Introducing Awakenings 2025

• wholeness | ˈhōlnəs | noun 1. The state of forming a complete and harmonious whole; unity: The work lacked a sense of wholeness and meaning. 2. The state of being unbroken or undamaged: The wholeness of the buildings is exceedingly well preserved.
• beauty | ˈbyo͞odē | noun 1. A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight: An area of outstanding natural beauty. 2. A combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense: The artistry and beauty of football.

Wholeness and beauty have an intriguing relationship with one another, particularly in the life of the Church.

To be whole is best encapsulated in the Scriptural narrative by the Hebrew word shalom, which is often translated ‘peace.’ According to the New Living Translation Word Study System in the Mosaic Holy Bible, shalom “means holistic peace and well-being. There can be associations of satisfaction, contentment, and feelings of wholeness. [Shalom] can apply to individuals as well as groups.”¹New Living Translation Word Study System, Mosaic Holy Bible (NLT), 1203. To experience shalom in our world in its fullness is fleeting. It’s both still to come (the Eschaton of God’s Kingdom that we are all on a journey towards), and already here (we are called ‘blessed’ as we ‘make peace’ by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount).

By contrast, there isn’t a singular, unanimous Hebrew or Greek word that defines beauty, at least in the holistic, integrated manner that shalom describes wholeness. For something to have beauty, as the English definition above describes, it needs to possess a mixture of qualities that please the senses – but those senses may be aesthetic, intellectual, and/or moral in nature, or some combination there of. What one person considers beautiful may be in stark contrast to what another finds pleasing in shape, color, or form. There are endless possibilities of beauty, in other words.

Thus, to consider the integrated relationship of wholeness and beauty is challenging enough, let alone how wholeness and beauty – two disparate terms, one (wholeness) describing a state of integrated unity, and the other (beauty) painting with a seemingly endless palette of colors – describe the current life found within the Church in the middle of the 2020s.

This is both the invitation – and the challenge – before us as we sit six months out from Awakenings 2025: Wholeness & Beauty in the Life of the Church, Missio Alliance’s fifth biennial national gathering. During these shared days together, we desire to worship robustly, ponder deeply, and engage holistically in the work of the Kingdom of God, seeking to embody wholeness and beauty as a missional witness. We will acknowledge with vulnerability and call forth with courage the truth that within humanity lies a deep yearning for restoration.

All of us live within a local, national, and global community that is longing to be made whole in a beautiful way, whether for the first time, or once again. Our gathering seeks to address this longing by exploring the church’s role in integrating disparate ideas – that a desire for embodied wholeness and a longing for transcendent beauty can come together in paradoxical dialogue to renew, revitalize, and re-engage the Church in our world.

Over the next year, we will explore the ideas of wholeness, beauty, and integration within the life of the Church – and their counter-narratives, which far too frequently set the tone for the Church’s life together (or lack thereof).

If you have an idea that can contribute to this dialogue through a forthcoming written piece, please reach out to Chris Kamalski, our Editorial Director, by email (editor@missioalliance.org). We are open and willing to hear your voice!

With expectant anticipation,

~ Chris Kamalski, Editorial Director (on behalf of our Missio Alliance team)

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Awakenings 2025 will explore the Church's role in integrating disparate ideas – that a desire for embodied wholeness and a longing for transcendent beauty can come together in paradoxical dialogue to renew the Church in our world. Share on X

Our Fifth Biennial National Gathering

You’re invited to explore how the church can embody wholeness and beauty as a missional witness —through engaging workshops, storytelling, and interactive discussions, we aim to cultivate a vision for the church that reflects God’s restoration and renewal.

Join us for a transformative experience that will inspire and equip you to bring greater beauty and wholeness to your community.

Plenary Speakers include:

the Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings,

Makoto & Haeijin Shim Fujimura,

and Rev. Enid M. Almanzar.

Your voice is needed to shape our gathering; therefore, Missio Alliance is opening a Request for Proposals to lead an Awakenings 2025 Workshop. Information for submission can be found here. Proposals are due November 1st.

Join us March 6th-8th, 2025 in the DC area, as we hold this brave space for crucial conversations around mission, beauty, and wholeness. Be part of a movement that reflects God’s vision of restoration and renewal. Together, let’s awaken the church to its fullest potential!

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER NOW.