O.K. for my parents, but irrelevant for me and my friends.” Yet many of those same people are searching hard for a spirituality that has personal meaning and transforming power. We believe God birthed NieuCommunities to help remake spiritual leaders who can reshape Christ’s church for an ever-darkening world; to help shape leaders who will “be” good news, and who will better navigate culture and offer great hope wherever they go.
We have traveled down a pretty innovative and creative path in forming NieuCommunities, but, to be honest, we did not set out on this journey to be totally unique, or to fit some spiritual marketplace “niche.” We began NieuCommunities because we believed God was calling us to do a very old thing once again. We were under orders. It didn’t have to be unique. It didn’t even have to be creative. But it did have to be attempted. It’s been a wild ride, but it’s one that is changing lives, for which we are grateful.
What’s Your Mission?
We are drawn to the image of a ship at the edge of the harbor. A ship being rigged with new provisions and a new compass. A ship that is being readied to return to the high seas of change, and inspired to go beyond what has already been charted and sailed. We’ve had the chance to be out there on the changing seas of culture. It’s not always the most comfortable place to be, but it’s where the church needs to be. We want to create an environment that will help fill our world with deeply spiritual and courageous leaders who will navigate culture and be the presence of Christ wherever they go. That’s our vision.
Our mission is to help you live a missional life. Our mission is to prepare you to live as a “sent one.” That might mean living as one sent across town or across the world. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you are able to respond with an inner strength that only comes from intimate communion with God, with character that has been shaped and refined in community, and with the capacity to move out and draw others into communion with God and into life-giving community with one another.
What are your core convictions?
These are some of the values which guide each of our NieuCommunities sites:
Discovering Together… We’ll explore and learn together, in big groups and in small groups, one-on-one and with our neighbors. Our learning style will be interactive, varied, and experiential.
Experiencing Faith… We’ll steer our learning beyond intellectual understanding towards an experiential awareness of God’s presence as we do life and ministry. We will attempt to live what we learn.
Raw Relationships… We go all-out to form communities where honesty prevails; to be a place where people can live unrehearsed, but not necessarily unchallenged lives.
Incarnational Mentoring… We will open up our homes and our hearts to each other. We’ll share our stories with you as you write the next chapter in yours.
Missional Communities… Missions is about creating a spiritual home for people. It’s about creating space for people to connect with each other and with God. Our calling compels us to shape leaders who will create and multiply new communities of faith everywhere they go.
What does an average week look like?
At least one time a week the community will participate in a Conversation designed to help you engage, grasp, and live-out the postures of a missional leader. Sometimes these are skill focused, sometimes knowledge focused, and sometimes character focused. But they are always interactive and they are all related to becoming the leader Christ wants you to be. And there is always something to do or ponder or read after a conversation, so time is allocated for that as well.
There are usually a couple of common meals each week, and one of them is usually followed by a time of worship, spiritual reflection, and practicing spiritual disciplines together.
On another day you will spend an hour or two with one of our leaders for a time of mentoring, or “soul-friending.” This gives you an opportunity to process what you’re learning and experiencing and weave it into your life.
Most parts of most days are free and you will be encouraged to engage people in your neighborhood and live what you are learning.
About once a month the community will check-in and hear how we’re doing and what God is doing through us in our neighborhoods and cities.
Oh yeah, you’ll also have household and community chores just like in real life; and be prepared to spend a great deal of time with your community-mates learning and doing life together.
Does NieuCommunities replace seminary?
No. Many of our staff are seminary graduates and we are deeply grateful for the unique developmental role seminary has played in our lives.
But is NieuCommunities a viable alternative to seminary? Absolutely, and for most people, it’s probably a more fruitful pathway to take. We’re not going to tackle specialty subjects like the biblical languages or church history. But we will tackle theological concepts that are critical to living missionally. Concepts like divine revelation, the relevance of the incarnation, the nature of The Kingdom, and what it means to be the church in culture. Throughout the year we also focus on each of the genres of scripture and we read though biblical books of each genre as a community.
What people get in NieuCommunities is an immensely practical and challenging theology that will be tested in life situations, and which will serve them well as they seek to live as “sent ones” the rest of their journey. We use our experience in community and our presence in culture as a context to grasp and make sense out of theology.
Which is the better route to take, seminary or something like NieuCommunities? Well, that depends on what you want to do after the experience. If your desire is to serve in a local church, in a more traditional staff or pastoral role, then seminary might be a better route. If you’re looking to be part of a new expression of church, maybe even help birth a new church, or if you desire to live more apostolically in a missions capacity, then NieuCommunities might be the better pathway.
For some, NieuCommunities is a great first step before they determine whether or not they should dive into seminary with both feet.
Can I get undergraduate and/or graduate credit for doing NieuCommunities?
You bet. Several Christian colleges and universities really believe in what we’re doing and they are granting up to 12 semester units for going through NieuCommunities. Many other schools have expressed an interest in partnering with us. So if that is something you’d like to pursue, just let us know. Odds are we can make it happen.
What’s the minimum/maximum age limit for NieuCommunities participants?
NieuCommunities is designed for people in their twenties. We’re a little flexible around the edges of that age range, but not much. We’ve found that people in their twenties have just enough life experience and flexibility to get the most out of the transformational experience we seek to create.
Can a couple participate in NieuCommunities?
You bet. We almost always have at least one apprentice couple in each of our communities. It’s important though that both spouses come fully expecting to participate in all aspects of the experience. We’ve even had a few families with babies or toddlers come and join us. Honestly, our capacity to handle couples with children is pretty limited, and coming with a child will change your experience to some degree. But we would be glad to explore the possibilities with you and help you determine if this is doable for you.
What’s the next step if I want to pursue this?
Consider taking a Road Trip to visit one of our sites. Check out the“Road Trips” page on this web site for more info on how to take a 5-14 day road trip to get a taste of who we are and what we’re all about.
What does it cost and where does the money go?
The cost is big. But because we believe the pay-off is even bigger, we’re going to cover over half the cost ourselves. What does that leave for you? Something like this:
Depending on the location you choose, you’re looking at about $1500 per month. That amount includes everything you will need… food, housing, community events, training, books, learning resources, road trips, etc. The only other thing you would need to cover is the ticket to get there… and back! And your total budget can be raised through tax-deductible gifts.
The primary source of money for your apprenticeship will come from the people who already believe in you and who want nothing more than to see you jump all over an opportunity like this. Your church, your family, and your friends will all have the opportunity to make a significant investment in your life and in your future ministry by helping you join NieuCommunities now; and that will be money well spent!
After being invited into NieuCommunities, we’ll help you build a personalized budget to cover your apprenticeship and your living costs based on the NieuCommunities location you are going to. Then we’ll help you put together a plan to naturally talk with your church, family, and friends about getting behind this project.
A second source of funds may come from your own savings. We’re not asking you to break the bank, but making an investment in yourself seems like a solid thing to do… and the right thing to do if you possibly can.
Sound scary? Probably a little bit. Worth it? Absolutely! And we’ll give you all the tools and personal coaching and encouragement you’ll need to help you pull it off. And hey, it sure beats $60,000 of seminary debt!
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