For the past two and a half years, I (Alisha) have been a student of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s Journey program. Focused on developing leaders centered-in-Jesus for ministries in local churches and communities, Journey emboldens them to partner with the Holy Spirit in the missio Dei (mission of God). 

About a month into starting this program in early 2022, my feet fell out from under me as our family was placed on sabbatical from our international faith work posting. We were recalled to the United States and then ultimately dismissed by our mission agency. What is one to do, when suddenly plopped into the wilderness of “what if,”  with a calling to serve God abroad blazed upon one’s heart?

The Journey program provided an outlet for my anxious heart and a place for my ‘doer’ mentality to put its energy. I was enrobed by the wisdom of so many prophets, pastors, professors and theologians who came before me, accompanied by two fantastic mentors to guide my path when I felt especially lost. These are five things I learned while on my unexpected journey through the wilderness.

1. Faith is a call to action

Through the Journey 01 course, “The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church,” I was delightfully challenged to become more familiar with the notion of the missio Dei and its implications for Christian leadership. A church that simply meets on Sunday for corporate worship is not honoring the instructions of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and applying his many illustrative parables. I now embrace that in honoring the missio Dei, God invites us, Jesus sends us and the Holy Spirit empowers us to share this message of reconciliation in an intentional way, propelling ourselves from faith into action.  

2. Scripture is an ancient text and the Living Word

 In “The Biblical Story,” (the Journey 02 course), I was constantly surprised at how much I was yet to learn from the Bible, and I deepened my understanding of (and methods of unpacking) all the nuance contained in the variety of literature and the cultures therein. Through the course, I felt strengthened in remembering that the Bible is both an ancient text and a testimony to the Living Word as a profound expression of the love our eternal God has for us.

3. Radical reformations require radical tools of reconciliation

Through the Journey 03 course, “Anabaptism: Foundations and a Future – The Way of Being Church,” I was blown away by the powerful, multi-faceted origins of the Anabaptist movement. I deepened my understanding of cultural baggage that Anabaptists have carried from the 16th century into our contemporary era. 

Palmer Becker’s Core Value Number 3 continues to embolden me, when considering my role as an ambassador of reconciliation. He writes: “Peacemaking is not the same as appeasement. As transformed followers of Jesus, we are to ‘fight’ evil and injustice as vigorously or more than anyone else, but we need to ‘fight’ differently.” I wonder if Palmer is considering the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, where it is said: “ . . . though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world” (CEB). 

I consider the ‘weapons’ of Jesus to be storytelling, counter-cultural inclusion, standing against systems of oppression, calling out injustice and nonviolent action. These ‘weapons’ were the same ones used by the early Anabaptists of the 16th century and are still tools present in many Anabaptist churches today. I do wonder, however, after reading the historical arc of the movement: Have we (society, people of faith, the Church, my church) lost the skill necessary to hear a radical call to action from the Holy Spirit?

4. The mission of God is collectivist and requires careful witness

 In Journey Unit 04, study focused on the leadership in the “Ministry of Reconciliation,” where leaders formed by Jesus’ example confront our culture and are challenged to lead differently. Considering our geopolitical climate, it feels exceedingly necessary to receive the reminders that Paul outlined in his letter to Corinth as priorities for Christian leaders. By focusing on the movement of the Spirit and asking questions that lead to inspiration and appreciation, faith communities can move towards embracing their embodied gifts and lavishing them on the neighborhoods they serve. 

Instead of the worldly power-over model, leaders must choose along-sidedness to accompany the human condition, take a posture of solidarity and invitation and break bread with the marginalized. In a society that is increasingly postmodern and post-Christian, culture is focused on the individual, and relevance of the church continues to be challenged. Recognizing that the Biblical model of the Mission of God is far more collectivist, we must re-center the church as both the cause and the way in which we all witness to the missio Dei.  

5. Cultural traditions can blur our clarity in Christ

 In the final Unit 05, “Announcement and Celebration: Proclamation and Worship that Participate in the Mission of God,” I was constantly challenged to reconsider the purpose and role of Christian traditions and rituals and to refocus on the actions of worship. I had the incredible pleasure of preaching at my home church, Trinity Mennonite in Glendale, Ariz., and partnered with friends to plan Sunday services and write prayers that embodied God’s spirit in my own community, welcoming others into worship. In remembering that the central acts of the church are proclamation and worship, a faith community must remain focused on what really matters, and release the tension of clinging to cultural traditions that blur our clarity in Christ.

Although my path through the Journey program has not been what I initially envisioned, I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Holy Spirit in the missio Dei. I stand prepared to complete the Journey: a Missional Leadership Program this week and receive my certificate. I look back on the 2,600 hours of study, thousands of prayers, countless lectures, mentor meetings, papers (plus three Moleskine journals filled cover to cover with valuable takeaways) and know that it was all worth it. 

After all this, I’m still in the wilderness, and it’s not clear where God will lead me next. But I feel a little older, a lot wiser and certainly better equipped for the journey ahead.