Church Herald: Discussion Questions

For Further Discussion

These questions are drawn from feature articles in the April 2008 Church Herald and are offered as a guide for use with adult education classes or discussion groups. (Another monthly feature, Church in Conversation on page 7, already includes questions with this month’s article, “At Home with the Homeless.”)

“Global Mission’s Evolving World” (page 17)

1. What important gifts have come out of the missionary movement?

2. What are the biggest risks and challenges of being a mission-minded church?

3. The RCA has identified four objectives for its Global Mission program—evangelization, empowering partners, embracing compassion and justice, and equipping congregations. Where do you see evidence of these goals in your church’s mission efforts?

4. In what respects may the costs of doing mission be too high? In what respects may the costs of not doing mission be too high?

5. In what ways does your congregation successfully promote and balance global mission with local mission?

“Return of the Washed-Up Prophet” (page 23)

1. In addition to Jonah, who are some reluctant witnesses in the Bible? Why would God choose such people as witnesses?

2. Do you imagine that Nineveh’s repentance was sincere and enduring, or did they quickly return to their old ways? Why?

3. In the biblical account, what prevented Jonah from having compassion on Nineveh? What prevents us from having compassion?

4. What other narratives in the Bible could benefit from an epilogue? What might be the content or focus in telling the rest of the story? How would you end those narratives?

“Threads of a Powerful Partnership” (page 27)

1. What are the things that you worry about? What helps you to stop worrying?

2. What dynamics have ever made you jealous of someone’s faith?

3. What spiritual partnerships exist in your life and in the life of your congregation? What makes these relationships strong? What are the challenges?

4. What have you or your congregation learned from involvement with a mission partner? How has a mission partnership benefited you?

5. When doing hands-on mission work, what are the most important outcomes?

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