I don't seem to fit easily into the conference world of my denomination.
Why?
I would rather see (amongst other things) churches invest their time, money and energy into making their current church services and ministries better, not throw a stack of coin towards "fresh" expressions of church.
Sure, the church can be assisted in this area and has a lot to learn about reaching the un-churched.
BUT... If we invested the same mind-space to making our current structures better, would we be worse off?
Not every church has the resources and people power to run a effective "emergent church" experience, but they all have a service that they are currently running. What if our aim was to make this better and more appealing to outsiders? To change to what we have now, so that it is more engaging and relevant?
I sometimes feel that we strive for the next "big thing" with little focus on what we are doing week in, week out.
Just a brain-fart that i don't hear tossed about very often...
Hey Graham,
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have a chat over a hot or cold drink about this some time!! There's so much to be said that can't be helpful in a post comment but suffice to say I reckon it's not automatically an either/or and as someone who spends a lot of time encouraging existing groups to do what they do 'better' I want to suggest that sometimes we are worse off for the time and energy expended.
Coin spent seeking fresh expressions is also an investment in individuals who will do what they already do and may find ideas for doing it better or may decide it needs to be done very differently... but their decisions will be informed by experiences and the Spirit of God.
When God makes us restless and exposes us to new possibilities I for one don't want to be standing in the gap.
That said there's always ways in which the things we already do can be improved.
Rather than 'excellence', I believe in the pursuit of authenticity. I know that's partly because I am an idealist and not a perfectionist but we work in ministry where people are involved and not everyone responds to raising the challenge bar... some just want affirmation that their best is Ok for God. The rest is up to the Spirit of God.
Anyhow it's not a conversation I want to have via blogging but would happily chat and also happily encourage you to pursue your preferred goal. I just reckon leave others to theirs as well... uniformity is boring. I say 'get cracking and help those Gordonites grow their skills, learn more about what they're doing when they lead and how giving their best for God is important. I am even willing to help out with ideas, training, modelling... but if my data projector globe starts to fade or the piece of paper I wanted is back in my bag or the instructions I give are a bit muddled I would hope people get that we're all human and it's our intent and our relationship with Christ which endures!!
I'm sure you young people, worship leaders and key helpers will value your training, insights and encouragement to 'lift their game'!!
Cheers,
Rob
Rob,
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to meet up and i would love your input on some of the stuff that we are doing at church, especially with the youth and young adults.
As for the blog, i don't want anyone to think that sending anyone to explore different ways to express faith and "do "church" is a waste of time, effort or money. I want to definately affirm that. I agree that it isn’t an either/or prospect.
I just don't want to throw away what is currently there... Tossing the baby out with the bathwater so to speak.
We have a stack of good things to offer people. When people are ministering in an area that they are passionate about and thriving in the "sweet spot" that God has shaped, and called, them to serve Him, things will get... i would hope... better.
Maybe my post should have emphasised the ministry of empowerment throughout congregations and i hope that it didn’t come off as a shot at striving for something new.
If you wanna chat then give me a buzz, your timetable is probably more cramped than mine!
PS everyone should check out Rob's blog at pumphouse.blogspot.com
That's cool Graham,
ReplyDeleteI'm very conscious that blog return comments are responding to 'stream of consciousness'... so that's why I'd always rather catch up and chat...
In reality our learnings from things like fresh expressions are shared in places trying to do better what they do as well as encouraging people wanting to start something new...
Indeed from the synod sphere lots of our time in consulting with congregations is a mix of working with youth ministry leaders and also adults to make space for stuff that youth can do but don't see or take permission to do.
While I'm here I wanted to see if you' be interested in contributing to MESH in future... for example at 'Transformers' you mentioned your leaflet or promotions checklist...... that would be good for the next edition if you're up for it...
Rowena does the collation of material and design and over the last 12 months has been doing workshops to develop those skills with Indesign...
I just send her my stuff in word with ideas of layout and she sorts it... I'll get her to email you when we are collecting material...
I'd prefer every edition to have 6 or 8 contributors rather than filling it with my stuff!!
Rob
Happy blogging!!