Day: 5 July 2013

Dissecting our missional DNA (Jo Cox)

Jo Cox explores what makes us tick.

Confession time. I briefly investigated a career move into forensic science but was put off by the lengthy training and medical degree.

However that doesn't stop me from watching the addictive US drama series, CSI:Crime Scene Investigation. CSI centres on a team of forensic investigators in Las Vegas and is billed by Channel 5 as 'Sin never sleeps. Fast-paced forensics with the heroes of the Vegas crime lab'.

There is something compelling about the forensic lessons drawn from the team's search for evidence to determine the DNA of the true participants in the crime.

It reminds me that so often in a missional posture we spend so much of our time trying to collect the evidence of our existence that we can often forget the actual DNA of what we are doing. We expend all our energies on trying to get enough money, enough people, or enough permission – so much so that we neglect to stop and reflect on what makes us church in the first place.

Our evidence, our DNA, is people. Broken, chaotic, messy, glorious, beautiful, cracked, weird, disappointing, people. In the whole of the Church we are in the business of sharing stories, telling stories and making stories. But do we spend enough time telling Jesus stories too?

Our evidence, our DNA, is part of an ecclesial tradition. We may be bruised by it, or defined by it – but our very identity is passed to us and through us through tradition. Like it or loathe it, our responsibility is to connect with the tradition and traditions of the church – both structurally and liturgically.

Our evidence, our DNA, reflects part of our context. We may be trying to change it – but the very smell, taste, feel, noise, sight of our church experiments are DNA clones of not just the current Church, but the people we are reaching. It is not going to be pristine or perfect or always know when to sit down and stand up. 

Our evidence, our DNA, is poetic. It does not fit formulas or rules or standards. It is playful and provocative and calls forth a new world order of the kingdom.

Our evidence, our DNA, is characterfulness (some may call this virtue). It's the stuff of belly laughs and snorted tears. It's the stuff of patience and prayer and kindness and smiles. It's the empty cafetiere that none wants to clean. It's the chairs that need to be put away again. It's all that washing up and tidying up after the hordes have long gone home. 

Ultimately, if our church 'experiments', communities, congregations or groups do not enable people to notice something of grace and of Jesus, then all we are doing is offering false evidence. If we are not intentional about developing new forms of Church which have the DNA of the kingdom at its heart, then we are offering false hope to a church who trusts us to be faithful to our inheritance.

The Bible has a word for false evidence. Idolatry.

Let's make sure we are gathering the right evidence, the right DNA at the heart of who we are and what we do. Let's intend on the right things being at the heart of our work, worship and life.

I fear that, all too often, the current actual evidence may tell a slightly different story.

RevCoffee

Methodist VentureFX Pioneer Minister Simon Oliver, whose ministry comes under the banner of 'RevCoffee', explains how new things are happening in Cottenham through community, creativity, Christianity and cappuccinos.

I am employed by the Cambridge Methodist Circuit to work alongside the Cottenham Community Centre (CCC) and Coffee Shop.

The Centre and Coffee Shop came into existence when, after many years of faithful worship and service, Cottenham Methodist Church closed down in November 2007. The day after its final service a public meeting was held to explore the possibilities of how the building might be used as a community resource.

The CCC was formed, much hard work and fund raising was carried out, and in February 2011 the beautiful Coffee Shop was opened. It is no longer a church, but I am privileged to be a part of the Community Centre team. I was appointed as part of the VentureFX scheme to work alongside the CCC with young adults and families in Cottenham, a vibrant village of about 7,000 people just outside Cambridge.

RevCoffee - counterAt the heart of my role lies a conviction that being a welcome, accepting, incarnational Christian presence in the community is key to contemporary ministry. So I spend a great deal of time simply hanging out in the coffee shop, sometimes working behind the counter, sometimes tapping away on my laptop, and often just meeting friends old and new.

Out of these relationships, and my connections with other community groups and churches in the village, I try to find fresh ways of exploring issues of life, meaning and faith. People are interested in looking at such issues but often feel alienated, disconnected or simply uninterested in traditional Church, or are just too busy with the chaos and demands of life to find the time and space in their schedules.

We now have quite a few initiatives and projects going on in and around the Community Centre and Coffee Shop; my wife and toddler are very involved in many of these groups. My approach is to be as collaborative as possible, so everything has been set up as a result of prayerfully listening to what people might be interested in, and in partnership with others (sometimes Christians, sometimes those who don't usually have anything to do with traditional church). These initiatives include:

  • Arts Night: A small group of young-ish poets, musicians, storytellers, comedians, singers, photographers and artists get together on the second Sunday of the month. It is a mostly musical group and we have also had some great poetry from Larkin, Yeats and our own members, short stories and photography. Each month has a theme (eg war and peace, parenthood, love, death, resurrection) and we share original and borrowed material and attempt collaborate in creating new works, as well as putting on quality performances. And we always have some really interesting conversations exploring issues of life and faith from a variety of perspectives.

  • Film Club: A fun, new group where people of all beliefs and none come together to watch a movie, eat popcorn and then explore the existential and spiritual issues that come out of it.

  • Dad's Play: We have a large (70-plus on the books) group of dads and male carers/guardians of under-5s who meet informally in the back hall of the Cottenham Community Centre Coffee Shop. The kids get the chance to play together while the men get a chance to eat bacon sandwiches and drink good coffee. We also have regular curry nights – although the children aren't invited to this!

  • RevCoffee - logoMarriage and Parenting Courses. We have run a number of these courses in the Coffee Shop.

  • Daily Prayer: This takes place from 8:30 – 8:45 am, Sunday to Friday at the Coffee Shop. It is often just a couple of adults and my two-year-old, but others often pop in, have a natter and occasionally join us or ask for prayer.

  • Football Plus+: A group young and not-so-young men play football on the first and third Sundays of the month, and a small group of us are exploring the possibility of using of the fourth Sunday to talk football, life and faith over a couple of beers (or lemonades).

  • the Roost: this is new all-age event which we have been experimenting with over the last few months on Sunday afternoons and which officially 'launches' in September. It is a relaxed group which includes arts, craft, conversation, messy play, videos, the Sunday papers, music, poetry, coffee, flapjack and more to give people the opportunity to have fun together, create community and to explore different issues from a Christian perspective.

All of our activities aim to be open and accessible to all, and to give people the opportunity to develop meaningful community and consider the possibility of faith. All beliefs and viewpoints are valued, and seen as equal conversation partners as we try to make sense of life together. Everything is done in very low key and simple ways and – as I have already said – relationships take precedence over activities.

My ultimate hope is that through one or more of our initiatives people are given the opportunity to have a meaningful encounter with Jesus Christ and to explore what that might mean for them.

I take the Methodist and Fresh Expressions commitment to ecumenism very seriously, and have found it very encouraging to work alongside the Baptist Church, The Salvation Army, All Saints Parish Church and Christians Together in Cottenham as we seek to develop our ministries in collaboration.

It is not always easy, but it is a wonderful role and a rewarding project, and I feel very grateful to God and to the Methodist Church for allowing me to be a part of it!

‘Profound impact’ of fresh expressions

The General Secretary of the Methodist Church, Revd Dr Martyn Atkins has said Methodism's partnership with Fresh Expressions has been positive and productive.

Welcoming the latest statistics on attendance and membership and writing in his annual report to the 2013 Methodist Conference, he said,

The impact of the Fresh Expressions organisation, and fresh expressions more generally, upon Methodism today is profound. Naturally ecumenical, and producing some fresh expressions of church that positively challenge all partner denominations in many respects, Methodism is clearly benefitting from this partnership.

He was grateful despite the

context of decline made plain by the headline figures of our annual 'count' (e.g. c3000 loss of membership; c11000 reduction in attendance at worship across the week in 2012 compared with 2011)

because

the information coming from our Statistics for Mission in respect of fresh expressions of church is hugely encouraging.

He went on to say:

At least 1,550 'Methodist' fresh expressions are meeting monthly or more frequently, attended by c46,000 people and supported by the efforts of c8,000 volunteers. The large majority of fresh expressions are led by local preachers and lay officers rather than ministers or paid employees. Significantly, three quarters of the fresh expressions have begun in the last four years. There are fresh expressions registered from every District in the Connexion representing over 80% of our circuits. There are early signs too that our highly regarded pioneering ministry project, VentureFX, is beginning to bear fruit and produce valuable learning.