Missional Living

An interesting post about missional living popped up here.

The author argues for authentic relationships with the people in our various networks as the basis for missional living. I thought the description of these networks, quoted from an audio of Tim Keller, were particular interesting.

Keller suggests that the biblical term oikos [household] applies to at least five networks: your kinship network (family and relatives), your neighborhood (those who live near you geographically), your colleagues (co-workers or co-students), your affinity network (people with a shared special interest), and your friends (those from the other 4 networks whom you develop a close relationship with).

Prayer Day (3)

My prayer day is finished and it's been a good day. Different than I anticipated, but then they often turn out that way.

I went for a walk into town and was beginning to think that it was a distraction more than a help. I sat and watched people going by and prayed for them and jotted down a few thoughts. Then, just as I was wondering why I'd come out I noticed something. Shops. Now you might have expected me to notice them before, but I hadn't really paid much attention to them until now.

There's been a recent change on this particular high street. The local department store has opened its doors on a Sunday and it's been quite successful from what I hear. A question came to mind. Do we see this as a threat to our quiet Sundays, an offence to the principle of Sabbath rest? Or do we see it as an opportunity?

Now, if it's an opportunity, then what kind of opportunity is it? I began to pray and think and came up with a few ideas, but I think I'll wait and ask the church if they can see any opportunities. It would be a good exercise for all of us to do.

After that I walked back to the study at church and spent some time praying for the church. My thoughts turned to the day the first temple was dedicated and the glory of God so filled the place that the priests could not go about their daily duties. Oh that God would come down in such measure and fill the church with his Spirit to the extent that normal service has to stop while he sets the agenda.

Well that's how my day came to a close. Lot's of things to write up and  a few things to talk through with the leadership team.

Prayer Day (2)

Well here's how the day has shaped up so far.

As I planned, I spent the first part of the morning in prayer and reflection, reading the ongoing story of David and Saul. One of David's character flaws was his impetuous nature by the look of things. It would get him into trouble on more than one occasion, but this time Abigail comes to his aid. God put people around David who covered his weak spots when he listened to them! I picked up both Blackaby's devotional and one by Bill Hybels (Courageous faith) and reflected on their thoughts for yesterday (I thought it was the 29th for some reason).

After a short break I got out my notebook and began to write down a few things from my journal and a few thoughts about church and prayed about those items. As I walked around the house a little as I prayed I noticed a jigsaw that Anne is working on at the moment.

It's incomplete, and I began to wonder about vision and big picture stuff and how you don't do a jigsaw by picking a piece and then searching for the one that goes with it and then another. Most people I know seem to sort the jigsaw into similar pieces and then build smaller parts of the big picture until they begin to join up. They don't worry about completing one section before they work on another, they just work until they get a bit stuck and then move on. By doing this we build both the smaller pictures by associating bits that fit and rejecting bits that go elsewhere, slowing reducing the number of single pieces until the final picture emerges. No piece is left without a place to go. It's fascinating and I prayed about what it had to do with vision and church.

After another break I went through my pastoral notes and prayed for all the people we've talked about in our pastoral meetings. I have to confess that this took a lot of concentration. It's easy for me to get distracted when I do this and find myself wandering off on a real tangent.

Then I had lunch (it's a prayer day without fasting!) and me new study chair arrived, so I've assembled that and it's rather comfortable.

This afternoon I might go for a walk and sit somewhere in town and watch people pass by and pray about mission and engagement. I wonder if that will be easier with people and things to see rather than just the insides of the house.

Prayer Day (1)

Here's my plan for the day as it is at the moment. Things may change, but without a plan the day will just drift, so a plan is a good thing!

The first thing to do is to make sure I've got my journal and any other notebooks and pens I need. Because I keep a journal on a regular basis it is both a good place to start and a good place to record stuff. But there are some things that might need to be written down elsewhere. I also like to use plain paper to scribble things on. My thoughts don't often follow a linear pattern, and so writing them down in lines doesn't help me connect them up to each other.

The plan for the first part of my day is to spend an extended time in quite reflection and prayer, reading my current Bible passage and maybe a couple of devotional books too. As I go I'll note things down, but I will also keep a list of "distractions". These are the things that pop into my head and  may be a line of thought I should follow but more often are mere distractions that stop me focussing on the important. Things like the need to polish my shoes or to put the cheque I wrote yesterday in the accounts.

After this I will review my journal for the last month or so and see what trends show themselves. There are one or two things that I know need addressing in prayer, so I will do that. I'll also go through my pastoral notes, maybe collate them together and then sit down with the list of members and attenders and pray through that list.

I'll probably take a break then and decide what's next. The big things, so-to-speak, that I want to get to today concern vision and strategy things for church and asking some questions that I remember from a Bill Hybels book and talk about character, ministry and family.

This all sounds like a lot, and I suspect it is! But I'm not looking for definitive answers to many of these big questions, just a sense of where God is leading me and the church. I'm okay with the vague, trusting that the detail will come as the process unfolds. I don't see myself as going up the mountain to collect a five year plan from God to deliver to the deacons and the church! This is after all Upminster not Sinai!

To help me stay focussed I'll use what I've heard called the Pomodora technique. In it's least complicated form it's as simple as setting a timer and working until the timer sounds, having a short break and returning to work. After four rounds you take a longer break. 25 minutes is the recommended time slot and 5 minutes for the short break. A simple kitchen timer is all you need.

Long before I knew it had a name I used a timer to help me pray. Without it, I spend more time checking my watch than praying! Speaking of which, it's time to stop blogging about a prayer day and time to get started. I'll update you later.

Time out

A long time ago, over 30 years now, I became aware of the practice of spending a day in prayer. It was the early days of my Christian life while I was involved with the Navigators. I remember coming across a little booklet, probably by Lorne Sanny the then International Director as I recall.

Anyway, sad to say, it's not as regular a feature of my life as maybe it should have been, but I've always tried to include regular extended times of prayer in my routine. I neither want to boast or be hard on myself about how I've done, but I do want to blog a bit about the process and how it works for me. So I've decided that it's time to have a day of prayer and write about it during the day if possible. Tomorrow I'm going to spend as much of the day( not literally 24 hours, more like the working part of the day) in prayer and reflection as possible and I'll try and do a few updates through the day and a final reflection on what I learn about the process. I hope that might encourage others to think about doing something similar. I thought it might provide me with a sense of accountability too.

If you are interested in doing something similar, then you might be interested in this transcript of an old article that I think may have formed the basis for the booklet I recall from those early Navigator days.

Why we need to talk more

Mort Ryerson, chairman of Perot Systems:

“we must realize that our task is to call people together often, so that everyone gains clarity about who we are, who we’ve just become, who we still want to be. If the organization can stay in a continuous conversation about who it is and who it is becoming, then leaders don’t have to undertake the impossible task of trying to hold it all together.” 

July, 1997

Found while reading a blog post.

Beyond the Church

When we think about what it might take to reach out beyond the boundaries of the church we often think about big things. We think about "having a mission", but the problem I have with that approach is that it isolates evangelism as a series of one-off hits. That's why I'm a big fan of finding simple ways, oerdinary ways, to live out our faith.

So here's a list of ideas culled from a recent article on the Church Planting Novice blog:

Don’t Eat Alone.

Be a Regular.

Hobby with the City.

Be a Good Neighbour.

Serve Your City.

Get the fuller picture by reading the original article.

Feeding the already fed

In the light of recent thoughts about the church, this seemed apposite:

After two or three long hours on the quest for the ultimate flea market find, Lisa was kind enough to say, "Honey, let's break for some lunch." Grateful for the reprieve, I accepted her offer and we made our way to the food area, which consisted of a group of rickety, wooden picnic tables strategically huddled around several food stands.

We bought a couple of chicken sandwiches at one of the restaurants and proceeded to one of the tables to eat. After a few minutes, Lisa looked over my shoulder and said, "Honey, check that out." As I turned, I noticed an employee of the restaurant carrying a tray of samples. Normally, a restaurant would hand out samples to potential customers. But this girl was weaving in and out of the picnic tables handing out samples to those of us who were already stuffing our faces with her restaurant's chicken sandwiches!

Lisa said, "Ed, that's hilarious. I mean, all she has to do is walk about fifteen paces, go out to all the hundreds of people who obviously haven't eaten yet and offer the food to them. Yet, she's content to feed the already fed."

And that's when it hit me like an all-pro NFL linebacker. I said, "Lisa, that's it! That is the local church in a nutshell."

You see, our problem is that we've been so content weaving in and out of the church aisles and handing out samples to the already fed that we have missed the countless opportunities to offer the food, the very bread of life, to a lost and dying world.

The author goes on to talk about creativity as the solution, and it's certainly an interesting overview of how we can be more creative in a team as we prepare for Sundays. But of course for me the issue goes deeper than just what we do on a Sunday.

Yes I want our Sunday Celebrations to be the most effective event they can be, but our creativity needs to extend into the area of connecting with our community beyond the church too. But more of that another day.

You can read the whole article here.

Google Wave

I've just been sent a link to this video from Michael. The concept looks really interesting and I can see great potential for doing the kind of round robin decision making via email that can get so messy with conventional email systems.

I also like the idea of being able to work together creatively in a single document.

Worth keeping an eye on the development.

Choosing to celebrate and rejoice

Just before I set off to walk up to the church this morning, I grabbed my copy of Henry Blackaby's daily devotional. Here's part of today's thought:

It is possible to serve God year after year and yet have a heart that is far from Him, You might be one of the hardest workers in your church and yet be filled with bitterness because others do not share your load. You can become so preoccupied with your spiritual labors that when God works miracles in the lives of those around you, you cannot rejoice.

If you serve the Lord out of duty or habit, but not out of joy and gratitude, you will feel like a martyr. You will envy those who are experiencing joy in the Lord while you feel weighed down by the work you are doing. This is not the abundant life your Father has planned for you. Come to the celebration, spend time with the Father, and share in His joy!"

I know that there are times when I take on the role of martyr, and I'd be highly surprised if it were not so for you too. I guess what we all need to do is recognise the symptoms and treat it before it gets ingrained in our way of thinking.

If you want to read more of Henry T's daily devotional you can do it here, or buy the book!

Seeing involves being there

My second post today is another reprint from the ETO blog. My situation has changed somewhat since then. I'm no longer known as I was because I'm in a different place. And it's all new of course, so I'm not known as the local minister quite yet! But having just reposted a piece I wrote about grace, this is a reflection on how deepening my personal understanding of grace has shaped me and my ministry over the years.

I have a confession to make. I am a full-time Christian minister. I am a minister in a mainstream denomination. I am the minister of a local church, in a local community where I am known as the local minister.

Because of this I probably get opportunities to serve my community that other non-mainstream leaders don’t get. I get to interact with members of the community at their most vulnerable moments and at their most important moments. At least sometimes I do.

Occasionally these moments will include weddings, sometimes it’s the celebration of a birth (although they find the whole concept of a dedication rather difficult to grasp). Most often it’s at the other end of life. I don’t do many funerals, but those I do are predominately outside of the church.

Over the years of ministry I’ve gone through different phases when it comes to funerals. At one time they were most definitely an evangelistic opportunity, at others they have simply been an act of service. I guess these days I don’t see them as either/or but simply both. It’s a great opportunity to serve and it’s a great opportunity to point people towards God.

Being outward focused helps me avoid the trap of over preaching and losing the pastor’s heart for people in pain. Remembering the significance of the gospel reminds me that without the cross there is no hope and the message needs to be preached.

Perhaps the “art” of being outward focused is not just seeing the people beyond the walls of the church, but caring enough about them to walk with them through dark days and share with them the simple truth that they need not be alone for God himself knows what it feels like to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and to emerge victorious. And graciously he’s opened the eyes of a few fellow travellers so that they can point the way.

Grace

This is another "past post" from the Eyes Turned Outward blog.

I read with interest and, I have to admit, a little amusement, Scott’s story about the strip club and the church. What intrigues me about the said story of the club and the church is that it’s more than likely that in some church circles this pastor will get criticised for even knowing the man who runs the bar. Sad, especially when we’re supposed to be followers of the one who was known as “friend of sinners”.

And then there was a thread of comments on another blog about Christians and political parties that was in danger of becoming a little over-heated. It made me realise how easily we can misunderstand each other.

So how do these two things connect and what do they have to do with outward focused living? Well, I guess what’s been going through my mind, as I’ve thought about these two apparently disconnected stories, is the nature of relationships. They’re complex things, relationships. You think you know what you meant to say and said it, only to discover later that what was heard was not what you meant to say. A slight shift in perspective can make all the difference. A strip club owner is either the worst of sinners, or just another sinner in need of God’s forgiveness.

So what helps us shift perspective without losing sight of the gospel imperative? I think the answer is grace.

Grace is the most incredible gift that God has given us. Because of grace sin is not ignored, it’s dealt with. Grace opens our eyes, judgement closes them. Grace says it’s okay to make mistakes because there is always the hope that someone might just get a glimpse of the glorious God, even in the middle of our greatest mistakes. Grace allows the sin to be challenged while all the time the sinner remains loved.

I’m grateful for grace. Because of grace I can love those around me unconditionally, I can reach out to them, I can meet their needs, listen to their stories, and all without the need to worry about whether I’m condoning their lifestyle, which seems to be the preoccupation of many an evangelical mind. Because of grace I can live outwardly focused. I have nothing to protect. No reputation, no fortress of faith.

Perhaps with grace we could find the humour in the strip club story rather than the theological incongruities. On the other hand, with grace at the top of the agenda, maybe there are no incongruities to worry about anyway.

There is no doubt in my mind that the one Biblical concept that we must get our heads around is grace. Until we grasp this as fully as we possibly can, I think much of what we do will remain conditional. And grace, by its very nature, is unconditional.

Reimagining Church

Frank Viola's Reimagining Church continues to stimulate. I find it somewhat frustrating in places, mainly because it is hard work trying to work out how the reimagining he is proposing can be applied to an established church.

I have to confess that as I read the book I imagine that it would be far easier to plant a church than to be part of the process of transformation in one, but in one I am and this is where God has called me to be and to work out my ministry. Now either I've misheard and misunderstood what I thought was God's call on my life over the last 20 to 30 years because I'm locked into the hierarchical business model, or I'm part of God's plan to bring about the change he wants to see. I guess the one certain thing is that I am not a passive observer!

So how does the church need to change? Is the leadership structure all wrong? I can't fault Viola's argument, which in itself isn't new, that the traditional pattern of organised church has done very little to empower Christians to live out their call as members of God's missional family. But I wouldn't want to throw out the baby with the bath and the water just yet! On the other hand I'm not averse to a little bit of revolution and the upsetting of the occasional apple cart.

Somewhere, in all the models of church that I've witnessed and of which I have been a part, and all the models about which I've read, there are principles that I am sure should be applied. Principles like Willow's seeker focused approach, which regularly challenges me to make sure our main celebration is accessible to those seeking and not just the arrived. Cafe church with it's informal style and open exploration of issues and questions (not just better coffee and muffins). Principles like high grace, low risk and doable evangelism that come out of the writings and practice of Steve Sjogren and Jim Henderson. Walk across the room and Contagious Christianity, again from Willow Creek. And so many more.

So, although I may never end up in the same place as Frank Viola, I will continue to reimagine church and to challenge the people around me to do the same. The reason of course is simple. In a little while I'll put on my shoes and coat and set off to walk the mile and a quarter to the station to meet Anne. As I walk I will the faces of people who represent many more who find themselves far from God whether it matters to them or not.

They are the reason we need to reimagine church. Not because church doesn't suit us anymore, but because lost people matter to God and they are missing from his family, and he has chosen the church as the vehicle for reintroducing them.

How true the advertising slogan

We went out for dinner with Anne's parents this evening. Very nice it was too. On the way to the restaurant a Virgin Media van pulled onto a roundabout in front of me, rather too close for comfort.

Mind you, I should have paid more attention to the advertising on the side. After all it did say, "Near miss" in very large letters!

Closing the back door of the church

Here's a useful insight through a personal story about why people drop out of church and what might reduce it.

The simple strategy outlined is as follows:

1. Build systems that allow friendships to happen.
2. Help people serve and contribute
3. Plan common experiences
4. Foster the DNA of care and seeking

Wireless at church

It has to be said, an Airport Express is a wonderful thing!

I knew you could use one to create a wireless access point to a network, but I hadn't tried it until this morning. It took five minutes at the most, and most of that time was spent thinking about the set-up and configuration questions.

So now I have wireless in the church study, and maybe even on the platform in church, given that my study is next to it.

I guess the next step is to link the audio out from the MacBook to the PA system and I can play Youtube videos on the big screen!

Don Ross

Just a little something for anyone who enjoys really good acoustic guitar work.

From bad to worse for the king

Could king Saul have done things differently or was his downfall and slide into rage and madness inevitable? As I continue to read through the story of the early monarchy this question comes back to me time and again. By the time we reach 1 Samuel 18, Saul is torn between keeping David close and wanting to kill him. And it will get worse.

Nowhere is there any sense of Saul repenting of his sin and seeking to submit to God's authority. He just becomes more and more determined to retain the throne at all costs. He plots and schemes and it will go from bad to worse over the next few chapters of the story.

Clearly translating v10 present challenges. The NIV goes for evil spirit with a footnote and prophesying, the New Living settles on tormenting spirit and raving like a madman. But I guess the basic point is simple enough. Saul got out of step with God and never got back in step.

However you work out the complexities of what exactly is happening spiritually with Saul, this fundamental question of walking in God's ways is crucial. Surely the most salutary lesson is that a leader chosen by God can fall so far.

Expectations

It has to be said that one of the biggest challenges I feel I face when beginning a new ministry is the challenge of expectations. Unknown expectations. It's not a problem, just a reality. I have expectations of the church, the leaders, the ministries, and they have expectation of me too. Some will go unmet on both sides.

Knowing this, and knowing that we're are wondering what to do with our buildings and what it means to be church in the 21st century and how to partner with God in his mission in our community, it makes me wonder too about our expectations of church. Do we, for the most part, still think of church being for churched people? And I'm not talking here about the merits or pitfalls of what we do on a Sunday, I'm talking about the overall idea of why the church exists.

So I began to wonder about how we could write down what to expect, and maybe just as importantly what not to expect, from church. Should we, for example, expect the highest quality of worship, or are we to look for an authentic expression of worship that might not be slick and ultra-professional, but that does the job of connecting us with God? Should we expect to share community through people seeking us out or should we engage actively in being the originators of that community?

And the list grows.

By the way, authentic does not exclude excellence, but it is not overshadowed by it, and community will always require effort on my part if I'm going to benefit from it.

Anyway, I came across a list of "things not to expect" on David Fitch's blog Reclaiming the Mission.

Here are the ones that caught my eye:

Should not expect to come regularly to church for just one hour, get what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kid’s needs, and then leave til next Sunday.

Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect to be known and loved, supported in a glorious journey.

Should not expect production style excellence all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple and authentic beauty.

Should not expect a lot of sermons that promise you God will prosper you with “the life you’ve always wanted”. Expect sustenance for the journey.

Should not expect rapid growth. Expect slower organic inefficient growth that engages people’s lives where they are at and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvellously saved.

Should not expect all the meetings to happen in a church building

Should not expect that community comes to you.

If you read the whole piece you will see that there are "expects" that go with each "should not expect".

I wonder what our list might look like?

The power of stories (2)

On Monday morning I was waiting for a fellow local church leader to arrive for a meeting we'd scheduled. As I sat waiting I wrote a post about the power of stories. I lamented the fact that I had no stories to tell, and promptly forgot all about until an incident at the end of the week.

On Friday I was having yet another meeting with a local church leader. As we walked back to the church after having a drink in a local coffee shop, we met a couple from overseas who were looking for a pharmacy. We walked them to the shop and chatted along the way. Nothing stunning about that, but it certainly could not have happened had we had our meeting in the safety of the church building.

And so, by the simple principle of leaving the building I made myself available for the chance encounter that came my way.