I have so much I want to blog about, but I don't seem to have the time!
Huddles
A few weeks ago I said I would blog about out discipleship plans. I may fill this out sometime, but essentially we have decided to convert our cell leaders meetings into huddles along the lines of the leadership development model used by St.Thoms in Sheffield. This will help us to apply and develop the use of the Lifeshapes which we began last year with the circle and taught about after Christmas.
Vision for St.Mark's
As you know, I have been struggling to know whether I can in all good conscience continue as a vicar of an attractional church. For the moment I hear God telling me to stay and treat this as my "day job" while working at pioneering mission in my spare time. In addition I hear God calling me to give St.Mark's some clear leadership. The vision of the tree and the sapling is still valid. Also the Lord has given me Isaiah 54:2 as a verse for the church. I may post a church magazine article to explain this. In essence the call is to allow fresh expressions of church to grow up on the fringe of the St.Mark's family under the "tent flaps". I blogged a bit about this in March. see link
Leadership
As Moses was called to lead the Hebrew slaves in a journey with the LORD, so I sense God calling me to lead the church here to have faith in God's ability to provide. This means I will be trying to wean the church away from fund-raising. I have heard the Lord say so much about this in recent days that I need to buy new pages for my prayer journal!
The Gentiles
What about the Gentiles? Well praise the Lord! On Tuesday night I went to see Woodley Sports give Stockport County a worrying 89 minutes. As the match ended I spotted a family who I believe will be the first "people of peace" that I will spend more time with in the Mill Lane area of Woodley. We had a lovely chat for about 15 minutes and then I helped push mum's wheelchair up the hill home. I met this wonderful family a few years ago when I did Dad's funeral. There are 7 children and more grandchildren than can be remembered. Mum is a real matriarch and her home is the hub of a huge community. I now need to pray about who will come with me when I visit after New Wine.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
Emerging Church
I am going to an Emerging Church day on Monday in Manchester. What is emerging church you ask? It is something that happens (a bit like the fungus that springs up in the woods - but generally more pleasant) because there are people out there being moved by the Holy Spirit to become church rather than to attend church.
For an interesting blog about "ermergent theology for emerging churches" have a read of this article by Dr Ray Anderson.
There is however a certain pretentiousness about parts of the emerging church network (a bit like the fungus that springs up in the woods) especially those parts that blog a lot. However it is good that there is some self awareness about this as the following joke displays: so, How many Emerging Church bloggers does it take to change a lightbulb?
For an interesting blog about "ermergent theology for emerging churches" have a read of this article by Dr Ray Anderson.
There is however a certain pretentiousness about parts of the emerging church network (a bit like the fungus that springs up in the woods) especially those parts that blog a lot. However it is good that there is some self awareness about this as the following joke displays: so, How many Emerging Church bloggers does it take to change a lightbulb?
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Hobnobbing with the Gentiles
On Saturday I went to see Woodley Sports play Stalybridge Celtic in a pre-season friendly. I have been vicar of Woodley and Bredbury for 10 years this month and this was the first time I had been to see the local team play.
The club steward treated me to a complimentary coffee in the Executive box. I promised to attend more often. I'll be back next Tuesday when Woodley take on Stockport County.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Listless
The wind has been taken out of our sails. We are all hot and weary. We need a time of refreshing.
I think I will give up the fantasy football and spend more time blogging!
Monday, June 26, 2006
Wracked nerves
Yet another nerve-wracking performance by England. It's just like watching City except we keep winning.
I hope you folk in Ecuador are not too distressed.
I hope you folk in Ecuador are not too distressed.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
To the pub
When Nick came to work with me in Bredbury two years ago we decided to lead the Church into a more missional phase of its life. Our plan was to become a "Mission-Shaped Church" or to do some mission knowing that it would shape the church.
In addition to the Church initiatives, we made a pact, to get out and meet people and to lead by example. We agreed that each of us would pursue a hobby which would allow us to make friends with normal people who don't come to church.
For several months this was just good intentions. Then last summer I actually took myself down to the local branch of the Manchester City FC Supporters Club. Since August last year I have been going to games at the City of Manchester stadium and drinking beer with the lads in the Conservative CLub where we have been meeting before the match.
Recently we changed venues so we now meet in The Crown which has lots of big TV screens. So tonight I'll be there in my England shirt cheering on our boys in Cologne.
No doubt my pal, Holy Spirit will be there too. We will be alert for any Kingdom opportunities as we enjoy being the church in the midst of the people.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Wild at Heart
In the Autumn of last year I read a book called "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. It was a bit over the top at first, but I found my spirit witnessing that God has indeed made men for adventure. As a man with Apostolic gifting it is stifling to spend all one's time and energy maintaining an institution.
I found myself remembering a conversation I had with God a year or so earlier as I struggled through a period of depression. I was trying to understand why I was not happy with my work. I concluded that I was bored and needed a fresh challenge. I need adventure.
Over the past 18 months I have been most energized when thinking about developing "Fresh Expressions" of church. I like to pioneer. I want to work on the frontier, starting up new things.
To be fair, this pioneering spirit is not a new development for me. In my work in banking I was a "swaps" pioneer doing interest rate swaps in the capital markets for 5 years in the days when they were a new financial instrument. I had to invent the accounting system and persuade the accountants that it was correct!!
When I went to work on the Racecourse Estate in Sale as curate in charge of the church plant I tried to start a Base Community. I heard about these radical expressions of Church by reading a book called "the Church in the Home" by David Prior (who had been my Vicar in Oxford). Leonardo Boff's book "Ecclesiogenesis" then blew me away - who would have believed that a Roman Catholic Liberation Theologian could be so biblical and so radical? With the help of Peter Price (now Bishop of Bath and Wells) I found out how to be church in this new way (New Way of Being Church).
The main problem with Base Communities was that they did not have a built in strategy for multiplication and they seemed to need a huge investment of time and energy from a "pastoral agent". If you want to know more leave me a comment and I can send you a copy of my Masters Dissertation on the subject.
So when I came to Bredbury we tried Cell Church. Again, radical and pioneering we started this in 1998 when it was the latest thing. However, from the outset we knew that this was not just another band-wagon. Cell church encapsulates all the values that we believe are important for church.
John Eldredge asserts that women sometimes try to tame men, even emasculate them!! Cell Groups are meant to be dynamic missional communities that reach out, grow and multiply as they advance the Kingdom of God. It is too easy for these groups to become cosy fellowship groups where we avoid the scary stuff like evangelism, prophecy, etc. No wonder I have been frustrated at times.
So where next?
The main weakness in all my efforts over the years has been in the area of making disciples. This is where we are now focussing our attention and energies. I will post a blog soon to explain what we are doing to learn how to make disciples.
I found myself remembering a conversation I had with God a year or so earlier as I struggled through a period of depression. I was trying to understand why I was not happy with my work. I concluded that I was bored and needed a fresh challenge. I need adventure.
Over the past 18 months I have been most energized when thinking about developing "Fresh Expressions" of church. I like to pioneer. I want to work on the frontier, starting up new things.
To be fair, this pioneering spirit is not a new development for me. In my work in banking I was a "swaps" pioneer doing interest rate swaps in the capital markets for 5 years in the days when they were a new financial instrument. I had to invent the accounting system and persuade the accountants that it was correct!!
When I went to work on the Racecourse Estate in Sale as curate in charge of the church plant I tried to start a Base Community. I heard about these radical expressions of Church by reading a book called "the Church in the Home" by David Prior (who had been my Vicar in Oxford). Leonardo Boff's book "Ecclesiogenesis" then blew me away - who would have believed that a Roman Catholic Liberation Theologian could be so biblical and so radical? With the help of Peter Price (now Bishop of Bath and Wells) I found out how to be church in this new way (New Way of Being Church).
The main problem with Base Communities was that they did not have a built in strategy for multiplication and they seemed to need a huge investment of time and energy from a "pastoral agent". If you want to know more leave me a comment and I can send you a copy of my Masters Dissertation on the subject.
So when I came to Bredbury we tried Cell Church. Again, radical and pioneering we started this in 1998 when it was the latest thing. However, from the outset we knew that this was not just another band-wagon. Cell church encapsulates all the values that we believe are important for church.
John Eldredge asserts that women sometimes try to tame men, even emasculate them!! Cell Groups are meant to be dynamic missional communities that reach out, grow and multiply as they advance the Kingdom of God. It is too easy for these groups to become cosy fellowship groups where we avoid the scary stuff like evangelism, prophecy, etc. No wonder I have been frustrated at times.
So where next?
The main weakness in all my efforts over the years has been in the area of making disciples. This is where we are now focussing our attention and energies. I will post a blog soon to explain what we are doing to learn how to make disciples.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Paradigm Shift
A few months ago I began reading Frost and Hirsch’s book “The Shaping of Things to Come”. At a gut level I felt that their conclusions are correct, that we need a radical new way of being church: revolution rather than evolution. Yet part of me was reluctant to give up on the traditional church. At the time I was hoping to get a job as Parish Mission Development officer for Chester Diocese. I was hoping that by encouraging fresh expressions of church around the Diocese new life would spring up and the church would have a future.
By the time I arrived at the interviews with Chester Diocese I no longer felt comfortable with the prospect of committing my energies to shoring up the creaking institution. My appetite for radical innovative mission had been stimulated by being interviewed by CMS for a new position fostering the development of missional cells (Andrew Jones and Richard White are going to job-share the position).
So here I am, part way through a paradigm shift. I am employed to do a job which in itself is good. People are being evangelised, blessed and saved. Mission is happening on the fringe of our church, and we are also doing some “out-there” mission amidst the unchurched youth of our neighbourhood. The church which I lead is transitioning and becoming a more effective agent of the Kingdom. It could even double in size within a few years if we work hard and put our energies into helping people to become disciples.
But … (big BUT) …. I am now convinced that because the church is an institution it is self limiting. The people of Bredbury and Woodley are pathologically adverse to institution. The few who try to do church are only able to sustain something of modest size (c 70 people) and there is considerable chaos as there are only a few professionals around. I do not believe that mega-church would fit our culture (potential for a future blog here I suspect).
And so I really do believe that we will only see massive spontaneous expansion of the Kingdom if we can foster the growth of home based churches. This is causing me a few problems. Not many other people are with me on this journey. It is going to take time to explain my thinking. I do not want to sound critical. Relative to many churches we are doing really well. My friends in the New Wine Network are growing their churches by dramatically modernising their way of doing church … but they are largely still within the old paradigm.
This morning I was reading Alexander Campbell’s Simplechurch blog. He has a diagram there about the “apostolic migration”. I am not sure where I am on this diagram. Am I at point minus 1 … moving in my spirit but not in my body/money? Or am I in the wilderness of religious detoxification? I think the past 3 months I have been in that wilderness. And I have now let go of my dream of being a “successful” leader of a big New Wine church. I am not sure if I am yet in point +1 … I am still hoping to foster new churches from my comfortable position as vicar of Bredbury….
…. interesting that God said to me on Tuesday “the Wilderness is not about going for a picnic in the countryside”. Hmm.
By the time I arrived at the interviews with Chester Diocese I no longer felt comfortable with the prospect of committing my energies to shoring up the creaking institution. My appetite for radical innovative mission had been stimulated by being interviewed by CMS for a new position fostering the development of missional cells (Andrew Jones and Richard White are going to job-share the position).
So here I am, part way through a paradigm shift. I am employed to do a job which in itself is good. People are being evangelised, blessed and saved. Mission is happening on the fringe of our church, and we are also doing some “out-there” mission amidst the unchurched youth of our neighbourhood. The church which I lead is transitioning and becoming a more effective agent of the Kingdom. It could even double in size within a few years if we work hard and put our energies into helping people to become disciples.
But … (big BUT) …. I am now convinced that because the church is an institution it is self limiting. The people of Bredbury and Woodley are pathologically adverse to institution. The few who try to do church are only able to sustain something of modest size (c 70 people) and there is considerable chaos as there are only a few professionals around. I do not believe that mega-church would fit our culture (potential for a future blog here I suspect).
And so I really do believe that we will only see massive spontaneous expansion of the Kingdom if we can foster the growth of home based churches. This is causing me a few problems. Not many other people are with me on this journey. It is going to take time to explain my thinking. I do not want to sound critical. Relative to many churches we are doing really well. My friends in the New Wine Network are growing their churches by dramatically modernising their way of doing church … but they are largely still within the old paradigm.
This morning I was reading Alexander Campbell’s Simplechurch blog. He has a diagram there about the “apostolic migration”. I am not sure where I am on this diagram. Am I at point minus 1 … moving in my spirit but not in my body/money? Or am I in the wilderness of religious detoxification? I think the past 3 months I have been in that wilderness. And I have now let go of my dream of being a “successful” leader of a big New Wine church. I am not sure if I am yet in point +1 … I am still hoping to foster new churches from my comfortable position as vicar of Bredbury….
…. interesting that God said to me on Tuesday “the Wilderness is not about going for a picnic in the countryside”. Hmm.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Infrequent Blogging
It has been rather quiet on the Blog recently. Andrew Jones has reassured me today that it is OK to post less often. This link explains why.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
My Food
A few weeks ago while my son David was attending a Science Open Day at Leeds University I spend a few hours on Ilkley Moor (with my hat!). The day was good apart from the fact that I succumbed to the familiar smell of Fish and Chips and indulged in some of this traditional northern fodder. While in my younger days this would have been a highlight of the day, it made me feel rather queasy and sharply reminded me that I am growing old. I need to be more selective about what I eat.
When Jesus' disciples came back with a takeaway from Sychar in Samaria he wasn't very interested. At one level Jesus sounds irritatingly pious when he says "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work" (John 4:34). However, since this is Jesus speaking and we are being called to be like him I want to say the same thing. I just don't have any appetite for anything that does not seem totally focussed on God's Kingdom.
More than that, I only want to do the things in God's Kingdom that he has specifically asked me to do. There are so many good things happening, but they are someonelse's calling, not mine.
Last week I was at the New Wine Leaders Conference. New Wine is doing a fantastic work. I am totally comfortable with the vision statement:
Our vision is to see the nation changed through Christians and churches being filled with the Spirit, alive with the joy of knowing and worshipping Jesus Christ, living out his Word, and doing the works of the Kingdom of God.
And yet I sense that I am called to do more than just lead a New Wine church. I have no appetite for "promotion" to a bigger New Wine church. That would (for me) feel like a worldly move, a desire for greater significance within a the New Wine Network driven by my old psychological and emotional wounds (which are nearly healed now).
I have a vision (or is it a dream?) that God wants the Good News of Jesus to reach the masses (the "Gentiles" mentioned in the title of this blog). New Wine churches are better at reaching middle class people than your average Church of England church, and this is good. Some churches like St. Mark's even reach some working class people, and this is good.
But good as these things are, I sense that their vision is not big enough. We need to infect the people outside the boxes with the Kingdom virus. They need to catch a proper, life transforming dose of the Holy Spirit, and they need to be helped to know how to live the life and pass on the Good News.
The Good News needs to be expressed without much reference to church as we know it, which has often been bad news to earlier generations of the Gentiles. The good news needs to be experienced in the form of better relationships where people know how to forgive and be reconciled, where parents know how to love their children and live unselfishly. The good news needs to be experienced as forgiveness and mercy and release from the guilt of a sinful past. The grace of God needs to be experienced as a present reality when faced with the temptation to meet present neds in sinful damaging ways. Healing of old wounds and the breaking of strongholds is essential so that tempations will lose their previous power.
Jesus seemed to believe that the masses want this Good News. "Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life..." (John 4:35-36).
So what are we waiting for? Let's get out there amongst the people with our spiritual eyes open to see where the wind is blowing, our spiritual ears tuned to his voice, and our feet fitted with the readiness to take us into the house of the person of peace.
People are hungry for spiritual reality. Let's take it to them. Let's teach them how to sustain it and pass it on. There is no need for these folk to come to church. They can just become the church. This new wine needs to live in new wineskins. Even New Wine churches will be too churchy and too institutional for real Gentiles.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Physician Heal Thyself
I am poorly, and it is so hard to pray for yourself when you are ill.
I started with an excruiating sore throat on Saturday, struggled through an awesome baptism service on Sunday and more teaching about the healing ministry on Sunday night. I had prayer from my wife Jane on Saturday, from many people before and after both services on Sunday. I hope they are not too discouraged.
Ironically the theme was our belief that the bible suggests that Jesus always wants to heal those who come to him for healing. He never refused anyone except the Syro-Phoenician "dog" - but the Father put him straight on that occasion and he healed the woman's child when she showed that she had faith (who would have thought that even Jesus was influenced by the prejudice of his day against the Gentiles!).
I do not know why I am not yet healed. I take some small comfort from the fact that John Wimber taught about healing for months before anyone was actually healed. Meanwhile, nothing is wasted. The devil's attack on my health is assisting with my character development in the areas of patience, humility and faith.
I believe that I could have learned these virtues through other means so I do not believe that I am afflicted by God. This is the work of the kingdom of darkness, not some dubious underhand work of God.
I started with an excruiating sore throat on Saturday, struggled through an awesome baptism service on Sunday and more teaching about the healing ministry on Sunday night. I had prayer from my wife Jane on Saturday, from many people before and after both services on Sunday. I hope they are not too discouraged.
Ironically the theme was our belief that the bible suggests that Jesus always wants to heal those who come to him for healing. He never refused anyone except the Syro-Phoenician "dog" - but the Father put him straight on that occasion and he healed the woman's child when she showed that she had faith (who would have thought that even Jesus was influenced by the prejudice of his day against the Gentiles!).
I do not know why I am not yet healed. I take some small comfort from the fact that John Wimber taught about healing for months before anyone was actually healed. Meanwhile, nothing is wasted. The devil's attack on my health is assisting with my character development in the areas of patience, humility and faith.
I believe that I could have learned these virtues through other means so I do not believe that I am afflicted by God. This is the work of the kingdom of darkness, not some dubious underhand work of God.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Pray for my sons!!
We were bemused this weekend by our teenage sons wanting to watch the Eurovision Song Contest!
It would appear that Lordi are now headlining the Rock Festival that my eldest son is going to in Germany this Summer.
Living in the Kingdom of God
Last week at the New Wine Leaders’ Conference Guy Chevreau reminded us that the Kingdom is about living by faith. It seems to be a Kingdom principle that we have to step out before he provides. Guy mentioned that the streets of the heavenly city are paved with gold, so God can give us a corner of a paving slab anytime we are in need.
I am not going to bellyache about the church finances any more. It is all in the hands of the Father. My role is to lead the people on an adventure of faith. I feel peaceful that all our needs are going to be provided as we do the work of the Kingdom.
Our main Kingdom activity as a church at present is the Youth outreach. I am praying that we can find the people of peace amongst the youngsters and their families and put some time in with them.
I am not going to bellyache about the church finances any more. It is all in the hands of the Father. My role is to lead the people on an adventure of faith. I feel peaceful that all our needs are going to be provided as we do the work of the Kingdom.
Our main Kingdom activity as a church at present is the Youth outreach. I am praying that we can find the people of peace amongst the youngsters and their families and put some time in with them.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
On the Streets with the Holy Spirit
Last Friday while I was at the cinema with my family the Eden bus team had an interesting evening. The generator on the bus broke down - which means that the games and the video etc wouldn't work. Several of the team went down to the precinct to meet the young people while the driver went to borrow the other Eden bus.
As they were waiting for the bus to arrive a gang of young people came along and asked the workers, "Is the man who heals here tonight?" Word is out. The lad who was healed a few weeks ago (see 30th March post) has been telling his story!
Just as well a few of the team had been at the training last Sunday evening and knew what to do.
Let your Kingdom come, Lord!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Heal the Sick
In Luke 10:9 Jesus tells his followers to "Heal the sick". It doesn't tell them how to do this, so we have to assume that they have already been taught by being with Jesus. In Luke 9:1-2 Jesus gave power and authority to the 12 to heal the sick and sent them out. They had recently (Luke 7)seen Jesus heal a dead boy, a dead girl, a sick woman and a man witha legion of demons. Presumably they were taking note of how Jesus healed.
We don't have the benefit of watching Jesus heal, so we are groping around in the dark a bit. However, twenty years ago John Wimber burst upon the english church with a method of praying for the sick which produced some good results. It was all supported by scripture and a theology of the Kingdom which most theologians agree with in theory even if they don't live it out in practice. This method of prayer for healing is still taught in New Wine churches including ours.
On Sunday evening we began a time of re-training for our Healing Prayer Team as it is about 4 years since we last trained people and there are too many people in the congregation who think that the use of spiritual gifts is "not for us". We are using John Coles' book "Developing a Healing Ministry: A Training Manual for Churches" as the basis of the teaching.
We started the evening with praise and finished with a time of corporate confession for the way we allow the secular scientific worldview to replace the worldview of Jesus. As we repented and asked for more power the Holy Spirit moved powerfully amongst us. We were encouraged by a testimony of healing from a woman who had been prayed for the previous week. Others were convicted by the Spirit of their need to read the scriptures more.
As this was a training evening I involved a couple of inexperienced Christians in praying for one of our ladies while I supervised. They all were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in a way that reminded me of Acts 2.
We are all looking forward to next week's training.
We don't have the benefit of watching Jesus heal, so we are groping around in the dark a bit. However, twenty years ago John Wimber burst upon the english church with a method of praying for the sick which produced some good results. It was all supported by scripture and a theology of the Kingdom which most theologians agree with in theory even if they don't live it out in practice. This method of prayer for healing is still taught in New Wine churches including ours.
On Sunday evening we began a time of re-training for our Healing Prayer Team as it is about 4 years since we last trained people and there are too many people in the congregation who think that the use of spiritual gifts is "not for us". We are using John Coles' book "Developing a Healing Ministry: A Training Manual for Churches" as the basis of the teaching.
We started the evening with praise and finished with a time of corporate confession for the way we allow the secular scientific worldview to replace the worldview of Jesus. As we repented and asked for more power the Holy Spirit moved powerfully amongst us. We were encouraged by a testimony of healing from a woman who had been prayed for the previous week. Others were convicted by the Spirit of their need to read the scriptures more.
As this was a training evening I involved a couple of inexperienced Christians in praying for one of our ladies while I supervised. They all were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit in a way that reminded me of Acts 2.
We are all looking forward to next week's training.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Doubts and Struggles
Much as I am enjoying being a blogger, prayer has to come first, so for much of the last couple of weeks my thoughts have jumbled along unblogged.
I have also been hindered by a gnawing feeling of self-doubt. I don’t feel like a very good evangelist. I had spent very little time with the Gentiles. Am I deluding myself that I can facilitate the planting of churches whilst remaining in post as vicar of St. Mark’s? As usual I find my time disappears on church matters – the latest one being the need to find a house suitable for our new curate and his family to live in. Despite these doubts flying around my head I remain hopeful in my spirit that it will happen, and I wait for the word from the Lord for the next step.
Boozing with the Blues
My recent contact with some of the Gentiles has been interesting. Since August last year I have been a member of the Bredbury Blues – the local branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club. After the initial surprise they quickly welcomed me in as I went to the occasional match or sat in the club bar watching away games on the big screen. The amount of beer consumed by these people on match days is awesome.
The Bank holiday weekend saw the last Saturday home game of the season which I attended with my wife Jane thanks to the generosity of some members of our Churchwarden’s family who lent us their season tickets. The match was awful but we were able to spend some time in the pub with a few of the key members of the club before hand, and we were intending to socialize at the BBQ afterwards. Sadly by this stage of the afternoon I had a headache and was exhausted so we went home.
I felt like a real failure. My main opportunity to evangelise for weeks and I didn’t have the stamina. I almost slipped back into old habits of beating myself up, but instead I have to just conclude that my primary gifting is not evangelism. I am a pioneer and I do a lot of evangelism, but I am not an evangelist.
The Problem of Lone Ranger Evangelism
Further thinking on this subject came at the final game of season on Thursday evening. I travelled with the lads down to the game on the bus but I had to sit by myself during the match. This gave me the opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of my evangelistic contact with the Bredbury Blues. I am a presence and a witness. I have had the occasional “pastoral chat”, but I have not yet really had a chance to share my faith.
I remembered that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. As a team it is easier to make an impact. It is easier to stay distinctive. It is easier to remember to pray. I need to find a fellow Christian who supports City and is willing to join me in befriending these Gentiles and praying with me that some of them will come to know Jesus.
I have also been hindered by a gnawing feeling of self-doubt. I don’t feel like a very good evangelist. I had spent very little time with the Gentiles. Am I deluding myself that I can facilitate the planting of churches whilst remaining in post as vicar of St. Mark’s? As usual I find my time disappears on church matters – the latest one being the need to find a house suitable for our new curate and his family to live in. Despite these doubts flying around my head I remain hopeful in my spirit that it will happen, and I wait for the word from the Lord for the next step.
Boozing with the Blues
My recent contact with some of the Gentiles has been interesting. Since August last year I have been a member of the Bredbury Blues – the local branch of the Manchester City Supporters Club. After the initial surprise they quickly welcomed me in as I went to the occasional match or sat in the club bar watching away games on the big screen. The amount of beer consumed by these people on match days is awesome.
The Bank holiday weekend saw the last Saturday home game of the season which I attended with my wife Jane thanks to the generosity of some members of our Churchwarden’s family who lent us their season tickets. The match was awful but we were able to spend some time in the pub with a few of the key members of the club before hand, and we were intending to socialize at the BBQ afterwards. Sadly by this stage of the afternoon I had a headache and was exhausted so we went home.
I felt like a real failure. My main opportunity to evangelise for weeks and I didn’t have the stamina. I almost slipped back into old habits of beating myself up, but instead I have to just conclude that my primary gifting is not evangelism. I am a pioneer and I do a lot of evangelism, but I am not an evangelist.
The Problem of Lone Ranger Evangelism
Further thinking on this subject came at the final game of season on Thursday evening. I travelled with the lads down to the game on the bus but I had to sit by myself during the match. This gave me the opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of my evangelistic contact with the Bredbury Blues. I am a presence and a witness. I have had the occasional “pastoral chat”, but I have not yet really had a chance to share my faith.
I remembered that Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs. As a team it is easier to make an impact. It is easier to stay distinctive. It is easier to remember to pray. I need to find a fellow Christian who supports City and is willing to join me in befriending these Gentiles and praying with me that some of them will come to know Jesus.
Monday, May 01, 2006
The Gentiles are praying
Wayne Rooney's injury has sparked a wave of prayer amongst the Gentiles.
The Daily Mirror in particular says "cross your fingers and pray" and "we're all praying for Roo".
Keep the day job
Last week I had lunch with Phil Pawley in St.Helen’s. Phil is mission and church growth advisor for Liverpool Diocese and a member of St.Mark’s Haydock which is a leading Anglican Cell Church. I wanted to see Phil as he had been quite vocal at the Mission 21 conference about disciple-making.
Phil is discipling a couple of professional Rugby League players as part of his role as Chaplain to the “Saints”. He is meeting with these men for an hour or two a week to chat and pray and look at the scriptures. This is nitty-gritty stuff. The agenda is based on what is happening in their lives. Phil uses the Lifeshapes sometimes, but he is finding George Patterson’s “Seven Commands of Christ” increasingly helpful.
We are also using the Lifeshapes in our “coaching” or disciple-making opportunities. I find the first four (circle, semi-circle, triangle, square) to be the most useful at present. The pentagon (the five fold ministry) was helpful to me realising that I am more of a pioneer than an evangelist. Phil reckons that it is very easy to structure a coaching session with the Triangle: Up – how’s your relationship with God? In – how are you doing with your relationships? Out – are you bringing good news to others.
I looked up George Patterson on the web. He spent 20 years in Honduras planting churches that reproduced. The story is told in a paper called “The spontaneous multiplication of churches” which can be downloaded if you click on the link. I also got a copy of “The Shepherd’s Storybook” which looked like it might prove to be helpful.
The Seven Commands of Christ are :
1) Repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit (conversion, regeneration), Mark 1:15; John 3:16; 20:22
2) Be baptized and live the new life it initiates, initiating ongoing transformation, Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-14
3) Love God, neighbour, fellow disciples, the needy in a practical way and enemies (forgive), Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35, Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 5:43-48
4) Break bread (Communion, related to all that we do to worship), Matthew 26:26-28; John 4:24
5) Pray (private and family devotions, intercession and spiritual warfare), John 16:24
6) Give (stewardship of our time, treasure and talents), Luke 6:38
7) Make disciples (witness for Christ, shepherd, apply the Word, train leaders, send missionaries), Matthew 28:18-20
Perhaps the most helpful comment that Phil made was during a discussion about the tension I am feeling between my role as Vicar of St. Mark’s and what I want to do in the way of church planting. He said that the church planters I want to train will nearly all have a day job, so the church planting that they do will have to be fitted in with the pressures of life. If we want to see a spontaneous movement of reproducing churches it has to be simple and it has to work for normal people who are earning a crust.
The upshot of this is a feeling that God is saying “keep the day job (being a vicar) and train church planters as your sideline”. This way I will be forced to keep it simple.
Phil is discipling a couple of professional Rugby League players as part of his role as Chaplain to the “Saints”. He is meeting with these men for an hour or two a week to chat and pray and look at the scriptures. This is nitty-gritty stuff. The agenda is based on what is happening in their lives. Phil uses the Lifeshapes sometimes, but he is finding George Patterson’s “Seven Commands of Christ” increasingly helpful.
We are also using the Lifeshapes in our “coaching” or disciple-making opportunities. I find the first four (circle, semi-circle, triangle, square) to be the most useful at present. The pentagon (the five fold ministry) was helpful to me realising that I am more of a pioneer than an evangelist. Phil reckons that it is very easy to structure a coaching session with the Triangle: Up – how’s your relationship with God? In – how are you doing with your relationships? Out – are you bringing good news to others.
I looked up George Patterson on the web. He spent 20 years in Honduras planting churches that reproduced. The story is told in a paper called “The spontaneous multiplication of churches” which can be downloaded if you click on the link. I also got a copy of “The Shepherd’s Storybook” which looked like it might prove to be helpful.
The Seven Commands of Christ are :
1) Repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit (conversion, regeneration), Mark 1:15; John 3:16; 20:22
2) Be baptized and live the new life it initiates, initiating ongoing transformation, Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-14
3) Love God, neighbour, fellow disciples, the needy in a practical way and enemies (forgive), Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35, Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 5:43-48
4) Break bread (Communion, related to all that we do to worship), Matthew 26:26-28; John 4:24
5) Pray (private and family devotions, intercession and spiritual warfare), John 16:24
6) Give (stewardship of our time, treasure and talents), Luke 6:38
7) Make disciples (witness for Christ, shepherd, apply the Word, train leaders, send missionaries), Matthew 28:18-20
Perhaps the most helpful comment that Phil made was during a discussion about the tension I am feeling between my role as Vicar of St. Mark’s and what I want to do in the way of church planting. He said that the church planters I want to train will nearly all have a day job, so the church planting that they do will have to be fitted in with the pressures of life. If we want to see a spontaneous movement of reproducing churches it has to be simple and it has to work for normal people who are earning a crust.
The upshot of this is a feeling that God is saying “keep the day job (being a vicar) and train church planters as your sideline”. This way I will be forced to keep it simple.
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