A few months ago, I was a participator in a 50-blogger synchroblog on the word “missional” – a word that is now in common usage to describe the church’s role as sent into the world. The word was coined in the 20th Century by Dr Francis DuDose. I used to direct the Page Street Center in San Francisco, under Dr DuBose, a ministry now run exceedlingly well by Eric Bergquist.
I took some video of Dr DuBose on Tuesday. He’s in his late 80’s and he looks GREAT.
Eric Bergquist and I had lunch with Dr DuBose and his wife at their retirement village [Dr DuBose calls it a “hotel”] at The Avenue, San Francisco. Dr DuBose was the missions professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and one of the strongest voices to encourage the focus of ministry towards the inner cities of USA. He first published the word “missional” in his book ‘God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest for Biblical Mission’ in 1983 and since then, the word has gained international acceptance.
Want to explore the book?
Baptist missiologist Ed Stetzer has done much to reawaken and employ this term and his research has created a trail that leads back Dr Francis DuBose. Stetzer points to some online summaries by Brad Brisco.
“Brad has done an excellent job summarizing God Who Sends by Francis DuBose, the first book I can find to use the term “missional.”
God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest
• Being Sent and the Pentateuch
• Being Sent and the Historical Books
• Being Sent and the Prophets
• Being Sent and the Gospels
• Being Sent in Acts & Epistles
Technorati Tags: mission, missional
Andrew,
I spent the summer of 1994 working at Page Street Center. It was a tremendous experience that God used to shape my calling to missions.
Thanks for posting your conversation with Dr. DuBose. What a great way to honor this man who has spoken and written so prophetically. His influence reaches far and wide.
Thanks.
Hey Andrew, thanks for this video. It is great to see Dr. DuBose. Also I have met and spoken with Linda (Eric’s wife) at several “Baptist” church planting meetings. She is an amazing lady.
That is such a tender reference point…. – and it soooooooo honours the Fathers so to speak……. ( we do tend to forget that!)
thanks for posting.
xok8
Linda B. rocks and she is finally writing a book – cant wait to read it.
I’d love to connect with Eric and Linda again. I spent a lot of time with them in the late 90’s, even after you left. At one point, I was doing quite a bit at the Page Street Center and even talked with them about trying to help plant a church there. God had different plans, however, and we moved on.
Dr. Dubose is a great man. I had him for a class during the summer that was an experience with the City. It was pretty amazing and he has such a heart for urban ministry. Thanks for posting this.
Andrew
Great video…it’s great to see those who have paved the path before us…paths we often take for granted.
rhett
Thanks so much Andrew! I was at GGBTS 81-84 and Dr DuBose was an incredible presence and mind on campus…wonderful to see him again!
Thanks for sharing this vid. Although quite hard to hear on my laptop speakers, his words, with your gentle interview technique, were much appreciated.
We need to continue in the tradition of Dr. Dubose in taking urban missiology seriously. Thanks for the post.
Between your post and twitter, I am getting homesick for all of those people and places we love. Eric and Linda, Derek, The Pork Store, Squat and Gobble.
Hi Andrew! This looks a good book on missional. But it would be interesting to see a list of your top books on the missional church as they stand now.
David, I know you were asking Andrew this . . . but here is a pretty extensive list of books/journal articles on missional issues:
http://www.missionalchurchnetwork.com/reading-list
thanks so much for this video. DuBose’ “how churches grow in an urban world” was seminal for me. very moving stuff.
please contact me at yvonnehash@gmail.com you gave me away at my wedding in the 70’s you adopted me and were my first and last father.. and you and Dorothy were the best to me…i would love to be in contact with you…my heart yearns for a father…i met mine (bioligical) the rejection was too much for me too bear…Thanks so much. you look wonderful and I am sure dorothy is as beautiful as ever,,,i would love to reconnect please give me this opportunity
I am sitting in my hotel waiting to go to my father’s funeral and decided to search on the web for “Francis DuBose” and found this site along with many others. No words can truly describe the love my father gave to so many people. I am very blessed to have been his son. It’s been only a week and I miss him so much.
Thanks for the wonderful things each of you have spoken of my father.
Jonathan DuBose
P.S. Yvonne, I glad that you made contact with Dad before he passed. I look forward to seeing you this morning.
Thanks for recognizing a great man. I was at GGBTS 89-92 and had evey class Dr DuBose offered. He was an inspiring mind on campus and pivatol in shaping my world view and seeing God’s work throughout Christian history. He is greatly missed in San Francisco, the city he pored himself out for.