Over the weeks to come, I will be introducing you to the people who will be serving as framers for the Missional Manifesto that we will discuss as a part of the missionSHIFT conference on July 12-15 in Ridgecrest, NC.

First up is Eric Mason... better known as "Mase" to his friends.

He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife Yvette and two sons Immanuel and Nehemiah. He is also an adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary. Dr. Mason received his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM 2000) and a Doctorate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (DMin, May 2007).

Eric is the lead pastor and co-founder of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the church website, the mission of Epiphany Fellowship is simple: "We want to develop disciples."

The web site goes on to explain:

We want to develop disciples that are able to minister in the culture and help new disciples to grow in God's word in every area of their lives and shining the truth of the person of Jesus Christ to the glory of the Triune God. We cannot stress enough the realization that this Church will not be a "Hip Hop Church," but a CHURCH.

Albeit we will be sensitive to the unique needs of those heavily influenced by that culture. The target group will be those from ages 18-44 who are unsaved or without a community of disciples of which to bond in a Theo-centric community.

We would like to see The Name of Jesus Christ Magnified by the credibility of the Church being reestablished in the world through Robust & Relevant Worship, Rich & Relevant Word, and Real & Relevant Witnesses (Eph. 2:20-21). We want to have inward depth, and be outwardly missional.

Here's a little more about Eric. You can find a series of messages Eric did about the missional church in April of 2007 and February of 2009.

Back in 2008, he spoke at "Missional Christianity... Church Beyond Boundaries: A conference addressing theological and practical challenges for the future of the missional church" at Biblical Seminary on the subject of "Missional Church Planting in an Urban Setting."

I first heard Eric speak at the Dwell Urban Church Planting Conference in New York City on the subject of "Dwelling Incarnationally." You can hear the audio here. And, Eric is speaking this week at the Desiring God conference in Minneapolis.

Eric Mason is passionate about the mission of God in world, and specifically in the urban context. He is godly and humble. I am proud to serve with him as we move in conversation toward a better articulating what it means to be a missional church-- and then encouraging one another to live mission-shaped lives.