A recording of the show will also be available afterwards.

Update: you can listen to the podcast here.

Doable Evangelism was Off The Map’s firstborn. We cut our organizational teeth making evangelism doable for ordinary Christians. This year we decided to license DE for solo flight. We’ve “given away” Doable Evangelism which is now nurtured, led and piloted by Randy Siever and his team. www.doableevangelism.com . We couldn’t be more excited or proud.

We’ve launched something new – The Practicing Church

We had a hunch that what we learned through Doable Evangelism could be applied in other settings. Similar to how an aspirin can be used for headaches and heart attacks. We’ve taken the active ingredients that make DE potent and packaged them in a new initiative - The Practicing Church.

The Practicing Church beliefs gone good

The Practicing Church is a new movement designed to encourage and accelerate the redefinition of Christianity that’s being called for by Christians and Non Christians.

After centuries of overload – the beliefs switch in the church’s fuse box has flipped off and is no longer able to deliver the levels of power it once channeled.

A hunger for spiritual authenticity and demand for practicality is replacing beliefism - a spirituality that puts me first - with otherlyness a spirituality about serving others.

The Practicing Church tells the stories of people and churches where beliefs (have) gone good.

We believe

• The church is being redirected by God to major in serving and minor in beliefs.
• We must broaden the definition of serving to include the ordinary and doable.
• God wants to change not only how outsiders see us but how we see ourselves.
• There’s a historic window of opportunity to dramatically transform Christianity.

We intend

• To help clarify this transformation through events, writings and online
• To provide practitioners of Otherlyness a platform and a voice.
• To connect participants of The Practicing Church using every means at our disposal.
• To collaborate with anyone who is interested in advancing this agenda
• To rescue Jesus from religion and take him very, very public.

We’re getting younger

Over the course of 2008, I began working with three young leaders. Through these relationships, it became apparent to me that God was introducing me to Off The Map’s future. These three guys have agreed to join the Board of Off The Map and begin serving in key roles starting in 2009. We will be bringing Jeff on as interim Executive Director in early 2009. He will assume this role full time in the fall of 2009.

Jeff Smith

Jeff has taught in seven different education environments, both public and private. His teaching assignments have spanned third grade through adult learners, encompassing mathematics, history, literature, theology and philosophy. He has coached basketball for 12 years and is currently the middle school mathematics coach in Issaquah School District, representing that district in the Microsoft Math Partnership. Jeff was also the associate pastor of Calvary Chapel San Juan in Friday Harbor, WA for two years.

Jeff is currently studying in the Organizational Systems and Renewal program (www.osr-nw.org) at Seattle University (www.seattleu.edu). In June of 2009, he will be graduating with a Masters degree, specializing in organizational guiding through authentic conversations. He holds BA in Mathematics from California State University, San Bernardino as well as an MA in Education from Chapman University, but his wife reports that this 3rd degree, from Seattle University will be his last.

Tyler Mahoney

Tyler is an innovative thinker who combines emerging philosophy with his Roman Catholicism. Tyler came to faith between two worlds, between evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism—he had a Roman Catholic Young Life leader and was catechized in both traditions. A practicing Roman Catholic, Tyler works in evangelical ministry, mainly for Young Life and Off The Map. He worked in Alaska as a National Park Service ranger for four years, giving presentations and guided tours to hundreds of people at a time.

Tyler also excells in photojournalism, working at the Anchorage Daily News at the age of sixteen. As a college freshman, he became the photo editor of the Seattle University newspaper. In 2004, Tyler interned for Mike Judge, the director of Office Space, Beavis and Butthead, and King of The Hill. In June 2009, Tyler will receive his Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Religious Studies from Seattle University with a special emphasis in Social Justice and Church History.

Tim Soerens

Tim Soerens has a B.A. in Rhetorical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Masters of Divinity from Mars Hill Graduate School, Seattle. He is the founder of an innovative church called Dust that brings together service, spirituality, and relationship in a way of life that seeks to join God’s dream of reconciliation. It is located in a rapidly growing and diverse downtown neighborhood of Seattle called South Lake Union.

Tim currently serves as vice-president on the Cascade Neighborhood Council, South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors Planning and Policy Committee, founding member of Lake Union Opportunity Alliance and the Cascade Farmers Market. Tim is married to Maria-Jose Soerens and lives in South Lake Union, Seattle.

Win Tickets to The Born Again Church Tour

Off The Map just released its new free podcast

Right now we’re featuring talks from Brian McLaren, Jim and Casper, Todd Hunter and Scot McKnight.

In the future we’ll post talks from Rob Bell, David Kinnaman and other spiritual explorers and practitioners.

To get the word out on The Off The Map Podcast we need to be featured on itunes. If that happens it will increase the range of our audience greatly.

You can help us by subscribing to our free podcast and writing a review on our itunes page. Everyone who does that before August 29 will be entered in our contest. We’ll put your names in a drawing to win a free ticket to The Born Again Church Tour.

We’re giving away a total of 3 tickets (valued at $100 each) for Seattle, LA, or Denver (each winner chooses which location they want).

Steps:

1. Click here to go to our podcast on itunes
2. Click on subscribe
3. Download and listen to some episodes
4. Write a review on our itunes page
5. Be honest and tell us what you think

Don’t have itunes? Get it here

You can also listen to our podcast online or subscribe to the RSS feed. Visit our podcast page for those links.

I don’t read Christian novels. I buy books on a regular basis and have books gifted to me from friends all the time, but I can count on one hand how many inspirational novels I’ve read in the last twenty years.

So last fall, when a woman I know handed me a book called, The Shack, by William Young, and urged me to read it, I accepted it, but inwardly I groaned. Months later, I finally picked it up – out of sheer politeness.

It’s not the best book I’ve read, though I was startled, and delighted, by the theology of the book and how the author portrayed the triune Godhead. (I gave it three stars which you can read in my blog’s review)

After reading my review several friends told me that Young, who’s known as Paul by friends and family, lives here in the Portland area and that maybe I ought to contact him for an interview. I’m a writer. I’ve been working hard to build a writing career the last couple of years.

As The Shack gained momentum, I began paying attention to the internet buzz surrounding this humble novel and decided there was a story worth chasing down.

I decided to get in touch with Paul. Bill Dahl, a long time friend of Off The Map, and someone I met at last year’s conference, offered to connect me. So did Fran, the woman who gave me a copy of The Shack.

It worked. Paul, who is inundated with dozens upon dozens of emails everyday due to the enormous success of his novel (more than 700,000 copies at the time of our meeting) answered my email and soon we had an interview date set up.

I met up with Paul at a popular coffee joint. Cliché, I know, but most Pacific Northwesterners do our best talking amped up on caffeine.

He was great. Paul was easy to draw out and I loved hearing the fairy-tale like story of his book’s birth and success. He had only quit his day job in manufacturing a few weeks prior. He never had any ambitions to be a published writer (unlike me). “I wrote this book for my kids,” says Paul.

I found myself thinking of Jim Henderson as Paul talked. They are both renegades from institutional church, both of them having gone off the grid in search of meaningful Christian spirituality. And they are both willing to listen graciously to their critics.

I asked Paul, what did he think when a popular pastor from a large Seattle church ranted about the theology of his book in a YouTube video. He smiled and said, “Everyone brings to the table what they have.” Pausing, Paul added, “He who knows him best loves him the most.”

After the interview I needed to hit the road to get up to Seattle. Off The Map had an opportunity to participate in a citywide event. Several of us OTM’ers headed in to help out.

As I caught up with Nancy Murphy at the welcome dinner she introduced me to Chuck Conniry and Larry Shelton, theology professors from George Fox Seminary. We somehow began talking about The Shack. They were intrigued with the interview I’d had that afternoon with Paul, and I was very interested in their response to the theological takeaway of the book. They gave me their contact info and by the next week I had interviewed both of them for my story. My article was beginning to shape up.

I began emailing editors around the nation. Newspapers, magazines, Christian and otherwise, I was looking for a buyer for what I considered a hot story. I sent out at least a dozen query letters.
Not a single bite.

Feeling discouraged I decided to contact Christine Wicker. Christine used to work as a religion journalist with the Dallas Morning News and she’s also written several books. A couple of years ago she spoke at an OTM conference and has become a friend to many of us since then.

She was great to talk to, albeit realistic. “Pam, you’re doing everything right, but freelancing is hard work.” She encouraged me to be patient and remain persistent. “Be the go-to-girl for this story,” she said as I told her how many sources and interviews I had been collecting.

I’ve been closely following the progress of The Shack. It’s sold well over a million copies to date and it hasn’t even begun to crest the wave. International distribution has begun. A big New York publisher has partnered with the book. A Hollywood movie is in the pipeline.

I have continued to knock on the doors of those elusive editors. I’ve been most persistent with my hometown paper, The Oregonian. Five emails, three editors, and finally a sale, the first of what I hope to be a flurry of others.

The OTM community helped shape this story. This is no surprise. OTM has shaped me as a writer. I like to think that I’m shaping them, too.

About 250 people (mostly local) gathered for an evening of food and music and to hear some short talks, interviews and dialog.

The podcasts are here:

• Rob Bell “Jesus Wants To Save Christians”
  
• Rose Swetman Interview With Rob Bell
  
• Andy Himes - Missionary to Evangelicals
  
• Off the Map interview with Rob Bell, Todd Hunter, Doug Pagitt, & Sunil Sardar
  

These bloggers have written about it (I’ll add to this list if I find more):

• Steve Lewis
• Randy Siever
• Rose Swetman
• Eugene Cho
• Ryan Beattie
• Helen Mildenhall
• “Linds”
• Ben Katt
• Soma…a church of the Christ

If/when photos go online I’ll link to those too.

I have a long term love affair going with India.

We were recently able to spend a week together.

Whenever I visit there I come away with my head spinning.

India’s cultural contradictions are open for all to observe.

The most obvious being the insidious social structure called caste (the world’s oldest practice of religion based discrimination).

I’m part of a support team for Sunil Sardar who is leading the fight to end India’s Apartheid – the caste system.

Sunil is a leader in the Social Spirituality movement which advocates (and agitates) for a Jesus who died to save the world rather than merely as my personal savior.

Brian McLaren is also a Social Spiritual activist.

Not only is he kind he is cutting edge.

His newest book Everything Must Change articulates the very same things Sunil propagates in India.

Brian’s tour is coming to Seattle this month. I’m looking forward to hearing him creatively communicate his newest ideas.

If you live in Seattle – this is a must attend event.

The Dalai Lama is also coming to Seattle in April to participate in the Seeds of Compassion Conference.

Where I will be leading a workshop called Recovering the Compassionate Tradition of Jesus.

Rob Bell, Todd Hunter, Sunil Sardar and Nancy Murphy will be part of this workshop. They will help me listen to several leaders from other faith traditions talk about their experiences with Christians so we can improve in our attempt to recover the compassionate tradition of Jesus.

Kathy is a pastor of The Refuge, Denver. Kathy helped us organize our first Community Party (January 10).

Great music, way too much food, free wine, and lots of interesting people together enjoying eating, laughing, listening, learning, and telling stories. In our opinion, that’s a good party! Throw in some Jim Henderson interviews, Sage on the steel guitar, and some good conversation starters and you can’t lose.

Off The Map came to Denver in January. We threw a little gathering to start some new dialogue and introduce people to each other who needed to know each other and more about Off The Map. It was a wildly diverse group - musicians, writers, editors, missionaries, pastors, leaders, actors, consultants, business owners - you name it. The one thing everyone probably had in common - innovation and a desire to live out the ways of Jesus more creatively, simply and naturally.

Like any good party, it doesn’t take much to get the conversation going. Elaine Hansen had a few questions around the tables, world caf� style. More connections were made as we shared about community experiences and what motivated us to give up a Thursday evening to come to a coffee shop in Boulder County and meet some new people.

Jim interviewed a few friends who are making simple shifts to love people, meet them where they are, and try new things that aren’t about power, money or numbers. Jay’s church is hosting parties, concerts, events that draw hundreds of people and they give all of the money away to missional causes. Sally shared some interesting stories of ministry leaders across the US who are asking new questions, giving up old archaic methods, and making big cultural shifts.

Sage gave up the glamorous life of building guitars for rockstars to drive a special transit bus so he can be in relationship with beautiful people who need care, touch, and connection and he can have a good schedule with his kids since he’s a single dad. Jose is finishing law school but will keep his job as a pilot so he can work for free for the marginalized and oppressed instead of worrying about billable hours. Regular people making a big difference in the lives of others.

Lots of cards, phone numbers & emails were exchanged. People who needed to meet each other did. Jim reminded us that one of the reasons Off The Map exists is so people don’t have to feel alone or stupid. Everyone in that room knows that is what it sometimes feel like when you start thinking new thoughts, trying crazy things, and moving away from the old ministry tricks. We’re pretty sure everyone left feeling a little less lonely, a little less stupid, and a little more excited about what God’s up to here in Denver.

Next up: Off The Map is planning a regional Off The Map Live event in Denver in the fall of 2008. Look for details in the months to come and let us know if you want to be part of helping us pull it off. Then the party can last for a few days instead of just for a few hours!

The photographs of the party in this post were taken by Amy Clifford and Jennifer Herrick. There are more here and here