Alex is Erwin Raphael McManus' older brother. Alex has his own website at: http://alexmcmanus.org/ He is the creator of the International Mentoring Network, the on-line community Voxtropolis and is the author of, Making the World Human Again: The Quest to save the Future from Religion. http://www.amazon.com/Making-World-Human-Again-Religion/dp/0310285143
The International Mentoring Network
According to the "About Alex" page at Alex McManus own website, http://alexmcmanus.org/:
In October 2004, Alex launched the International Mentoring Network, a custom made mentoring process with dense relational components, to discover, develop and deploy leaders. The IMN is part social network, part cyber-seminary, part Idea Studio and part Bohemian chill. Alex accepts — via the IMN — a small cadre of emerging leaders to mentor each year.
Alex's website also includes a link to "IMN Consulting" which offers four services to "serve you in your development both as a leader and as a person."
These services are:
1. Personal Life and Mission Mentoring - Those who sign up for Alex McManus' "M" are eligible for a "significant discount" for these services.
2. Organizational Consult - For churches and other organizations.
3. Leadership Excellence - This is for churches with memberships between 500 - 1500.
4. Speaker Request - For those interested in having Alex speak at their function.
Another service is the IMN's Signature 7-Day MENTORING IMMERSION -
A 6-month cohort-based training experience that combines an intensive and immersive f2f conversation (one week) and once per month online briefings.
The IMN also offer training opportunities through its conferences such as The Human Event, Humana 2.0, Humana 2.08 and The Makers of Fire Tour, an event held in 2006 to replace something called the IMN regionals. http://alexmcmanus.org/2006/07/14/the-makers-of-fire-tour/
The IMN Website
What does the IMN say about itself?
http://theimn.com/IMN_about.html
The IMN is a global network of Kingdom Operatives engaged in a 21st century effort to topple the status quo wherever it opposes true humanity and hinders the life-transformative way of Jesus Christ. We are a cyber-connected, globally-engaged, locally-invested network of change agents with growing undergrounds regularly forming throughout the UK, EU and US.
The "about" page gives no information about the business structure of the IMN and interestingly, the link to the "consulting" page leads to an almost blank page with this message:
"As a service to the broader Christ following movement, the IMN offers future-oriented consultations for churches, denominations and church planting organizations."
No other business information about the consulting services is provided.
A quick tour of the site reveals that it offers a Cohort Process, Operative Training, Internships, and other services.
The IMN.com website is built around a spy theme and uses espionage lingo to describe it's participants as"operatives", it's leaders as"Field Agents" and it's services as "operative training." One of the IMN's so-called "training facilities" [self-described as located in a "previously undisclosed location" in California] is known simply as "The Farm."
The IMN takes it's spy theme seriously; the site offers scant information regarding it's actual consulting or training services and for most of these, those who are interested must "apply" via email and be "accepted" in order to participate.
On the hub page for the IMN, there is a link to International Field Offices but ironically this page provides little "concrete" information:
"On the concrete side, the IMN currently operates out of four fluid centers - the Los Angeles Area, Central Florida, Amsterdam and the UK with plans to expand to Montreal, Seattle/Vancouver within the next two to three years."
No physical addresses are given for any of these "fluid centers."
The International Mentoring Network, Inc.
I wrote about Alex McManus and the Nevada registered corporation, The International Mentoring Network, Inc., in my previous post:
Response to Erwin McManus Interview with Church Executive http://solidfoods.blogspot.com/2008/09/response-to-erwin-mcmanus-interview_24.html
In regards to the IMN,
Alex McManus is also:
President
Director
Treasurer
. . . and his wife, Adriana, is Secretary.
Unfortunately, as of September 1, 2008, the state of Nevada has
REVOKED the corporate status of the International Mentoring Network..Please
refer to the Nevada Secretary of State Business Entity Search:
https://esos.state.nv.us/SOSServices/AnonymousAccess/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspx
In Nevada, the International Mentoring Network, Inc. is registered as a domestic corporation. It does not carry a non-profit designation.
I've attempted to find an alternate corporate registration for the International Mentoring Network by searching the Secretary of State databases in all 50 US states but so far I haven't found any other registration related to Alex McManus or the IMN.
The International Mentoring Network, Inc. does not show up on a search of Clark County, Nevada's business license database. http://sandgate.co.clark.nv.us/businessLicense/businessSearch/blindex.asp The IMN may fall into a category of businesses that do not require a license but that is impossible to determine without knowing the yearly net income for the IMN. Currently, the IMN owes the state of Nevada $700 to reinstate it's corporate status.
The International Mentoring Network, Inc. is not registered as a corporation in the states of California and Florida, the two states mentioned in it's webpages.
Voxtropolis and Culture Pubs
Voxtropolis is a on-line social network "community" with “real world” expressions known as “Vox Culture Pubs.” According to: http://voxtropolis.com/culture-pubs-voxtropolis/
A Culture Pub is a performing arts experience where local independent artists can make their voices heard and where local communities can be shaped.
Each Culture Pub exists as a local public benefit for local independent artists and also as a global public benefit for the poor, exploited and enslaved of the world.
The Culture Pub venue may be the living room of a small apartment in Germany where friends gather to taste wine and listen to live music or a rented facility in Southern California transformed into a gathering place and performing arts venue. Whether you’re in Houston, Miami, Boston, London or Madrid, keep your ears open for buzz about Voxtropolis.
The Culture Pub was envisioned by Alex and Niza McManus as a way of developing community among local independent artists, bohemians, thinkers and activists. The Network began to grow as others began to see a new way of working together to make the world a better place.
We currently have Culture Pubs in the USA, CANADA, and the UK. Culture Pubs™ are “concrete world” expressions of Culture Pub™ Central, Voxtropolis.com.
One of the original culture pubs was started in Sacramento, CA.
I recently came across an interesting blog entry written by a Sacramento artist named Liv Moe. In her blog, she expresses her surprise at learning that a local arts venue, Voxtropolis Sacramento, has/had (?) a religious affiliation. (see footnote)
"Introduction to the Church as Culture Pub," Liv Moe http://livmoe.blogspot.com/2008/12/introduction-to-church-as-culture-pub.html
Please take the time to read the original post and the comments (including two of my own) that follow.
Alex McManus posted a comment to Liv Moe’s blog in which he weakly attempted to make a distinction between the religious activities of the IMN and those of Voxtropolis. Unfortunately for Alex, most of the other commentors did not agree with his distinction.
During my search for background information regarding the IMN and Voxtropolis I came across this entry from the Greater Orlando Baptist Association:
http://www.baptistsites.net/goba/index.cfm?page=11
PLEASE NOTE: The text for this page has been changed since I posted my own comment to Liv Moe's blog. Interestingly enough, one of the organizations listed in the Greater Orlando Baptist Association's "partner links" is . . . International Mentoring Network http://alexmcmanus.org/.
The HUMAN EVENT February 5-6, 2009 2/06/09 (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM) Registration Information
Join Alex McManus, Eric Bryant, Eric Sweiven, Brian Russel, and Mike Harris for a concentrated conversation on the topics below...
Words, Deeds and Rhythms-The Church as an Experiment in Translation
Making the World Human Again-The Quest to Save the Future from Religion
Dancing in the streets: Thinking about the Future
Voxtropolis: Starting in, with, and for the world
How to raise leaders in a missional community
How to create leadership teams in a multicultural context
Planting Churches and Launching Culture Pubs: Partnering with pop culture, teaming with local business, and getting things moving
Unleashing The Scriptures: Realigning our Lives to the Heart of God
The HUMAN EVENT is created and hosted by the International Mentoring Network (IMN). We someties refer to this event as H2.09 (i.e. Human Event 2009).
This missional leadership experience is subversively embedded within an art and music jam called Voxtropolis (Voxtropolis.com)
The IMN/Voxtropolis "Connection"
The following comes from http://theimn.com/IMN_hub.html
From the IMN Hub choose menu option: Mentoring & Operative Training then click on "Operatives"
VCPN is an acronym for the Voxtropolis Culture Pub Network - an alternative to a traditional church planting network. These IMN Field Agents are operating at the very highest levels of missionality. Their mission is to create 3rd spaces that work to move unchurched people towards and with Christ. Recommended for those who (1) want to generate movement or (2) want to support the equipping of apostolic teams in the midst of cultural engagement. (Annual Subscription)
The hyper-link for the VCPN has been disabled.
Catalyst West Coast Conference, April 22-24, 2009
What is the Catalyst West Coast Conference?
http://www.catalystwestcoast.com/
According to the above, Catalyst is . . .
"A conference that inspires next generation church leaders to be agents of change."
Among the featured speakers at this year's conference are Erwin McManus, Eric Bryant and other leaders of Mosaic LA.
Under the sub-heading "Origins/Labs" - "Innovators" is the announcement that Alex McManus is scheduled to speak on the topic of: Culture Pubs: Starting In, With And For The World.
Culture Pubs: Starting In, With And For The World
Just don't let the world know about "the mission."
(Cue spy music)
Yvonne W.
* The above quote by Alex McManus is taken from his comment posted to Liv Moe’s blog.
http://livmoe.blogspot.com/2008/12/introduction-to-church-as-culture-pub.html
Footnote: Voxtropolis Sacramento is registered with the California Secretary of State's Business Portal as an active corporation. http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/list.html
Voxtropolis Sacramento is also registered with the California State Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts as a public benefit charity. http://ag.ca.gov/charities/
Officially, Voxtropolis Sacramento is not listed as a religious non-profit.
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