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Working with the homeless and impoverished to find God (Cathy Stone)

Cathy StoneCathy Stone discusses working with the homeless and impoverished to find God.

As human beings and even as Christians, many of us have a tendency to fall 'in love' with our material stuff. One only has to pick up the Anglican edition of the Canadian Church Calendar for 2010 to view beautiful seasonal photographs of church buildings across Canada. The front of the calendar itself quotes Genesis 28.17: 'The house of God… the gate of heaven.'

Don't get me wrong. I can appreciate beautiful architecture and churches as much as the next person. But is the 'house of God' a building? Can God be kept in a box? We who encourage fresh expressions of church don't think so.

We know that Jesus attended synagogue, but we also read that the majority of his work was done outside the synagogue. He walked amongst the people: Jew and Gentile, men and women. He often kept company with those who the Pharisees considered 'sinful' people, prostitutes and tax collectors.

It was Jesus who said: 'Why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own?… Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.'

For myself, nothing in my life has been more humbling and gratifying than working with homeless and impoverished women at the Cameron House shelter in Peterborough, Ontario. We meet weekly to talk about God, life recovery skills, individual problems and hope. We study the Life Recovery Bible and work on a 12 step programme for victims of abuse and addictions. We pray. We pray because prayer brings us closer to God and can teach us perseverance.

Remember the hymn: 'They will know we are Christians by our love' – it doesn't say they will know we are Christians by our buildings

Many of the adult women in the group have suffered at the hands of dysfunctional, even abusive, parents and life partners who often gave them 'stones' and 'snakes'. As a group we are encouraged to rethink our negative concept of God, to one as a father who gives good gifts to his children. For these women who have been hurt so badly by life circumstance it is a revelation to discover there is a God who truly loves them. They did not find this God in a church building. They find him in the people who through God can offer them unconditional love.

They discover him in Scripture and prayer and discussion in a 'safe' place with people who love them unconditionally. Remember the hymn: 'They will know we are Christians by our love.' It doesn't say they will know we are Christians by our buildings. Finally, God did not say: 'Go and build a church and worship me!' God said: 'Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…'

In our woman's group we have baptised three women, had one apartment blessing, and every Sunday we offer transport to anyone who would like to attend a service. Will this type of fresh expression see the church into the future? I don't know. All I know is that it is reflective of the work of Christ and he is our teacher, mentor and friend.

Becoming missional (Gavin Tyte)

Gavin TyteGavin Tyte explores becoming missional.

For those of us immersed in fresh expressions of church and trained in missional thinking, it can be easy to forget the paradigm shift required by the average member of a standard parish church.

When you say 'mission' it is often understood to mean 'a mission', as in an event at which the church hands out tracts, knocks on doors and gets in a guest speaker. For those a little further down the missional road, if you mention a fresh expression of church, it can be viewed simply as 'alternative worship' – be it messy church, sacred space or snazzy youth praise.

However, I believe that if the Church of England is going to survive and if God has a plan to reach everyone in our communities, then the local parish church is going to have to become missional. It will need to stop its focus on connecting the unchurched to worship services (however relevant they are) and start providing opportunities for the unchurched to join in with the church in the ongoing mission of God.

Every parochial context is different; there is no blueprint, but there are three things we are implementing in our parish church:

Preach the mission

The preaching and communication of the church needs to hold a steady course and be consistent in every area – whether Sunday services, website, weekly newsletter, meetings or conversation.

Make the move from groups to teams

If the Church of England is going to survive and if God has a plan to reach everyone in our communities, then the local parish church is going to have to become missional

Look at the existing groups in the church, such as Mothers' Union, and re-brand them as teams – each with a missional purpose. Start providing training for the team leaders in how to invite people to join in with the mission of God in the world. I want each of these teams to be able to invite people to 'join in' with what God is doing and come to know Jesus. Some of these teams may well grow into fresh expressions of church.

Grow leaders of congregations instead of leaders of services

In many parishes, there is a great emphasis on church services. However, if we are to reach our communities then we are going to need to equip, empower and release people to lead new communities of faith. Rather than planting churches that are clones of the parent, we need to seed new congregations.

At the moment I can identify four separate congregations meeting under the banner of Uplyme Church – each holding gatherings at different times. It is my hope that we grow and develop a leader for each of these congregations; not just to deliver services, but to nurture, teach and develop each congregation as a missional community.

What are the distinctive marks of leadership in fresh expressions? (Sara Savage)

Sara SavageSara Savage asks what the distinctive marks of leadership in fresh expression are.

Visualise a painting by Pablo Picasso showing a subject viewed simultaneously from multiple perspectives.

Leaders in fresh expressions need to be 'Picassos' – able to perceive multiple perspectives on the issue at hand, and draw them together into a picture that makes sense. This doesn't mean leaders will be abandoning their own standpoint, aiming for some muddy middle ground. Leaders need to have their roots down into their own perspective, and their own spiritual tradition. They need to be secure in their own Christian roots. Yet, at the same time, they need to perceive the validity of the viewpoint of the other, who, in all probability, is a newcomer to all things Christian, or is perhaps a returner coming with baggage from previous, perhaps unhealed, church experience.

A good leader will be curious to find out how other people perceive what is going on in the fresh expression. If the leader connects with the way other people perceive and make sense of the world, communication becomes authentic, and two-way.

The psychologist Peter Suedfeld calls this capacity for perceiving multiple perspectives, and integrating them into an overarching framework, Integrative Complexity (IC for short). When people raise their level of IC, new beginnings become possible. Research shows that peaceful solutions to conflicts ensue. New understandings arise.

It's easier to have all the right answers, but it's better to pose the right questions, and then provide the scaffolding and the resources for the journey

In the early church, theologians wrestling with the human and divine natures of Christ needed high IC to be able to make sense of their experience of the risen Jesus while maintaining their commitment to Jewish monotheism. Leaders in fresh expressions also have to be able to weave together diverse, even opposing viewpoints, but without succumbing to a lazy compromise that loses the riches of the Christian revelation. 

Our globalised situation is one of conflicting perspectives, and people are suspicious of anyone claiming a monopoly on the truth. Leaders have the very challenging task of weaving together the Christian narrative into the real life narratives of people. To do this in a way that is not prefabricated, but involves a genuine conversation, is the art of listening. Hard to do. It's easier to have all the right answers. But it's better to pose the right questions, and then provide the scaffolding and the resources for the journey.

What fresh expressions of church means to me (Jackie Davies)

Matthew and Jackie DaviesJackie Davies explains what fresh expressions of church means to her.

I've been going to church for as long as I can remember (I'm 35), and I now work as Children and Families Worker with Altrincham Methodist Circuit,  so church has been, and is, a large part of my life. However, I've never really felt that traditional church services met my need to question things and look beyond what other people told me.

I first went to Café Sundae – held at Timperley Methodist Church – to support the Café's volunteer leader, Will Sudworth. I knew it was aimed at teenagers and assumed it would be painfully 'cool' and prepared myself for a long night. I couldn't have been more surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I loved the informal set up, and any church service where you can eat sweets and drink milkshakes gets my vote.

So after a good start it just got better. Film clips and vox pops kept me interested and engaged in a way I will admit that a sermon often doesn't. I enjoyed the table games because I got to talk to people at church about real issues rather than just saying hello and goodbye. However, the table debates were my favourite part of the evening – at last the chance to talk in church, to play an active rather than a passive role. I was so grateful for the chance to discuss issues that interested me in the context of my faith – I could have kissed the Café Sundae team for that! The mix of people at Café Sundae also resulted in me getting an insight into the views of a variety of ages and backgrounds.

Having enjoyed Café Sundae so much I was really excited when Will told me about Diversity Space. Although I was loving Café Sundae and pretending to be 14 again, I was also looking forward to talking about issues with over 18s.

I've never really felt that traditional church services met my need to question things and look beyond what other people told me

Diversity Space has the same relaxed and informal feel as Café Sundae, but meeting in a local licensed coffee shop means we can have a glass of wine with our discussion too! Diversity Space offers a wonderful opportunity for us to talk about emotive and controversial issues in a safe environment where each of us has the chance to give our opinions without being judged.

I can also talk about my faith if I want to, but I don't feel pressured to have a particular opinion. It's also a space to bring friends without them feeling uncomfortable. In fact, I took my husband Matthew and two friends to the last one – I should get some sort of award!

What does life look like after mixed economy? (Malcolm Herbert)

Malcolm HerbertMalcolm Herbert asks what life looks like after mixed economy.

When the volcanic ash descended and the skies above West London were free of planes, many people found it strange and hoped that things would soon get back to normal.

There's no doubt that people can find change very difficult to handle. Many of us are aware of the definition of culture as ' the way we do things round here'.

As a leader in a variety of contexts, I know that – whether it be church, business, college or family – all have ways of 'doing things round here'. I ignore it at my peril if I have a desire to see change and development.

Christendom has shaped 'the way we do things round here' for a long time, but we know it is on the wane as the prevailing culture. For the church, the change of religious and social contexts presents far reaching implications. I am not sure that a fresh expression of church 'here' and a new service 'there' are enough.

I think there are two key challenges:

1. To look beyond mixed economy

The church has bought 'big time' into the concept of a mixed economy church, as in the traditional or inherited alongside fresh expressions. But I wonder if the 'mixed economy' idea as a shaping culture is creeping towards its sell-by date.

David Muir, in his Share blog of 11th January 2010, uses the analogy of an oil-based economy. Oil has fuelled the way we do things round here, but it is a finite resource so a mixed economy using alternative energy sources enables us to move on. 

The 'mixed economy' idea is creeping towards its sell-by date

As a leader at the local level, it is obvious Christendom, as the 'power source' for 'the way we do things round here' for centuries, is on the way out. Yet to keep assuring existing church communities that they will continue much in the same way because they have an ongoing parallel existence with emerging churches, is surely to give false hope and no real sustainable future. Many congregations already demonstrate an ongoing anxiety and often anger towards leaders who try and develop a culture of responsiveness and flexibility to the developing context.

At the local level we are not always helped by some at regional and national level who for various reasons, tend not to see it this way and even deny it is happening. For example the resistance to the closure or 'mothballing' of unsustainable buildings is a case in point. Some cash-strapped CofE dioceses for instance are already cutting back on resources to further develop and sustain emerging and fresh expressions of church.

2. To select and shape leaders who are deeply rooted in God, in Jesus and are passionate about the primary need to re-shape church culture to serve a developing post-Christian context

Pioneer ministry may be a response to the 'mixed economy' church model, but I know from my days as a Diocesan Director of Ordinands that there is a danger it can be subsumed and even compromised by the culturally inherited model that prevails. Maybe it isn't just pioneer ministry that is being compromised.

We need to accept post-'mixed economy' as the prevailing culture and 'start doing things round here' accordingly.

Helping new leaders take centre stage (Ned Lunn)

Ned LunnNed Lunn wants to help new leaders take centre stage.

Graham Cray's words at Spring Harvest this year made me do some serious thinking.

I went to hear him speak on the long term discipleship of those with no church background, discussing the need for training the second generation leaders in fresh expressions of church. He talked about maturing disciples into leadership roles and the commitment needed for this, describing many fresh expressions as losing their 'DNA' when their pioneer leaves.

As an Anglican ordinand at Cranmer Hall, those words made me think long and hard about my placement next year.

Before training for the ministry, I ran a theatre company, el mono theatre, for six and half years. As well as producing and directing shows, I mentored several young directors, advised on education programmes, tutored, managed youth theatres and an education department and was a front of house manager at several large London venues.

On going forward for ordination I decided to hang up my theatre hat and dedicate myself to study. Now there is a further call – to go back into the theatre world but this time to minister to the people who work there, to 'discover' God in the theatre and to help the student drama community here to discover him too. Next year I will be dedicating some time to get to know those involved in theatre work in Durham and minister God's love to them, build a community and, hopefully, lead that community of artists into deeper relationship with God through the performing arts.

But back to Bishop Graham's talk and the challenges it highlighted about self-sacrificial leadership development…

I need to be prepared to begin the growth of new leaders and model leadership training to them

I can only be present in my community for two years. The students, who may gather into a community, will only be in Durham for a maximum of three years. What is the shelf life for this ministry? It's odd thinking about preparing to leave something before it's even begun. It may seem to be jumping the gun but the truth is that I need to be prepared to begin the growth of new leaders and model leadership training to them so they can train the third generation and them the fourth and fifth, etc.

If I fail to model that good leadership training I could be leading the community into an emotionally damaging situation. If I leave without someone in place to continue the ministry there will be a vacuum of leadership and this will leave young Christians without mature guidance. The transient nature of such a community also means that this issue will continue to occur on a two or three year cycle. The challenge in raising leaders has to be two-fold: to mentor them into a leadership role and to teach them to teach others.

It is the work of Christ, not me. So what do I intend to do? By God's grace, model good discipleship as one of the key aspects of the 'DNA', commit to the relationships and be aware of any potential leaders who are emerging and support them in their growth.

Hope in the midst of the storm (Lorna Koskela)

Lorna KoskelaLorna Koskela sees hope in the midst of the storm.

This year started so well – but about a month ago it started to crumble. Or so I thought. Certainly life took an unexpected detour.

Today I'm wrestling again… and like Jacob I don't want to let go until God blesses me. Shut doors can be an answer from God, I know (though the way they are shut might not be!), but now having finished (and passed!) my MA in theology (Leadership, Renewal and Mission with Emerging Church) at Cliff College, I'm trying to find out what doors are open/opening and what it is that God might be calling me to do.

I'm very excited by the fresh expressions of church that are emerging – even here in Finland – and that we as Christians are wrestling with both theological and ecclesiological questions in our quest to find out what the church means in a 21st century context, and what  it means to be – and make – disciples of Jesus Christ. Indeed it's the whole question of growing as disciples that excites me most.

At the end of 2009 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said that the church needed to 'go through the door' and take its message out to places where it hasn't been before.

It's a real call to be incarnational isn't it? To be interested in people, their lives, their stories, their successes and failures, and to be 'Jesus with skin on' with those with whom our lives intersect.

When we are at a crossroads, it's easy to think that God isn't present or concerned

Right now in me a storm is raging. It's not an angry one but it is significant, I think. It's connected with what it means to be the body of Christ, the church. Mark 4 tells us about the disciples' anguish at Jesus sleeping through the storm. When a storm is raging in our lives – when we are at a crossroads as I am right now – it's easy to think that God isn't present or concerned, though our theology (and previous experience of God) might well tell us otherwise… and to be honest it can be pretty lonely when we wrestle with deep questions can't it?

I really like what Maggi Dawn writes, in her Lenten book Giving it Up, on storms:

Not all stories of suffering have a happy ending; we can't assume that if we have faith in God everything will turn out right. In Job's story, God didn't turn back the clock and restore what Job had lost, but He did restore him to peace and prosperity and a new future. In this story (Mark 4) we do see Jesus restoring peace and bringing His disciples safely to shore. It would be over-reading the story to interpret this as a promise that God will take care of all our troubles for us, but we can learn that He is with us in difficulties, brings peace in the storm and guides us into the future.

That applies not only to me – and you – on a personal level, but also, I think, to the church on the onset of post-Christendom. And it gives me hope in the midst of the storm.

Lasting networks of encouragement in Canada (John Bowen)

John BowenJohn Bowen discusses lasting networks of encouragement in Canada.

The fourth annual Anglican church planting conference, hosted jointly by the Diocese of Toronto and the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism, offered great signs of encouragement.

Those attending Vital Church Planting East 2010 were from many parts of Canada, from Winnipeg to Newfoundland. Western Canada will have its own conference – sponsored by the Diocese of Edmonton and the Institute – next month. In 2007, 60 people came to conference; this year there were 180. Most of these were Anglicans, though a contingent of interested United Church pastors was there too. Six bishops – the five Toronto bishops plus Don Philips of Rupert's Land – also attended.

A wide range of workshops included Wycliffe graduate Rob Hurkmans talking of his Church on Tap in a Port Colbourne pub, and Judy Paulsen on Messy Church in Oshawa. Tay Moss (Church of the Messiah) and Ryan Sim (St Paul's) explained how to use new and social media in evangelism. Ann Crosthwaite also led a session on Contemplative Fire.

As with all good conferences, some of the best things often happen in the cracks – over coffee and lunch, and between sessions. Relationships begin, emails are exchanged, ideas are swopped, and problems are debated and sometimes even solved. This has been one of the advantages of holding this conference each year: Not only has it gained numerical momentum, but people come back year after year, and lasting networks of encouragement and wisdom begin to emerge. It's difficult to be a pioneer in isolation.

Were there any low points? For me, the most depressing moment was when one person asked: 'I am finding a conflict between, on the one hand, the fact that we're wanting to do this for the sake of self-preservation and, on the other, the fact that we're talking about authenticity. How can we do both these things?'

Following Jesus is never a matter of 'self-preservation'

Pernell Goodyear, a Salvation Army church planter in Hamilton, was one of our conference speakers. He dealt with the question far more graciously than I would have done, and explained that following Jesus was never a matter of 'self-preservation', and that following God's mission always involves laying down our lives. You'd think it was obvious, but apparently not.

So does this conference achieve anything? Frankly, I am too old to have any patience for conferences that leave you with a set of notes you never look at again, and warm feelings that evaporate within a week. So I am glad to report that the answer is yes. For example, one priest, Chris Snow from St John's Newfoundland, came the first year. As he told us later, he wanted to check out whether there was any theological substance to this thing and to see if it was just an evangelical clique.

He decided we were OK on both counts, went back home and hired a young curate to start a Messy Church. The next year they both came, and reported on what they had done. During the year that followed, the Messy Church grew into a Eucharistic community. Once again, Chris and Sam came back to the conference and inspired us with their story. And the number of such first-person stories increases year by year.

So I pray, and invite you to pray too, that the seeds sown at this conference will be nurtured and bear fruit across the country for years to come. I believe it may take 20 years for significant change to come – not for the survival of the Anglican Church (it's about mission, not survival, remember), but for the furtherance of the Good News of Jesus among those who have never heard it.

Restoration in Tucson, Arizona (Kate Bradsen)

Kate BradsenKate Bradsen shares a story of restoration in Tucson, Arizona.

For the last two years, I have helped to form an intentional, ecumenical community called the Restoration Project. We began as a group of young ministers and social justice activists who wanted to live with more intention and spiritual groundedness.

A year ago we rented and moved into a big, old house near downtown Tucson. We share food and cars. We take turns cooking. We offer hospitality and do spiritual practices together. Since the beginning we have offered a weekly meal for anyone who wants to come. Mostly because of this, I think, the community now includes members who do not live in the house. Over the last year, hundreds of people have come to eat, work in the garden and participate in the writing groups, films, workshops and parties. To some, the Restoration Project is becoming their spiritual community, a place where people are known and their gifts are recognised and valued. In this context, we can wrestle with questions of faith, all as we walk alongside one another. 

Moments of spiritual ritual have emerged organically. We created a communal piece of public art to remember the 206 migrants who died crossing the Arizona desert last year. We blessed a couple expecting their first child. We created a ritual to stand in solidarity with some of our members who had experienced a traumatic event. For All Saints/All Souls we hosted a potluck where we shared the stories of people we have loved and lost and the food that reminded us of them.

Sometimes the Spirit calls us beyond the places institutions are ready to go

This pioneering stuff hasn't been easy. I don't get paid to do this. When I first stepped out of a traditional church job to cultivate something new, primarily for people who had no spiritual community to call home, some of my colleagues thought I had left the Episcopal Church. Sometimes the Spirit calls us beyond the places institutions are ready to go. 

When I look around at our weekly open meal, I get a glimpse at what the Spirit is stirring. Last night, for instance, we were Latinos, Native peoples, Gringos, students, wanderers, farm workers, lawyers, community organisers, grandparents, writers, nurses, engineers and teachers. We were all hungry. We sat and ate together and shared wine and stories. Everyone belonged and no one went away feeling empty. For a moment the beloved community of God was so real we could taste it.

What’s the relationship between membership and discipleship? (Jackie Bellfield)

Jackie BellfieldJackie Bellfield asks what the relationship between membership and discipleship is.

There is a particular time in the year that I dread, a time of sleepless nights and worry – the renewal of my car breakdown cover! As I get older, alongside my car, I worry whether I (or my car) need to be rescued and recovered, just rescued, only recovered, or simply just towed away. Which one do I go for in the plethora of options? Many organisations offer a variety of options in relation to membership. There is the seasonal membership, the family card, occasional usage alongside frequent visitor, to name a few.

As a fresh expression missioner, it is an amazing privilege to work alongside others as we explore fresh and vibrant ways of engaging in ministry, church and worship. Over the past three years, 13 new fresh expressions of church have been formed in the Warrington Circuit, each reaching a wide range of people, encouraging all to grow in discipleship and their awareness of God. Some of these people have previously seen the inherited church as irrelevant to them and others have been hurt by it. But the question remains: do they want to become a member of the Methodist Church? Or of any denominational church?

When I read the Great Commission, I hear the mission and purpose of the church. And that purpose is to spiritually form disciples. In other words, the church is not a club – it is a discipleship-forming community. The task of discipleship formation begins right here. We can no longer expect the culture, the schools or anyone else to do that task for us. It is the purpose of this community of church. How will we, with God's help, be effective in the process of spiritually forming disciples?

A discussion about the relationship between membership and discipleship needs to take place

I do not think that the question can be answered in the length of a short blog. Nor am I suggesting a 'home or away' season ticket, a reward scheme for regular attendance (though that has a certain appeal) or a loyalty card for regular giving – give five weeks and have the sixth free – but perhaps a discussion about the relationship between membership and discipleship needs to take place.

I am not, of course, saying membership is not important and critical in encouraging full participation, stewardship and involvement within our local church communities. But I'm asking: how do we encourage attendees of fresh expressions to be involved in the decision-making processes of the church that affects them? And how do we encourage them to take ownership when, as things stand, they firstly need to become members? Let's start the conversation; it is an exciting place to be.