VIDEO – Prophetic Imagination by Tom Bassford, Significant Matters

Most paradigm shifts come from critical yeast not critical mass.  They come from those with an idea that is usually described as too idealistic or just too complicated and then simply dismissed by the critical mass.  But that doesn’t seem to matter to critical yeast they just plug away, usually in isolation, through countless iterations of trial and error on their way to what Walter Brueggeman called “futures that are genuinely new and not derived.”

There is a critical yeast in the world of church missions.  It’s a small and growing band of individuals and churches genuinely wrestling with what church missions could be and must become in order to regain relevancy and greater fruitfulness in our mission.  I’m convinced what this group needs most is the space to gather and share their stories and learnings.  As we do it accelerates the learning curve for all and it gives a sense of welcome belonging to people who are hungry to be around others who “get them.”  That’s why we created SATtalks.  It’s a space for the critical yeast who think church missions and sustainable solutions MUST go together.

Tom Bassford is the founder and President of Significant Matters, a nonprofit organization working with churches and other faith-based groups to tackle complex societal issues in sustainable ways.   Before founding Significant Matters, he pastored for over 30 years and has been involved in the work of church missions both locally and internationally for over 40 years.

In 2014, under his leadership, Significant Matters lunched SATtalks, a TED talk type of gathering and video website to explore and demonstrate ways to create sustainable transformation through church missions.  They also launched the Missions 3.0 Network and Peer Learning Communities for churches wanting to move their mission work beyond simple charity and short-term fixes.