The vision for The Initiative Cohort is derived from a commitment to practice deep and growing friendships with God and others, that the love of Christ might exceed all divisions.
In order to live such a way of life, we first must totally abandon ourselves to a loving God. This requires that everything in us be energized under the power of the Holy Spirit’s gracious influence so that we are growing into mature love. This requires a deep understanding and commitment to the love of God. Second, we must love our neighbors in both word and deed. This is a difficult calling, indeed an impossible one except for the grace of God. The whole church has been given both tasks. We are designed by the triune God to corporately share in the life of Christ together in dynamic relational unity so that the world may know that the Father sent the Son to save it (John 17:23). When we gather as community it is primarily to love God and other believers. When we go outside the doors of our church gatherings we scatter into the world in order to become Christ’s missional people through loving our neighbors. We accomplish the two great commandments through the power of the new commandment; divine love revealed in Jesus (John 13:34-35). When we truly love one another with his love then we will seek the relational unity of all Jesus followers as a reality to be witnessed by the watching world (John 17:20-23). This will lead us into holy friendships/partnerships that will demonstrate Christ’s mission of incarnation. This is seen through the power of our divine/human presence which serves others by going into the world in much the same way that the Father sent Jesus into the world (John 20:21). This is what we call missional-ecumenism.
If the church in the West is to become God’s people in true missional presence then the unity of the Spirit in our relationships with one another must become a bold priority that is pursued in creative and fresh ways. Together we must learn how to truly follow Jesus from our congregational life back into the world. This will require the church to transform how it actually does mission.
The Initiative shares a conviction that the church will not pursue this simple, biblical way of mission unless gifted risk-takers grasp these truths and live them out in life together. This is why we created the first Initiative Cohort in 2012. After teaching this material in a graduate course, John Armstrong believed the best way to communicate this vision was in this kind of context, not in a classroom designed primarily for academic credit. These cohorts have always consisted of small groups of men and women, both lay and ministerial in background. Together this Cohort becomes an equipping model for showing followers of Jesus how missional-ecumenism can be artfully and creatively done. Each Initiative Cohort group accomplishes this goal by teaching, mentoring, relational networking and spiritual formation. Each Cohort is formed by gathering 8-20 people who commit their time, talent and treasure to follow Jesus into the 21st century world.
In the Cohort, Christians of all denominations and backgrounds actually learn how to be effective spiritual leaders in the world of our time; i.e., a world that no longer cares about what the church is doing and saying. Members of each Cohort will learn Christian life-skills and share personal experiences with each other. The Cohort will fundamentally attempt to alter your way of thinking about the gospel, the church and the world.
The Initiative Cohort examines the importance of missional theology and how the prayer of Jesus for the unity of all his followers intentionally and directly impacts the work of effective mission (John 17:20–23). This is a seminar-type gathering for 8-20 active learners. Each student will enter into a mentoring relationship with their Cohort teacher/facilitator. These teachers are trained and certified graduates of The Initiative Cohort. Our faculty shares a commitment to these groups and teachers of our Cohorts remain in deep relationship with one another through this ministry. They have committed their gifts to this work to help others learn and practice these principles. Through this process learners will be encouraged to work out various ways in which they can better serve the kingdom of God. This will be done by incarnating the gospel through our shared life and by the proclamation of the gospel out of a context of relational unity.
It should be understood that this is a basic course thus there are no academic prerequisites. The key requirement is that there is an intense desire to learn and grow in missional-ecumenism.
Sessions
The Cohort sessions are constructed around the “way of life” practice of missional ecumenism that lies at the heart of The Initiative:
- Session 1 will focus on “The Way of Unity.” This central theme is related to engaging with how and why we should “intentionally practice deep and growing friendship with God and others, that the love of Jesus might exceed all divisions.”
- Session 2 will focus on “Sharing our lives with followers of Jesus from traditions other than our own.” The major theme will be to consider how we intentionally pursue relationships with Christians of other denominations and ethnic backgrounds
- Session 3 will focus on “Praying daily for a radical increase of love for the whole body of Christ.” The major theme will be how the outer change we seek in the Church can only come as God works in our inner life, and how the renewal of love is both a spiritual discipline and a way of life.
- Session 4 will focus on “Working proactively for missional-ecumenism.” The major theme in this session will be to press into the questions: How will you live your life differently in the pursuit of missional ecumenism? What are practical “next steps” you can take to be proactive in this work?
These four, day-long sessions will also include participant-led discussions of the assigned reading, group conversations or workshops around various practical topics related to the life and ministry of the Cohort participants. There will be at least one “take home” assignment to work on after each session. There will also be several remote sessions in between the four on-site gatherings of the Cohort.
Course Prerequisites
Every student must be seriously committed to Christ and the gospel of the kingdom. Upon applying for the Cohort, each person must read the book, Ecumenism Means You, Too, by Steven R. Harmon. (You can download an electronic copy of this book on various sites or purchase the printed book from an online source.) This little book is essential for the Cohort member to understand the basic purpose of this course. It provides the reason for why you should spend valuable time and money by joining the Cohort.
Relationships
The growing trust, friendship and Christian love among the participants will be a critical aspect of the Cohort. Members of each Cohort must demonstrate a clear commitment to Jesus and his gospel coupled with a desire to become intentionally focused leaders. They will show a desire to impact others for the purpose of changing the world kinked with a willingness to love others who have different theological and ecclesiological convictions. Cohort groups will consist of clergy and non-clergy, men and women. Married couples may also join. This course is designed to be a rich experience that transcends ethnicity, gender, generations and denominational affiliations.
One-Day Sessions
The Cohort group will meet four times over a nine-to-ten month period. Each session will last eight hours, for a total of 32 class hours. These four meetings will begin at 9 a.m. and end by 5:00 p.m. (A working lunch break will be included.) Participation requires a signed commitment to attend all the four classes and a tuition fee of $800. Scholarships are available (as funds allow) but you must privately discuss this option when the initial interview takes place. You must also be willing to actively contribute to the group with a teachable spirit. An application and interview must be processed before you can be accepted.
Course Texts
- (1) Armstrong, John H. Costly Love: The Way to True Unity for All the Followers of Jesus.
- (2) Armstrong, John H. Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church.
- (1) Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together.
- (2) Cleveland, Christena. Disunity in Christ.
- (3) De Waal, Esther. Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict.
- (1) Francis, Pope. The Name of God Is Mercy.
- (4) Katongole, Emmanuel & Rice, Chris. Reconciling All Things.
- (3) Laird, Martin. Into the Silent Land.
- (3) Mulholland, Robert. The Deeper Journey.
- (4) Newbigin, Lesslie. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission.
- (2) Newbigin, Lesslie. The Household of God.
- (4) Ryan, Thomas. Christian Unity: How You Can Make a Difference.
The numbers beside the texts listed above refer to session in which this book will be used by the group. Several smaller articles and popular essays will be assigned during the seminar. Several videos may also be watched by the Cohort group during the four sessions.
Application
If you want to be admitted to The Initiative Cohort you must fill out the application form. A phone interview will then be scheduled. You will be expected to pay $200 upon acceptance and then the remaining $600 before the fourth session convenes. You can do this by check, charge or debit card. You will pay: The Initiative. You will receive a certificate of completion when you complete the course.
Graduates
All of those who complete The Initiative Cohort are invited to attend any future Cohort sessions, without further charge. All a graduate must do is inform the teacher they will be present at a session for purposes of planning the day(s). This allows graduates to “refresh” their learning and to further develop their life skills and experience. It also allows them to invite friends to join a Cohort with them.
Dr. John H. Armstrong Cohort in 2012. He was the founder and president of ACT3 Network, a ministry for empowering leaders and churches for unity in Christ’s mission. He is a former pastor with more than twenty years of experience and the author/editor of fourteen books. The Cohort is based on two of his books: Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission Is Vital to the Future of the Church (2010), and Costly Love: The Way to True Unity for All the Followers of Jesus (2017). In 2018, in conjunction with its board, ACT3 Network became The Initiative, with John no longer serving on the board or as the leader, but rather as an ambassador-at-large.
John has been a professor of evangelism & mission at various graduate schools, seminaries and colleges and has been a guest lecturer in many contexts. He is also an experienced seminar and conference speaker throughout the United States and abroad. In addition, he consults church leaders and missions in developing a healthy expression of mission in exile.
Much more information about John is available at www.johnharmstrong.com. He has been married for forty-eight years to his best friend Anita and has two married children and four grandchildren. The only child who remains in John and Anita’s home is their beloved miniature dachshund.
Scott Brill
Scott Brill is a member of the leadership team of The Initiative and has worked closely with John in developing and leading the Cohort in its current form. He has worked in various leadership capacities for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship all over New England for the past 35 years, and currently serves as Assistant Regional Director, focused on planting IVCF chapters at Catholic campuses and developing Catholic students as missional leaders. He is a Campus Minister at Assumption College in Worcester, MA where he has established a unique partnership between InterVarsity and the Catholic Campus Ministry.
Scott is passionate about promoting conversation and reconciliation across historic divisions in the Church. In 2014, he was a Founding Fellow of the Boston-based Institute for Christian Unity and serves as its Co-Director. He is a member of both the Lutheran/Roman Catholic and Evangelical/Roman Catholic ecumenical dialogues in New England, the Mundelein Evangelical/Catholic Encounter and the National Workshop on Christian Unity, and is a founding member of EPEDA, the Evangelical & Pentecostal ecumenical association.
Scott and his wife Claire live in Worcester. They have three adult daughters.
The covenant, way of life, and commitments of The Initiative can be found at our home on the website. One of the most significant ways that we promote these practices is to develop leaders who embody them, thus one of the principal ways we invite others to consider joining us as members of The Initiative is through being in a Cohort.
Our vision is to host year-long Cohorts in cities all over the US (and beyond), developing a cadre of leaders who are trained and equipped for the work of missional-ecumenism.
The ancient word Cohort was used to name one of the ten divisions in a Roman legion. Over time the word came to mean a dedicated group of companions or associates. Our Cohort groups will be made up of pastors, educators, missionaries and lay leaders who commit themselves to a nine-to-ten month intensive experience that involves learning by doing, not simply by listening. Our future will be intimately linked with this discipleship method because we believe when one God-called leader is properly trained they can touch multitudes through their relationships. Simply put, this is a process of multiplication, not addition. It is with this type of thinking that we have created the Cohort model. You learn by being together with Jesus and his called people, not simply by personal study and private time. We must train both minds and hearts.
Armstrong, John H. Your Church Is Too Small: Why Unity in Christ’s Mission is Vital to the Future of the Church, 2010.
Armstrong, John H. The Unity Factor: One Lord, One Church, One Mission, 2011.
Armstrong, John H. Costly Love: The Way to True Unity for All the Followers of Jesus, 2017.
Allen, Roland. Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?, 1962.
Boardman, George Dana. The Church: The Divine Ideal, reprint, 2008.
Braaten, Carl E. and Robert W. Jenson. The Catholicity of the Reformation, 1996.
Braaten, Carl E. Mother Church, 1998.
Bromiley, G.W. The Unity & Diversity of the Church, 1958.
Cleveland, Christena. Disunity in Christ, 2013.
Danaher, James. Eyes That see, Ears That Hear: Perceiving Jesus in a Postmodern Context, 2006.
German National Bishops’ Conference and Daniel R. Smith; Communio Sanctorium: Official German Catholic-Lutheran Dialogue, 1999.
Fournier, Keith. A House United?, 1994.
George, Timothy and John Woodbridge. The Mark of Jesus, 2005.
Harmon, Stephen R. Ecumenism Means You, Too: Ordinary Christians and the Quest for Christian Unity, 2010.
Kasper, Walter. That They All May Be One: The Call to Unity Today, 2004.
Kasper, Walter. Searching for Christian Unity, 2007.
Kasper, Walter. A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism, 2007.
Katongole, Emmanuel and Chris Rice. Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing, 2008.
Koivisto, Rex. One Lord, One Faith, reprint/revised, 2010.
Kinnaman, Michael. Can a Renewal Movement Be Renewed? Question for the Future of Ecumenism, 2014.
Leithart, Peter J. The End of Protestantism: Pursuing Unity in a Fragmented Church, 2016.
Lowery, Mark. Ecumenism: Striving for Unity Amidst Diversity, 1985.
Meyer, Harding. That All May Be One: Perceptions and Models of Ecumenicity, 1999.
Ryan, Thomas. Christian Unity: How You Can Make a Difference, 2015.
Schreiter, Robert J. The New Catholicity, 1997.
Seitz, Christopher R. Nicene Christianity: The Future for a New Ecumenism, 2004.
Van Beek, Huibert, Revisioning Christian Unity, reprint, 2009.
Whitlock, Luder. Divided We Fall: Overcoming a History of Disunity, 2017.
