VentureFX

Doug Gay on Emerging and Inherited Church relationships

2011-09-30T10:18:00.001+01:00

Doug Gay has some helpful observations about the tensions experienced between 'emerging' or fresh expressions of church and more inherited churches:

'Institutions at their most healthy will ideally maintain a suppleness and an openness to ongoing reform. For many of us, our experience of institutional church is more commonly of a tightly policed conservatism whose resistance to change requires that reformers need to add volume and momentum to their criticism if they are to be heard. In relational terms, this can lead to a recklessness and arrogance on the part of critics who are pained by the resistance to their voices, matched by a stubborn defensiveness on the part of those who are being critiqued, who are wounded by the assault on what they hold dear. Some of the ongoing resistance to 'emerging church' can be traced to the pains inherent in this process, as hard-working and faithful practitioners within a range of churches feel undermined and condemned by criticisms of their way of being church. There is, of course, no easy way through this, but there is a gospel requirement that those provoking and negotiating change seek to be aware of how much 'charity' there is in their words and actions'.

Re-mixing The Church (Towards an Emerging Ecclesiology), p.17

Breakout Gathering for Pioneers, September 21-23, 2011

2011-06-27T13:24:00.001+01:00

We're also very excited about the forthcoming Breakout Gathering for Pioneers which is the third such event designed to support all those who are involved as practitioners in pioneer ministry. It will be at High Leigh Conference Centre (Hoddesdon) from 21-23 September. We're expecting that most of the VentureFX pioneers will be there – indeed at least one of them will be helping to lead it. Ric Stott will be leading a session on creative arts, and I will also be leading a session about effective ways of working with permission-givers in our structures. The major input will come from Jonny Baker and Graham Cray, with other sessions including:

Juliet Gilpin (Urban Expressions) – discipleship
Ian Adams (author, Cave Refectory Road) - new monasticism
Andy Freeman (24/7 prayer) – prayer
Debbie Forman (pioneer minister) - worship
Bishop Paul Bayes – working with permission givers

The 24/7 prayer people will create a prayer room for us during the gathering, and there will also be plenty of opportunity for breakout groups for general conversation and sharing together, and there will be stimulating and reflective worship. It just seems like an amazing collection of people and activities which I am sure will be a tremendously rich resource for any of us who are involved in fresh ways of being church and who sometimes feel that we need a bit more support and time spent in the company of others who ‘get’ what we do.

The cost is fairly modest - £110 for a standard room and £135 for an ensuite room. Perhaps those who have responsibility for your support and well-being would recognise the worth of an opportunity like this and may be able to pay some, if not all of the cost of being there. More information and a booking form is available on the Breakout website, and it would be great if you could think about registering, and doing so as soon as possible, so we know how many to plan for. If you are a Methodist and do decide to go, it would be really helpful if you could send me a quick email to let me know, so that I am aware of who will be going from the Methodist network. And, most importantly – please pass this on to others who you think ought to hear about it.

Bishop Graham Cray to address VentureFX meeting at Methodist Conference

2011-06-22T21:11:00.000+01:00

We’re very excited about the forthcoming meeting being hosted by the Fresh Expressions Team and VentureFX on the evening of Tuesday 5 July at the time of the Methodist Conference in Southport. It’s going to be an interesting location – the Wayfarers Arcade, off Lord Street – and Bishop Graham Cray, leader of the Fresh Expressions Team will be giving a keynote talk on the theme, ‘Church Lite or Deep Church?’ – discipleship and fresh expressions of church. There couldn’t be a more relevant topic, nor a more challenging speaker. There’ll also be a chance to hear directly what some pioneer ministers are getting up to, and to see some clips from the brand new Fresh Expressions DVD. Stephen Lindridge and I will be there to host and we expect it to be a great evening. Please pass the invitation on – especially to anyone going to conference or living in the vicinity of Southport.

Blogging with Bart

2011-04-04T15:58:00.000+01:00

Bart Woodhouse, the VentureFX pioneer in The Bridge housing development near Dartford, has begun a blog reflecting on some of the issues he is encountering in engaging with young adults about matters of life and faith.

Read what Bart has to say about the place of apologetics in his most recent post.

What is Jon Curtis (VentureFX Exeter) doing for Lent?

2011-03-09T15:51:00.000Z

The Seven Weeks look like this… The number represents what I’ll be doing that week!

1. No money will be spent. This will probably involve hitch-hiking, working in exchange for goods, and bin-diving.

2. No technology will be used. I was born in 1982, so if it didn’t exist then, I can’t use it! No iPhone, no computer, no internet, and so on. I am going to write a lot of postcards, and hope that you will write to me too!

3. Purchases only from Independent Traders. Exeter was considered by an independent body to be the worst “clone town” in the UK, based on the number of High Street stores not part of a chain (there was 1 independent). I will only be buying from indies for everything, and all products will be independently produced also!

4. I will be Carbon Neutral. Tough one this! Obviously I won’t drive, catch a bus etc, but the aim is to exist on things that have not travelled either! I will be visiting my parents this week too, on my bike!

5. Voluntary employment. Every day, I will give my working day to an organisation that needs volunteers. This situation will increase massively given the recent cuts made by the government. I hope for a busy week!

6. Veganism. I will not eat a single ingredient that has anything to do with an animal. I value the farming community a lot, but there are too many people in the world to all eat animal products. This will have to be addressed at some point in the future. I will be feeding my friends a full 3 course meal as part of this task!

7. Monasticism. Essentially I will be living as if in a Monastery! Up before dawn, no eating during daylight hours. Prayer 3 times a day, a vow of silence, plus a Pilgrimage to a distant chapel!

So, there we are! Each week will feature a challenge, and everything will be recorded here, and will be filmed. I’d also like to encourage you to give things up, but also get onboard with certain things that I need help with!

If you have any ideas, you can e-mail me at jon_shoe@hotmail.com. I’m on twitter @joncutups where I’ll be undoubtedly griping, and if you could forward this to anyone who might be interested, that’d be great!

Salvation Today and CMS Pioneer Training

2011-03-03T13:36:00.001Z

Who says that 'salvation' and 'being saved' are unfamiliar concepts in contemporary culture? Yesterday outside Oxford railway station I snapped these two posters.

Maybe they are concepts which are in more common use than we think and somehow we need to re-invest them with Gospel significance?

Incidentally, I was in Oxford to attend the open day introducing the new Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course which Jonny Baker and Church Mission Society have developed. It strikes me as being absolutely spot on in what it promises to deliver in training people for various kinds of pioneer ministry. I think there is much to learn from CMS as we think about equipping the increasing number of people engaging in pioneer mission within Methodism.

Dave Saunders, VentureFX pioneer in Inverness writes ...

2011-02-23T12:14:00.000Z

Have you been used up? Beaten down with your crazy dreams of a church that could be..? Questioned about your faith because you're not content with just sitting in a meeting? Do you ever feel like you just don't fit for some reason? You know that Jesus is very real but something isn't right! How did you ever come to the place where you're bored, frustrated and given up church?

When we are willing to admit that we have these questions we just might be at the start of an adventurous, risky and fulfilling life. Following Jesus in the journey of God's mission to change our world. The church is changing and it's starting with you. Join in the conversation that's been happening since Jesus uttered the words "GO and make disciples of all nations." Maybe we think too often that we have found Jesus and forget that life is about following him. So he leads us to new and exciting places (maybe sometimes dangerous) Its not that you "found Jesus" but you're FINDING Jesus!

You might be suprised when you will find the Saviour of the world in the most compromising positions. After all he did that when he was leading the very first disciples. How many times did he break the religious rules to ensure the downtroden and hurting needs were met. Would we be willing to stand by the prostitute on the corner of the street and learn her story?

I was in the field opposite my house a while ago playing football with anyone that was up for it and there was a lad who was fairly disturbed and being ignored by everyone because previous to me being there, he had been in a fight. I spoke to him only to find out he wasn't the one that had the fight but he had jumped in to protect his mate from being hurt if not killed. Somehow he managed to be cut deep on his hand, the blood was all over his white coat and trousers. As we are talking, and he's telling me how he saved his friend's life by pulling the attacker off and fighting him back till the attacker gave up, his arm gestures are flicking blood on me!

So as he's telling me about how he had to protect his friend, “My friends are my only family,” he said. I’m looking at him soaked in blood and think he must be in pain. I looked him in the eyes and saw a pain that cuts deeper than the flesh, I knew that there was something else bothering him. So I ask him, “What’s up mate?” A long pause and he replied with frustration and hurt in his voice “He never said thank you for jumping in for me and saving my life”.

There and then my heart broke and I thanked Christ for jumping in for me and sharing His blood to save me.

You see .....Christ?

New project in Exeter

2011-01-31T15:26:00.003Z

The latest VentureFX project started in December and is located in Exeter. Jon Curtis is the VentureFX pioneer who has been appointed to lead the project. Jon is from Exeter and is already well known among many of the young adults in the city. He belongs to a Methodist Church in Exeter and has been involved with numerous fresh ways of being church as well as having an interest in football, supporting homeless people, youth work, social action and global justice, and punk rock music. He plays with punk band 'The Cut Ups' and has recently toured Europe with the band. He has a close association with The Cavern, a live music venue and bar in the city centre, and has spent a long time promoting live music in Exeter. Jon will be drawing on all his experience and networks of young adults as he seeks over the coming months to create a fresh expression of church to which they can relate.

You can see Jon and The Cut Ups in action here

VentureFX pioneer star of Wi Ad

2010-11-04T23:11:00.000Z

We're honoured that VentureFX pioneer Simon Sutcliffe, working in Hanley, Stoke on Trent, stars in the latest Nintendo Wi Advert You can follow Simon's blog by clicking on the VFX Hanley link at the side of this page.

Wider network of VentureFX

2010-05-24T15:24:00.001+01:00

We've been feeling for a while that, as well as the 20 core VentureFX projects, the scheme might be able to develop the capacity for supporting other pioneer projects that would value being part of the VentureFX network and resources as they develop. It might help pioneers to feel that they are embraced and affirmed by the wider VentureFX scheme as well as being able to draw on elements of training, coaching, networking, resources and so on. We'd love to have some feedback as to how useful this might be, so if you have thoughts or ideas please leave a comment or email Ian

Tubestation story hits The Times!

2010-05-20T08:32:00.002+01:00

Tubestation, the fresh expression of church relating to surf culture in North Cornwall was featured in a half-page article in The Times on Saturday (15 May 2010).

It's a great article and highlights what amazing things God is doing in and through Tubestation. VentureFX is partnering with Kris and Henry from the Tube, as they break new ground in a nearby location called St Merryn. It's going to go under the name of Esta and will be seeking to form a relevant way of being followers of Jesus in that community. The official launch will be in early July, so more details later. We believe that the energy and vision of the Tubestation leadership is going to enable new and exciting things to come to birth in St Merryn and we are excited about this opportunity to work with them.

VentureFX at ECG

2010-04-13T08:07:00.001+01:00

VentureFX presence at ECG made a valuable contribution to the event. Simon was busy all week and did a great job, together with Anthony Clowes, of hosting the nightly debate on various issues. Ian was helping to staff the Methodist and VentureFX stand and had a number of worthwhile conversations. We hope that next year the group of VentureFX pioneers will be able to play quite a significant role at the event. One of the most memorable moments was the response to Martyn Atkins' sermon in the Theatre, when many people came forward to acknowledge that they shared a 'divine disquiet' about church and the need for church to be changed and renewed for mission. Elaine Lindridge lead us in repeating the prayer of the Cuban church, 'Lord, prepare us for death or renew us!' Challenging words to pray, but it could be a transformational prayer if we mean it.

VentureFX project in Hanley, Stoke on Trent

2010-04-06T10:48:00.000+01:00

The second VentureFX project to be launched is in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Simon Sutcliffe is our pioneer currently based in premises in the centre of Hanley at the heart of the city's vibrant nightlife. Simon is a Methodist Minister who has experience of fresh expressions and of reaching the young adult age group and he is beginnng to establish relationshps wth people in the area as he listens to what God is saying and what will be the most effective way of developing a Christian community in that context. Read his blog by following the link at the right-hand side, and please pray for Simon and those who will work with him.

New Monasticism

2010-03-24T08:27:00.002Z

'The restoration of the Church must surely come from a new kind of monasticism, which will have only one thing in common with the old, a life lived without compromise according to the Sermon on the Mount in the following of Jesus. I believe the time has come to gather people together for this.'

Could have come from any of the recent books, papers and conferences on the subject of Fresh Expressions and new monasticism. Actually it is from a letter written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to his brother on 14 January 1935! It is quoted by Ray Simpson in his recent excellent book, 'High Street Monasteries' (Kevin Mayhew, 2009).

The book is well worth a read for those involved in pioneering fresh ways of being church as it includes a really useful survey of the older and more recent expressions of monasticism, describes some contemporary examples, and offers a vision for the future. I love his idea of 'Villages of God' and the diagram on p.102 is brilliant. It's quite a slim book and a bit pricey at £9.99, but worth getting hold of.

Breakout gathering for Pioneers

2010-03-19T08:01:00.000Z

There's a great gathering for Pioneers happening in July called Breakout which should be well worth going to if you are a pioneer or lead a fresh expression of church. John Drane and Kate Middleton are speakers, as well as Ken Clarke, Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh. But probably the greatest value for practitioners will be the support and networking opportunties. VentureFX is a full partner with Fresh Expressions and Church Army in putting this gathering on and we are hoping for around 100 or so people to come. Pass the word along, but do emphasise that it is for practitioners because that is the real value of the event. It's at Kings Park, Northanpton from 5-7 July 2010 and more details are on the Breakout website.

Did you know ...

2010-03-08T15:51:00.000Z

Ninety percent of the British people rarely or never enter a church for any truly religious purpose ... What of that tragic sixty per cent who have no point of contact with us, and desire none; who are living entirely secular lives, who are profoundly ignorant of Christianity and quite sceptical as to its relevance to their needs?

A quote from a recent book on contemporary mission in the UK? No, a quotation from 'The Report of the Eastbourne Enquiry on "The Local Preacher and Evangelism"' published in, wait for it ....1949!

Pioneer ministry is for the long haul

2010-02-24T12:52:00.000Z

A couple of extracts from the Rowan Williams interview with Tim Nash mentioned in the previous post:

TN: We’ve got friends who are involved in various fresh expressions of church and it doesn’t always seem to sit that well in a particular diocese. Do you think that traditional church will always be seen as the real church as you already mentioned and fresh expressions will be seen as being on the eccentric fringe, and what can be done to free fresh expressions up from that image?

RW: I think it’s unavoidable that at the moment for a lot of people there’s the sense that this is the real stuff and the rest is just flannel. There are two things which I think the church has done officially to counter that in recent years. One is making it possible for bishops to create some space and so by giving what we call a Bishop’s Mission Order - to say, look there’s going to be some space there for some new things to happen, we’re not going to load this down with all the expectations of, you know, paying your assessments to the wider church and going through the hoops of administration. This is experimental territory. And a Bishop can say that’s going to happen.

We’ve also got now pioneer ministries in the Church of England, people who have been identified as having a calling to entrepreneurial, groundbreaking ministries and we recognise that we ordain them into those ministries, not just into the parish system. It’ll take a while but those are some of things in place to help make it a bit more mainstream.

TN: I was going to ask you about that, because I come from a Methodist tradition and they’ve started to recognise that these new forms of church take a long time to embed and to become financially sustainable and they’ve launched a number of 10 year funded projects. Is that something that the Church of England will be doing?

RW: That’s absolutely right and that’s part of the background that we bring to it as well. I think the partnership with the Methodist Church has been important for both churches, in fact. We’ve all learned from this process. But, yes, the assumption that you’ve got a new project and somehow it ought to be paying its way within three years, …well, …reality check! It’s not going to happen. And it may never happen and sometimes a project will blossom and then wither for all sorts of reasons which aren’t discreditable -it’s done its work, it’s sown some seeds. So, the long haul – deep breaths, I think – that’s very important.

Interview with Rowan Williams

2010-02-24T12:00:00.000Z

I happened across a very interesting interview with Archbishop Rowan Williams. He's talking to Tim Nash of the Nottingham-based missional community, Nomad. Some interesting comments about the significance of fresh expressions and the 'little team' of people who are guiding it. I was particularly heartened by his acknowledgement of the Methodist Scheme and our intention to support our projects for a period up to 10 years. It's great to have his backing for the concept that pioneer ministry needs to be supported for the long-haul not the quick fix. Tim's a Methodist and sounds like he's doing a great job in the Nottingham area. There's some more podcasts on the Nomad website with some VERY interesting people!

Jonny Baker at Windermere

2010-02-23T21:32:00.000Z

Noticed that Jonny Baker is leading a three-day event on pioneering mission at the Windermere Centre in the Lake District from May 3-6. Anyone thinking about the possibility of getting involved in this kind of work (maybe through VentureFX) might consider booking in to explore what it is all about.

First project starts in Sheffield

2010-02-22T12:42:00.000Z

The first VentureFX project to get underway is in Sheffield. Working in the Handsworth and Ecclesall Road areas, Ric Stott has begun to work with a small team to pioneer work with 20 - 30 years olds using arts-based activities.

Ric has art training and sees this as an exciting and creative way of reaching people who don't normally come to church. Already there has been significant interest in what Ric is doing, and new opportunities are opening up all the time. Ultimately it is hoped that some kind of fresh expression of church will develop but for the moment Ric is trying to make links and establish relationships.

Please pray for Ric and this project.

Seven Promises

2010-02-17T20:08:00.000Z

You may have heard that CMS (Church Mission Society) has become an acknowledged community of the Church of England and Jonny Baker has recently blogged about the implications of this. As a mission community CMS is now able to do some things that it wasn't able to before which will give it greater freedom to encourage pioneer mission and to develop a new training programme for pioneers. As part of the establishing of the community seven statements have been formulated which community members adhere to as a rule of life and I thought it was worth mentioning them for us all to consider:

1. I want my life to be about mission
2. I believe God is still working in this world
3. Mission isn't someone else's job, it's mine
4. I want to live for Jesus every day
5. I realise I need fuel for my journey
6. I want to help my local Christian community keep mission a priority
7. I want to regularly renew my mind and spirit

They strike me as being a pretty good statement of what we should be striving for!

Rob Bell UK tour

2010-01-17T08:40:00.000Z

Many people have drawn from Rob Bell's books and Nooma DVDs for their inspiration in taking a fresh and creative approach to exploring faith. Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan and has written a number of influential books such as Velvet Elvis, Sex God, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians. He is on a tour of the US West Coast, the UK and Australia and New Zealand during the spring of 2010. The tour is based on his new book, Drops Like Stars, and is an exploration of the complex relationship between suffering and creativity. The UK dates are 14-19 March and take in Belfast, Stoke on Trent, Swansea, London, Southampton and Perth. If you are near any of those venues I'm sure it would be worth getting along. Tickets are £10.50 and can be booked online at: https://www.robbell.com/dropslikestars/tour-dates/

Project applications - form available

2010-01-15T10:55:00.000Z

If you are thinking of submitting an application for a VentureFX project in your circuit or district, please note that the application form is now available as a download from the website (link at the right-hand side of this page). The closing date is 23 April and the Project Selection panel will meet on 24 May 2010 - Wesley Day!

New ventures in new directions

2010-01-14T21:21:00.000Z

On finishing Al Hirsch's 'The Forgotten Ways' (which I highly recommend) I was quite awe-struck by a quote from Karl Barth in his final chapter. It comes from Barth's 1959 letter to a pastor in the German Democratic Republic who was anxious about the fate of the church under communism. His comments about the need for the church to look for new ventures in new directions seems highly relevant for mission in post-Christendom, postmodern culture.

No, the church’s existence does not always have to possess the same form in the future that it possessed in the past as though this were the only possible pattern.

No, the continuance and victory of the cause of God which the Christian Church is to serve with her witness, is not unconditionally linked with the forms of existence which it has had until now.

Yes, the hour may strike, and perhaps has already struck when God, to our discomfiture, but to his glory and for the salvation of mankind, will put an end to this mode of existence because it lacks integrity.

Yes, it could be our duty to free ourselves inwardly from our dependency on that mode of existence even while it still lasts. Indeed, on the assumption that it may one day entirely disappear, we should look about us for new ventures in new directions.

Yes, as the Church of God we may depend on it that if only we are attentive, God will show us such new ways as we can hardly anticipate now. And as the people who are bound to God, we may even now claim unconquerably security for ourselves through him. For his name is above all names…

[Letter to a Pastor in the German Democratic Republic, in How to Serve God in a Marxist Land (New York: Association Press, 1959) pp.45-80]

Hinde Street lecture

2010-01-13T11:26:00.000Z

I've just caught sight of the publicity for a series of lectures at Hinde Street Methodist Church, London. They are being given by Morna Hooker and Frances Young, with the general title of 'What Mission? Urban Discipleship.' The one which stuck out was on 16 March at 7.30pm, Frances Young's lecture is: 'The Challenge of "Establishment" - Did a Christian Empire help or hinder?' This could be a very useful lecture for those interested in the impact on mission of post-Christendom. If you are within striking distance of London it might be worth going along. More details from office@wlm.org.uk. or check out the website http://www.hindestreet.org.uk/ Other lectures are on Feb 23, March 2, 9 and 23. All at 7.30pm.

Projects about to launch

2010-01-13T09:24:00.000Z

On Monday the Projects Selection Panel met to look at all the project proposals which came in. It is fantastic to see what creative and exciting ideas people are working on and I wish the scheme could support them all! It was tough having to make choices, but we decided on 5 projects and we hope that these will be able to be launched very soon. We have pioneers lined up for all but one of them, so things should be able to happen pretty quickly. It's too soon to publish the details - the news is still filtering through to the circuits and districts concerned - but we hope to be able to give those details within a couple of weeks. Please pray for the pioneers as they prepare for some amazing new experiences on the roller-coaster ride that is pioneer ministry. See the panel at the side of this page for closing dates for the next selection round both for projects and pioneers.

Growing Jesus-community in a postmodern world

2010-01-07T16:17:00.000Z

Bart Woodhouse offered this reflection on the challenge of forming Christian community among unchurched young adults at the recent pioneer selection conference. Bart and the project where he is working (The Beacon, near Dartford) were recently co-opted into VentureFX to bring experience and learning as the scheme develops):

It is my world not some foreign place
It is a Facebook account and my hourly status
It is the corporate machine seeing how hard they can push
It is the blog I read, and the one I mean to write
It is the politician’s word-spinning promise
It is a police force that I don’t trust
It is the family that I don’t know
It is the Buddha on my mantle piece
It is the crucifix around my neck
It is the intoxicating paradox of blended of ideas
It is both the mortgage and the endless demands in red
It is the wanting of “wanting”
It is the need of my next “Bench Hoodie”
It is X Factor
It is Strictly Come Dancing
It is the celebrity in me
It is a thumb straining text conversation
It is a numb feeling of condemnation
It is a haemorrhaging meaning – a fractured truth
It is a world of choice – my human right
It is the condom I need to wear
It is the next viral scare
It is my hunger for experience
It is my virtual X-Box life
It is my longing to be deeply known
It is my fear that I’ll be on my own
It is my pursuit of an accepted identity
It is the company of my iPod shuffle - knowing what song I need to hear
It is CO2 emissions and my energy saving kettle
It is my fifth holiday with Ryan Air
It is my SMART car parked on my drive
It is a Coldplay lyric haunting my vulnerable head
It is a sense of hopelessness – being out of control
It is global poverty sanitized and always elsewhere
It is the science of “Dolly” the cloned sheep
It is globalisation – homogenisation
It is an American cultural coup d’état
It is the uneasiness with “Modern Britain”
It is a fleeting thought about the BNP
It is an embarrassing adolescence that seems unable to end
It is a world I hate
It is a world I love
It is a world I don’t trust
It is a world that no longer has a sense of its future

And to create a Jesus community in this world existing on its own event horizon:

It is to listen and listen some more
It is to hear the Spirit
It is to hear the whisper of GOD IN THE WORLD!
It is to listen to the cry of his missional whisper – Kingdom!, Grace!, Hope!
(can you hear it?)
It is to recognise the red-eyed face of God at mission and join in!
It is to listen to the robust and needful questions in this world
The “why?”
The “who?”
The “what?”
The “where?”
It is to listen to the complexity – the hopelessness
It is listen as a conversation partner
Trusted
Native
Agenda-less
Familiar and yet different
It is being part of a penniless community of lottery winners
It is imagination
It is Spirit dreaming
It is a conversation with no final sentence
It is to create a place of
Belonging
Discovery
Safety
Hope
It is a dangerous place, an edgy place
It is arguments
It is difference
It is Relationships
It is encounter
It is transformation
It is community!

Simply it is an out stretched hand, and invitation to discover “why you are who you are” and to step into the rhythm of the Kingdom life, that because of the cross, has forgotten how to stop…

I hope you will find this useful for your own reflection on pioneering ministry in this culture. It isn't copyright but please ask Bart before reproducing this material.

What was Jesus doing for 30 years?

2010-01-05T19:31:00.000Z

I'm in the process of reading Al Hirsch's 'The Forgotten Ways' (Brazos Press, 2006) and finding it very stimulating in terms of orienting the church for cross-cultural and incarnational mission. I suppose I should have thought of this before, but haven't:

'The fact that God was in the Nazarene neighborhood for thirty years and no one noticed should be profoundly disturbing to our normal ways of engaging mission ... it says something about the timing as well as the relative anonymity of incarnational ways of engaging in mission' (p.133)

It just underlines the need for long-term commitment to presence within the community where we are trying to mission - pioneer ministry needs significant time spent in listening and exploring and discerning (what the community is saying - what the Holy Spirit is saying). It also reminds me that we don't always have to work quite so hard as we sometimes do at being noticed. Making a noise and making our presence felt can sometimes be counter-productive. Simply being with and alongside people without banging a drum can be equally if not more effective - no one noticed that God was in the neighbourhood for thirty years, but the ground was being prepared for people to notice his saving activity when it came.

Re-enchanting Christianity

2009-12-22T23:35:00.000Z

I've just finished reading 'Re-enchanting Christianity' by Dave Tomlinson, a sequel to his famous 'The Post-Evangelical.' It is thought provoking and should spark some lively discussion about what constitutes orthodox Christianity. For me, the final chapter was the most helpful. It is called ' Mission Statement,' and it suggests 5 priorities for Christian mission in emerging culture. These are the 5:

1. Christian mission in the twenty-first century requires a kingdom orientation, rather than a church orientation. The kingdom of God is bigger than the church congregation and God is at work in the lives of people who don't attend church regularly.The key elements of the kingdom are empowerment, justice, liberation, hope, healing and new life. Wherever God's healing, reconciling, inclusive will is enacted on earth as it is in heaven, God's reign is present.

2. Christian mission in the twenty-first century needs to be focused on spirituality rather than apologetics. There will always be a need for the apologetic presentation of the Christian message, but we are seeing a return of the spiritual impulse and we need to interact positively with this.

3. Christian mission in the twenty-first century needs to be holistic rather than dualistic. Too often, even where concerns about the environment - or poverty, or social justice - do make it onto the Church's agenda, they are as add-ons to lend credibility to the gospel rather than as real gospel concerns in and of themselves. The gospel of Christ is good news for the whole person: body, mnd and spirit.

4. Christian mission in the twenty-first century needs to be dialogical rather than monological. The assumption at the heart of evangelism is that people will be changed by what Christians tell them or represent to them; it scarcely ever includes the expectation, essential to the process of dialogue, that such a transformaton or change in outlook will work both ways ... commitment to dialogue means that Christians involved in community ministry need to be open to the possibility that their faith and their view of the world will be changed as a result of that dialogue.

5. Christian mission in the twenty-first century needs to find expression through open, empowering church communities. Closed border models tend to draw quite clear boundaries around a community and are clear about who is 'in' or 'out.' There may be unconverted people on the fringes, but it is clear that they are not really accepted as insiders to the church. Open border models see conversion as a process. They offer a more journey-orientated vision of Christianity that sits comfortably with shades of grey where faith is concerned.

Tomlinson concludes:
'Christian mission in the twenty-first century reqires kingdom-orientated communitiies, places of radical inclusion and empowerment, which say: You are welcome - whatever your ethnic or cultural background, however you look or dress, whether you are a man or a woman, gay or straight, whether you earn a pittance or you're worth a fortune, whether you have kids, can't have kids, don't want to have kids, whether you are full of faith or riddled with doubts, whether you feel hopeful or fearful, gregarious or withdrawn - YOU ARE WELCOME!

Some of those headings need unpacking a bit, but they offer a good framework for priorities of contemporary mission which will engage with postmodern culture.

Progress so far

2009-12-21T22:28:00.000Z

Since the beginning of September we have taken some great strides forward. The selection criteria for pioneers and projects have been established. A pioneer assessment conference was held in November and seven people were recommended as being suitable. Proposals have been submitted for projects where pioneers can begin to work with others in forming new kinds of church for young adults with no church background. In early January we will be able to make some decisons about which projects to adopt and then try to match up pioneers and projects.

We are at a very exciting stage in the development of the scheme, and look forward to seeing God at work in new ways as pioneers are released to work on the edge, sharing good news with people who are not normally touched by the church community. We'll be holding more selection rounds during 2010 and details of the timetable are shown at the side of the page. The appropriate forms will appear in the New Year.

A blog for pioneers

2009-09-26T09:16:00.000+01:00

There are forms of pioneer ministry and fresh expressions of church happening all over, and VentureFX is part of the Methodist approach to making disciples of Jesus and finding fresh ways of being church with a focus on unchurched young adults. I'm hoping to use this blog to post information about the scheme itself and pioneer ministry generally, and some pointers to resources which people involved in pioneer ministry and Fresh Expressions of Church may find useful.