Missional Wisdom Foundation

The Missional Wisdom Foundation provides opportunities for clergy and laity to learn to live in intentional community and to develop missional communities in diverse social contexts in order to help the church become more faithful in bearing the gospel. Our ministry involves both on-site learning and theological education through the Academy for Missional Wisdom. We also offer pilgrimage experiences, to help the church learn to be a pilgrim people who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The foundation operates a network of monastic communities in North Texas and beyond, through The Epworth Project. New monastic communities are small groups who choose to live together under a rule of life in order to bring the good news to their neighborhood. Participants live, pray, eat and serve together, developing life skills and spiritual depth to propel them into a life of holistic evangelism - loving God and loving others. Our communities are each informally affiliated with a United Methodist church which provides spiritual guidance and connection. The houses include seminary students, persons working in non-profits to address root causes of poverty, and others and represent every form of diversity. The foundation provides financial and administrative support to the Academy for Missional Wisdom, a two-year non-degree program for laity and clergy. The academy provides the theological foundation and practical skills needed for starting and leading micro-communities of contemplative prayer and missional action. The program integrates distance learning technology, immersion experiences, spiritual direction, and training retreats as well as a contextualized practicum with coaching to provide accessible and affordable education for persons who work full time. Finally, the foundation supports the research and development work of The People of New Day, a network of communities that are based on prayer, hospitality, and justice and are anchored in mainline churches.