Mission North-West/West Midlands

Hi there, I’m heading into West Midlands this week, then into the North West next week (mission trip from 23rd-30th June 09)!

To follow my journey click here

Pictures of the Church

“a masterpiece in theological narrative”.

Frank Viola masterfully weaves together the threads of 4 cosmic stories:

The story of The Father’s Search for a Bride for His Son

The story of God’s search for a Home

The story of The Father wanting to ‘clone’ His Son to produce a Family

The story of the Body of Christ functioning under one Head.

I’ve always refered to this as ‘Pictures of the Church’ (see here)

These answer the Why questions!

Why did God create the Church…

Five-Fold Thinking!

Whilst reading ‘Six Thinking Hats’ by Edward de Bono it lead me to a concept called ‘5-Fold Thinking’

Based on the so-called ‘5-fold ministry’ (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers- Ephesians 4:11)!

I think we now have some good definitions about what these people do and who these people are (for example ‘What is an apostle?’- do you know the answer?)

But in my experience, we still do not always have good working relationships between the different ministries often because of a lack of understanding of each others perspectives!

For example; ‘How might an apostle work with an evangelist?’

5-fold thinking could help to foster understanding and help us to come to well-rounded solutions and ways forward.

When making group decisions, for example, we could look through the lense of the different ministries (ie ‘let’s think about this pastorally for a moment’)

Doing this might foster understanding and move us towards a more balanced and mature Church!

5-Fold Thinking is about looking at a project or discussion from at least 5 different angles, sometimes refered to as ‘Parallel Thinking’.

• Let’s all think about this apostolically
• Maybe we should consider things from a prophetic viewpoint
• Let’s put on the evangelist to consider things
• How about adopting a pastoral stance on this issue
• What would the teacher have to say at this point

In a discussion group, all would look from one angle at a time (eg, all would bring ideas from an apostolic viewpoint, then from a prophetic viewpoint and so on)

Still working on this

ANY THOUGHTS?

Biblical Church?

Just finished reading this book by Beresford Job.

When it comes to most aspects of Christian life, believers would take the Bible as their guideline for living!

Why is it that we do not pay as much attention to what the New Testament guidelines are for Church Life and Practice (ecclesiology)?

Beresford Job goes into detail about 4 aspects of New Testament church Life.

1. LEADERSHIP

In the NT, leadership is locally based and indigenous. It is also non-hierarchical and an all male eldership team

2. HOUSES

There were no ‘church buildings’. The church met in homes and from house to house

3. LORDS SUPPER

The lords supper was not a token piece of bread and wine in a high-ceremony but a common meal shared amongst friends with bread and wine as part of this meal

4. OPEN PARTICIPATORY GATHERINGS

There was no ‘church service’ led by ‘officials’ in an ‘official building’. The church gathered in a home, face-to-face and each person brought something to the meeting and anyone could participate!

Newforms UK Gathering

Hi Folks!

Newforms Gathering is taking place in Nottingham UK on Friday 19th-Sunday 21st June 09.

For more info check out newforms

An Army of Ordinary People

This is a brilliant book! I couldn’t put it down, even walking down the street with it, and nearly into oncoming bikes!

Full of stories of how ordinary people started very simple churches.

Everyone who can get a copy, get one and read it!

10:2B Prayer (Luke 10:2b)

‘Jesus, send more workers out into the harvest! Send more church-planters!’

 

To view other ‘Books I Read’ click here

Starting a Movement

This is a brilliant book about Social Movements or Epidemics!

He says there are a few ingredients that can provide a ‘Tipping Point;’ where an idea spreads like wildfire!

Here’s a few of his thoughts paraphrased for mission:

• THE LAW OF THE FEW
  

There are 3 types of people who start social epidemics:

Connectors (apostles)- people with many connections, networkers that move from one people group to another

Mavens (prophet/teacher)- researchers, ideas people who pick up the latest trends/ideas and pass them onto others

Salesmen (evangelists)- those that can persuade others, permission-givers, influencers of the majority

If you have an initial innovative idea (revelation), pass it onto these guys and you are likely to create an epidemic!

• STICKINESS FACTOR

For a message or idea to stick with people to the point where it leads them to action, there has to be a ’stickiness’ factor- a way of presenting the idea that causes it to be memorable.

This  is about paying attention to the medium you use to put across the message- the form the idea is communicated through

• POWER OF CONTEXT
  

This is about paying attention to surroundings; the cultural/social context!

It’s also about spreading the message through specific people groups.

Gladwell talks about the power of peer groups! An idea that is caught by a group and practised together is far more powerful than an idea just passed onto isolated individuals.

Small Groups are really important in the spreading of an idea or message.

Mission to North England and Scotland

Hi! I’m setting off this morning (Tues 5th May) to the North! Will be gone for 12 days. Stopping at various locations including Bakewell, Stocton-on-Tees, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Elgin, Leeds, Cheshire.

To check out mission trip updates click here!

GospelVirus

How can we be more effective at ‘Spreading the Gospel’?

Several years ago marketing guru Seth Godin released a book called ‘Ideavirus’ about inventing a ‘virusworthy idea’.

It seems to me that we do have a ‘virusworthy idea’ in the ‘gospel: the good news of Jesus’

So why is it that the gospel isn’t spreading very rapidly across Britain right now?

Here is Jesus’ version of how to spread the virus of the gospel

1. Pray and receive Prophetic insight and direction

2. Go to a People Group (hive)

3. Preach the Gospel (idea)

4. With Power , heal the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead (medium)

5. Search for a Person of Peace (a powerful sneezer who will spread the idea to others)

6. Plant yourself and the idea with the Person of Peace (the idea will spread rapidly through people group via the person of peace and his/her extended network of relationships)

7. Persecution will alert you to when the time to move on has come (spread the gospelvirus to other people groups and persons of peace)

Mission Bestwood

Hey! We’ll be starting a mission in Bestwood in Nottingham, East Midlands from Monday 27th April-Fri 1st May. To find out more click here