iGod

The need of another 'Jesus Movement'

An interesting post today from Charismatica. It refers to an article in Charisma by J. Lee Grady who talks about the power of the Jesus Movement of the 70s. For those not in the know, this was a movement that broke out in Southern California and affected 100s of thousands of teenagers. For us in the Vineyard movement and other movements like Calvary Chapel it is a significant part of our cultural history. Here is an extract:

"The Jesus movement was primarily focused on—surprise!—Jesus. Theology was not complicated, pastors weren’t trying to be hip or sophisticated or tech-savvy; and we hadn’t yet created a Christian subculture with its own celebrities and political power bases.… In my travels this past year I’ve been horrified to learn that many Spirit-filled believers have given up the discipline of reading their Bibles even semi-regularly.

They prefer a steady diet of culturally relevant, fast-paced, techno-theology that is a poor substitute for discipleship.Many charismatics have developed the attitude that a simple focus on Christ isn’t enough.

We’d rather go to a “prophetic encounter” to hear what Obama’s chances are in 2012, or experience some exotic spiritual manifestation (gold dust, gems falling out of the ceiling), or ask Rev. Flash-in-the-Pan to pray for us for the sixteenth time so we can receive yet another “special anointing” that we will probably never use.

In the midst of all this charismatic gobbledygook, where is Jesus? Am I the only one out there who is weary of this distraction?"

I do wonder with the plethora of pop theology books currently out whether he has a point.

If some authors and specialists are to taken at their word, it almost seems degrees in sociology and pyschology are required before a degree in theology.

This week in HOME group we sang the Matt Redman song, The Heart of Worship, which that has those lines: "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about you, all about you, Jesus."

He goes on to write: "I'm sorry for thing I have made it, when it's all about you, all about you Jesus."

His words are simple. The sentiment is simple. But I find there is often, at least with me, also a need to repent of what I have made worship, ministry and theology sometimes. For my money, I think Matt has got it absolutely right.

I have a close friend who says essentially there are two types of people: engineers and mathematicians.  Engineers, he says, like complexity, while mathematicians like simplicty.

The engineer will get frustrated with a simple spirtuality of theology of others, while the mathematician will complain that some things are unnecessarily complicated and a distraction to ministry and living a full life in Christ.

Yet in the the Kingdom, I believe we need to hold those two in tension. At one level the gospel is easy to understand, while on the other hand there is no doubt that some doctrine is tricky to get our heads around. Now that is not denying the role of the Holy Spirit to bring revelation, but we have to be honest with ourselves here.

I know some people would happily go back to those heady of the continued renewal services, while others are happy to push on and do more culturally focussed ministry. I wonder if we can't learn to live with the desire for both. Much food for thought, indeed!

ASD

 

An Ikea flat pack gingerbread house with some thoughts

This weekend my family were forced to make the less than holy pilgrimage to Ikea.

It is something that we are obliged to do as part of our annual devotions of making our house more liveable. As we passed through the temple of all things MDF and colourful, we came across the ultimate in flat-pack products - the Pepparkakshus Gingerbread House in the food section.

Now admittedly I didn't buy it, but I was curious to know if it came with an Allen key and a 'how to assemble' instruction booklet.

After a morning of saying to my long-suffering wife, "Ikea - sheesh! They think of everything" I just sighed and thought this time they really have.

Of course IKEA is not everyone's cup of Sweedish tea. And if you are not into modern, practical urban living which comes in a flat pack I can quite understand, but there is something about it that draws you in. You try and be strong, principled and focused, but then something happens.You start finding the most bizarre and irrelevant item unexpectedly alluring. And then, before you know it, it's in your big yellow bag!

I find that once in Ikea it is easy not to have to think too much. If you have not come with a purpose, you can end up wandering around with the rest of the crowds, following the large arrows on the floors. Everything is thought out for your convenience.

Now I have heard it said by some respected people that some sections of the Church are in danger of offering flat-pack Christianity. You know, things like having our theology, teaching and worship neatly packaged for easy consumption on a Sunday morning. 

In fact, I can remember in the early days of the Alternative Worship movement, which I had been vaguely part of before it became the 'Emerging Church' movement, how some antagonists liked to mock traditional Evangelicals for just accepting what was put in front of them. It was easy pickings, but I found it quite harsh and judgementalist. It became a way to validate their own actions and reason for being.

The truth is 'flat-pack thinking' is everywhere and pervades most areas of our society at some level. I see even so-called New Atheists are now being accused of what amounts as flat-pack ideology. They have a worked out mantra with cliched arguments and seem incapable of accommodating other views of atheists of theists. Even spelling this out to them out can be met with a testy response.

Extreme political ideologies do the same. They offer one solution and one way of doing it. Isn't that how dictactorships start? Enough said.

One of the things I feel that we have to keep in our sights is the fact that Christianity has been called by academics, past and present, the greatest philosophical religion in the world. It is known as the 'queen of sciences'. By definition, it has required not only faith, but reason (the ability to think).

Peter in his first letter writes that we should "always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in us" (1 Pet 3:15). Our faith operates best using the head and heart, but lest it falls into a dry theoretical faith system, it also requires 'hands' - faith with action.

I find myself asking myself on a Monday morning: if the church we love really is to be effective and vital in a fast-changing geo-social environment, how does it exactly remain outward-focused - and in the world?  It must resist the temptation to withdraw and simply "huddle and cuddle" behind closed doors.

But I do recognise that there are risks with a truly outward-focused strategy. It means any 'flat-pack thinking' will get tested to the nth degree. At some stage, if we are doing it right, we will be forced to think outside of the flat, brown cardboard box. Now that has got to be a good thing.

We should all be able to agree on the basic materials, i.e., the Bible and doctrine, but we'll need to work out our own building solution, which is relevant and meaningful to our space and context.

Don't hear me wrong on this, ministries like Alpha are great, but they aren't everything. We need more entrepreneurs!

I believe that maybe the most successful building of the church in the 21st Century will require more work, more effort, more money, more hours... In fact, more 'carpet time' with God in prayer, but the end result will be worth it. And I bet stronger than a flat-pack programme!  If not, we will probably get frustrated with the instructions when 'A', does not going into 'B'.

As I reflected more on my Ikea flat-pack Gingerbread House, I thought of those words by Paul to the Church at Corinth: "We have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling." (2 Cor 5:1b-2a).

I'll put my hand up and say it is a struggle to continually think for yourself, pray for yourself, read the Bible for yourself (I say that as a church planter, husband and father), but we really are not doing it alone. We may at times groan for the burden of life to be lifted, but as Paul the apostle goes on to say we are "given the Holy Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."  We live by faith, not sight. That should give us some comfort.

We might not have the nice catalogue picture that shows us the how the finished article will look, but by faith, and suffering, we get on and build it...one carpenter's nail at a time. 

Time for a ginger biscuit.

ASD

 

 

The language of the Church

I have been around the block a bit and discovered that we love coming up with new ways to say old things. Carl Medearis in his excellent blog talks about the good and bad connotations of words such as Christian and Church.

As someone who has spent a good part of my other life at looking at companies' brand I am always having to ask people 'what does your name stand for?' What do you think is people's perception of you?'

A little while back I had the privilege of working with a youth movement called Crusaders who brought me in to look at their brand. When Crusaders started life through the missionary Albert Kestin back in 1900 it's name was not seen as contentious, but UK society has changed and nearly 1 in 5 of us are now immigrants. That includes many from Middle Eastern backgrounds. So the Crusaders naturally drums up all sorts of unhelpful strange images of a Christan youth movement. Not good, so today they are called Urban Saints.

The trouble with words is that are not just descriptors, they can have many meanings. Carl is right when he says for some "Christian" can mean "I’m a right-wing fundamentalist who doesn’t like Gays and am anti-choice and anti-women and anti-progress, because I’m stuck living in my own private reality of 1950’s...”

So It is helpful to find ways to say what we are and what we aren't to remove some of the obstacles of finding faith in God.

To be called a "follower of Jesus" is not a bad place to start. To borrow from the marketing school of Ronseal, it does exactly was it says on the tin.

ASD

'Mixed Economy' in the Church

A couple of things I have always admired about the Church of England.

Firstly, its sheer ability to survive, considering the amount of controversies and challenges it has faced over the centuries.

Secondly, the broad beast that it is, allows for new initiatives such as Fresh Expressions to be pioneered alongside traditional churchmanships. It is now joined by the Methodists, URC and Sally Army amongst others. This is something that the Archbishop of Canterbury has called a 'mixed economy'.

To that end, there is a great article in The Times illustrating some of this 'fresh thinking'.

Bishop Graham Cray writes:

“It is clear that something very substantial has happened...Episcopal leadership is saying ‘Go for it, it’s a good thing’. The old churchwardens’ mantra, whenever a vicar suggested something new, of ‘the bishop won’t allow it’ has gone. Now the bishop would be very disappointed if you didn’t try it.”

Good stuff, Graham. Thanks for inspiring us with the stories.

ASD

The Vineyard - a movement moving on or standing still?

I returned from last week's Vineyard National Leaders Conference in Bognor Regis to be asked if anything significant happened. I think some were probably expecting me to maybe relay stories of healing, but actually as weeks go it was significant in another way.

Not least because the question was asked whether Vineyard movement had any 'move' left in it.

It caused a lot of dinner time conversation. Some new to the Vineyard family asked whether there was something they should know. It was interesting how unaware many were to what was happening Stateside. Thanks to Andrew Jones at Tall Skinny Kiwi I got a heads up before the week.

UK Vineyard senior pastor Jason Clark has already started the conversation over at Deep Church and this has been picked up by Jason Coker at Pastoralia.

I echo the sentiment that it is timely to reassess/reaffirm the 10 distinctives brought afresh to us by UK & Ireland National Director John Mumford. It has got to be a healthy thing to look again at the reasons why we joined the Vineyard and remain in it, and why many others still want to become part of it.

Lest, we were under the illusion that we stopped being seen as radical by others. It certainly is not my own perception in south Suffolk.

It struck me last week how much the Vineyard, through John Wimber's selfless example, has kept emptying its own pockets to fill the pockets of others. It has given at great sacrifice. Sometimes, it might be argued, too much.

Many denominations and new church groups have been affected in some way, shape or form. New Wine, Soul Survivor, HTB, Alpha, New Frontiers and Hillsongs all apparently pay testament to that.

However, the thought that John Wimber could potentially become some faux holy relic truly horrifies me. But where I find comfort is in the roots of the Methodist Church, which historians tell us only really took off once it's founder John Wesley died.

It was suggested by Caleb Maskill, a church historian and church planter himself, that we were moving from being a 'renewal movement to a church movement'. I know this statement has already caused some consternation, but it deserves reflection.

I would encourage those of us in the Vineyard movement to be open to the debate, but I would also welcome other's perspectives too. 

Caleb spoke from Luke 15, where he suggested that a tree which has always been fruitful will naturally have to be pruned. But you only prune healthy trees. If the tree has rotten branches or is dead you pull it out of the ground.

The fact that Vineyard has borne much fruit over the years should not surprise us now that we are going through a time of pruning. We might find all sorts of sociological language to describe this, but undoubtedly we are in a time of natural transition nevertheless. My only surprise has been that it has not come sooner.

Caleb went on to conclude that pruning happens in winter time. I hope I am representing Caleb's thought right here, but I think he was suggesting that Winter is a known metaphor for loneliness and suffering amongst other things. Pruning is not without its pain. However, it is perceived by others that there are fresh buds already appearing, so we will wait and see.

One thing I would say is that the British Vineyard has been allowed to grow organically and so has, perhaps, escaped some of the suggested identity crisis of our dear friends in the US. Maybe if 'Vineyard worship' had emanated here, not in California, we would be suffering more too. However, as a 'body' we all share in each other's pain.

I look forward to watching the debate unfold on both sides of the channel. And, as my own thoughts emerge, as a young church planter of just two years, will share them here for what they are worth.

ASD

1 church app at a time...

Well, it was only a matter of time, I guess. Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill in Seattle have developed their own iPhone Mars Hill app.

It allows you to:

• Listen to any Mars Hill sermon available on marshillchurch.org
• Watch any Mars Hill sermon video
• Stream any Mars Hill music
• Email sermon links to your friends
• Give to the mission of Mars Hill
• Stay informed and up to date through the blog
• Get campus locations and listings

The blub on their site reads:

"At Mars Hill we live for Jesus as a city within the city — knowing culture, loving people, and seeing lives transformed for Jesus. Part of that mission is utilizing the technology available to us to reach as many people as we can in our cities and around the world.

God has often used technological advancement to spread the Gospel through the church. At the time of Paul it was the Roman’s system of roads.  For the Reformers it was the printing press. For Billy Graham it was sound amplification systems and stadiums. For Mars Hill, we have been blessed to have the opportunity to use the advances in video and internet distribution."

Anyone else out there heard of a church developing an app or, for that matter, any other church organisation?

ASD

The Church and what it's not

Been thinking a lot about what the church is and what it isn't. Sometimes it is very convenient to put the blame on an institution and not have to personally deal with the relationship stuff. 

We can talk about 'it', but really it is 'us'. So easy to forget when we are having a bad time of things. Hopefully, the church (the people) is a place where we want to be because we enjoy the fellowship and friendship it offers - and where we can ultimately experience the presence of God.

It kind of also makes the phrase 'church-goer' well and truly redundant. And that's no bad thing, either! What a horrible reductionist term that is.

Cartoon by Asbo Jesus

ASD

I am a Muslim

Now there's a headline grabber!

Actually, this is the title of Carl Medearis' latest post which is well worth a quick browse. It is all about how we communicate - or not as the case may be.

Carl makes some valid points, not least when he says that good talkers do not necessarily make good communicators. Talking is not enough. That's the easy part. When we live in multicultural towns and cities and where a variety of lifestyles are lived, we need to rethink the issues with our minds as well as our hearts.

When we say we are a Christian to people we hope they will understand exactly what we mean by that. And of course, we delude ourselves if we think they do. 

In an ever-increasing secularised society how can people ever hope to get a non-distorted view of Christianity?  It is often poorly portrayed as hypocritical or a crutch to hapless no-hopers. Not perhaps what we really want to be saying to our neighbours.

Carl gives us these useful pointers:

"I suggest we think of these three things when we speak of anything potentially controversial or complicated:

1. Be sensitive to the hearers.  Place yourself in their shoes. Ask questions to fully understand where they’re coming from and how they might hear (feel) what you’re about to say.
2. Avoid one-word terms.  Or at least if you use them, define them. Words like “conservative” or “liberal” or “church” or “Christian” or “bible” or “evangelical” don’t really communicate that well these days. Be skeptical of your ability to really say what you mean by using a one word term.  I prefer to not use words like that at all, but rather explain what I mean in 2 or 3 sentences.
3. Ask the hearer if they caught what you said after you say it. Don’t assume.  You know what ass-u-me…ing does."

ASD

Are you a pioneer or settler?

I have been musing over something that the 18th century Scottish moral philosopher and economist Adam Smith said: to paraphrase, an established clergy is not willing to fight very hard to leave their church buildings and to go out to declare what it believes in.

It has been given as one of the reasons why we are seeing church attendance decline in this country, compared to the vibrant Christian faith that abounds elsewhere in the world.

Where Christianity has had competition it has been forced to reflect what it actually does believe and work out whether it is worth dying for. It makes a good reason why the Church of England may have a better future ultimately becoming disestablished.

Coming from the Church of England, I have seen how people like 'mild Anglicanism'.It keeps things pleasant and not too challenging. I have had conversations with people who have said to me, in so many words, ‘have a conscience by all means, but don’t put your convictions in my face please.’  And that is just fellow Christians!  

Of course, every denomination has its struggles, including my own tribe Vineyard, but it does need us to think movement, not establishment. Having said that, I recognise that 'established' is another word for rooted. And to be rooted is not such a bad thing, just along as we plant as well.

Or to use another analogy with a Western theme, we can identify that there are two types of Christian: the pioneer and the settler.

The pioneer loves to go out and do new things, they enjoy the frontier experience, the adventure, moving into uncharted territory. It’s what makes them feel alive and sharpens their faith in Jesus.

The settler, on the other hand, likes to arrive when things are established and when it feels safe enough to bring the family with them. They aren’t necessarily starters of new ministries, but they know how to manage them and are hugely important in bringing stability to church life. They can share the vision for a missional church just as much as the pioneer type.

Interestingly, I was talking to another pastor recently and we were discussing how church planters (pioneers) can often feel rootless. They have no compunction about moving around. Home is spiritual and relational, not necessarily geographical.  The only consideration for not moving more is probably the pressure of a spouse saying, ‘Hey, honey, think about the children!’

The truth is, whether we recognise ourselves as a pioneer or settler, we all have to get out and ‘fight the good fight with all of our might’.  We need to be outward-focused and allow ourselves to be continually challenged by the competition, whether it is secularism, atheism, Islam or plain and simple apathy.

However, importantly, we need to remember that our enemy is not a person, but a spiritual being.

God is love. Our weapon is not judgement, it is mercy. We are called to love all, be generous to all, but it does require us to leave our pews and come out fighting to do it.

ASD

 

What is success for a church leader? (6 Thoughts)

According to an online survey I did as part of reading Tom Rath’s book Strength Finders, I am apparently an 'Achiever', apart from other things.  I am told by the Gallup Poll author that people like me look for significance in doing things.  'Achievers need success'. At this point my wife and I are very different.  She is so much more sorted than me. She likes to be. I like to do!

It is easy for leaders to mark success with the obvious metrics such as Sunday attendance, number of small groups, paid staff or converts a year, but we all know the Kingdom throws everything on its head and the world’s values are not our values.

I remember hearing one pastor say when you haven’t got numbers you don’t talk about them, when you do you tell everyone (humbly, of course!) I have since met guys who run churches of over 1,000-6,000 people who would rather eat a monkey brain sandwich than talk about their stats.

So what does success look like for those leading in a church? Here are six thoughts that I have adapted from American theologian pastor and all round good egg, Peter Scazzero:

1. Walk in Integrity - with God, self, and others. This is reflected in a sense of peace, rest and a life filled with communion with Him.

2. Experience a joyful marriage where we serve our children and others out of a cup that overflows. 

3.  Provide leadership in short, mid and long range issues that is thoughtful, prudent, intentional and patient.

4.  Ensure leadership is unified around a common vision with common values. Each leader then leads from within out of their own unique inner journey.

5.  Lead in such a way that the organism of the church works well together (in our case that would include our core leaders and then to everyone else in our church

6.  Mentoring the next generation of leaders, transitioning power away from ourselves towards others who will take our own church forward into God’s purposes beyond us.

Well, it is a start. And certainly isn’t the end of the subject!

ASD