Missional movement

Just arrived at Sidmouth for Ministers Conference. Relieved to know my post for the Beyond 400 was uploaded OK. Modem still no-no at home. Thought it wise to post same article here, because we need these two words, 'missional movement' in this conversation. Therefore, any comments are best posted there. Here goes .....

‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world’. (Albert Einstein).

‘Beyond 400’ - backwards! (Simon voice 6)

…. after the prayer George of the House of Jakob arose and entreated Conrad Grebel for God’s sake to baptise him with the right Christian baptism upon the confession of his faith. And as he kneeled down with his request and desire, Conrad baptised him, since at that time there was no ordained minister to perform such work.’

The event, in 1525, has been described as the ‘most revolutionary act of the Reformation’ Conrad Grebel, founder of the Swiss Brethren, ignited a fresh wave of Anabaptist movement. The genius of our own movement is in its design:

It wasn’t!

No one ‘planned’ BUGB 400 years ago.

The ‘movement’ began by catching a virus, released 2000 years ago. Let us draw from the rich ‘nutrients’ (Juliet voice 2)  

Back to Jesus. Let us make no mistake, whilst we all recognise the need, we now also have the opportunity (some call it crisis) for UK (yes) Baptists, to re-calibrate their lives and life together, around Jesus. (Rowena voice 3) Let us ‘fix our eyes upon Jesus’.

Where my imagination then brings me to is to a junction. At this crossroads there is a sign - ‘missional movement’.

The sign might just as well be in a foreign language. After all, what does ‘missional’ mean? Surely ‘mission’ served us well enough, (although no one seemed to agree on what that meant either!) ‘Movement’ – can any movement, which has morphed over the hill into the landscape of institutionalism, ever be re-ignited?

So what? Well, in my case, I think about it. I read my bible. I read. I ask God for direction (another ‘sign’ please because I don’t fully understand this one and I’d like to know where I’m going!). I’ve done …. nothing.

It’s very frustrating. I don't get the answers I’d like. In fact I hardly get any clear description of our destination, apart from the road itself, the journey …. one great adventure.

It is an adventure worth living. Funny, I don't seem to have heard that word in church for a long time. Jesus invites us to adventure, which costs everything, but we seem to be stuck by something he told us not to serve (money). (Peter voice 1)

It’s a journey designed by the great designer Himself. ‘Come follow me’: simple, but all embracing. Our forebears caught it from Him, doing things, like baptising people, who wanted to follow Jesus, in-spite of PC world.

It’s risky. (Carmel voice 5) This word, a rare find in the church, is already in this conversation – hey maybe we have to do some of it, if we’re to move anywhere?

It’s relational. It’s about people. What is more, it’s about all of them who want to come along. The pioneers, inevitably at the front, seem to actually be talking with the others. Even though people are wearing funny hats, somebody’s insisted they wear, with words on them like: ‘apostle’, ‘prophet’, ‘evangelist’, ‘pastor’, ‘teacher’, they’re giving them out to everybody.

It’s surprising. I’m surprised who’s on it and how they got there. I discover many of those pioneering types are actually ‘ordinary’ church members – gosh who thought of that one! And how on earth did those liberals start this adventure? It feels a bit heavenly and looks like Liverpool supporters on Wembley way! I’m enjoying it.

It’s engaging. Blow me. What Chris Duffett (voice 4) put his finger on, is actually happening. These people, these ‘ordinary’ people are talking to new people they’re meeting on the way. They’re not just talking though, they’re expressing attitudes and doing stuff, which is resulting in loads more people getting in on this great big adventure.

I’ve now gone down this road just a little way, but enough to offer my life to seeing more of it happen, but someone’s just caught up with me and told me, they’ve changed the sign! What a nerve! It doesn't say ‘missional movement’ anymore. Apparently, people didn't understand it and many of them didn't like calling it that. They’ve painted over it and decided to call it ‘beyond 400’.

when I can't see the wood for the trees .....

It's been one of those weeks! I woke up, wondering where I'd rank this one, in my all time worst weeks as a regional minister - it's been a bad week, so right down there!

Of course, just when you think it can't get any worse, it does! My broadband at home died this morning. This is not just bad, this is tragic. Today of all days! Today's the day I have to upload my contribution, as a Baptist 'voice' to http://www.beyond400.net
don't you just love irony?!

..... but here I am in one of my other 'offices'. Banco Lounge in Bristol. Great coffee and free wireless, what more could a regional minister want? Seriously, guys this advert's for free, I'm glad to be here. Hopefully, the article has just uploaded OK, ready for 6th February. It's a privilege to be asked, there's been some really good conversation started so far, so I hope my two words, 'missional movement' might spark our imaginations a little more .... we'll see!

I've just had a nostalgic moment. Thinking about how, in just twenty years everything has changed, but nothing's changed. Twenty years ago I would have been sitting in this same road, admittedly over a mile south. Twenty years ago I could easily have been helping Linda, our church administrator, try and get the Counterslip church bulletin run off the Gestetner machine - wow remember them? It was only that long ago - I didn't have a computer even, never mind internet, mobile phone, sat nav, skype, all those absolutely essential ministry accompaniments.

Then I find a smile on my face, thinking about the irony of it all. I need to be careful because I'm getting weird looks from behind the bar, but it's good to smile; to find something amusing in the midst of a rubbish day, or week, does us all good. Not only superficial smiling, however, I'm getting drawn into gratitude .... to God for so many good things and people who fill up my life. After all, even in this week, I've watched Liverpool win away at Wolves 3-0! Even Andy Carroll scored. My son popped in, en route, back to Liverpool and we went out to Jamie's in Bristol for a good meal. My daughter is coming home, for the weekend, this evening .... you get the point? Life is not made up of 'ministry' and neither is security and acceptance by God shaped by it.
and gratitude is a habit and like a magnet, once you succumb to its pull you find yourself engulfed by it - seriously, try it. So, what began, with thinking 'why bother?' as a regional minister, 'is today the day I write my resignation?', even before lunch, has become, not simply what God has called me to make a difference for him in, but the place I'm glad to be in - again. I've just uploaded my 'missional movement' words and I've realised afresh, this is something I have already said I shall give the rest of my life and ministry for. I've lost the bit where Jesus said it would be an easy ride, so I wont let that drag me down. To find yourself and to have the privilege of helping others find their place, as part of this great movement we call the mission of God, is an amazing adventure and privilege.
Also, gratitude brings perspective, whilst this week remains 'bad', it's an exception, not the rule.
..... and me, well, I'm better than I was first thing!

An elephant in the church? Surely not!

No time for writing, but just had to post this, sent to me from one of our Ministers - thanks Andy!

I hope you're getting in on the Beyond 400 conversation - 5 posts, all stimulating our imaginations, so far. I confess, my blogging has slowed down for various reasons recently. One is, I'm conscious I've been invited to contribute (on 5th February, which is when our own Ministers' Conference starts) and I haven't been able to decide what to put into the mix. Consequently, every blog post has been shelved 'in case of need' - I'm up to six now, I think!
So, here's one I prepared earlier, because I've decided to raise the question of missional movement now for Beyond 400. Every blessing.

‘All change’’. Last week, on the London Underground, (this photo, you may guess, was not taken then, but it is a train!) 

I wasn’t expecting it. To be honest, I’d thought it was something, which didn't happen anymore. I’d just settled back into my book, assuming I had fifteen stops to go!

‘All change’. Pandemonium. Bodies, cases, children, everywhere. It’s disorientating because I thought I knew where I was going. I wasn’t expecting to get off right here, right now. It’s unwelcome, because I’ve settled, I haven't finished the chapter I’m on, I don’t want to get up and move, not right here, right now. It’s unexpected, it’s twenty years since I lived in London, it happens everyday, I’ve simply forgotten it might affect me, right here, right now.

Sometimes, I naively think we understand change. We are, after all, still living through a prolonged period of rapid, discontinuous change, with no signs of it slowing down. However, I realise, whenever I engage with churches on this issue, we live in a dualistic world – change is for …. ‘others’ – person, church, fill in any blank, not ‘me’! Bob Dylan sang ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’. He’s still quoted, but he was ‘old’ when I was young! He wrote it in 1963 – nearly fifty years ago.

So what’s this £1 million deficit all about? If you listen to some people, it’s simply about recognising we all need to give more to Home Mission. Spread across the total membership of BUGB, it’s peanuts, quite literally. For me, it’s about the coffee people are waking up to smell! Facing reality, something Jesus needs us all to do when we first meet. It’s the opportunity it presents. It’s the questions it is posing.

Reality: The system is stuck! The system is not working according to its design. Chris Duffett is right in his observation “For all the finances and resources that we share, very little face-to-face good news sharing happens.” This puts the finger on our biggest issue in the UK church. The practices of the church are out of synch with its stated aims and objectives. The genius of the Baptist system, is everybody matters. We are more Wikipedia than Encyclopedia Britannica. Our ‘declaration of principle’ has few words, but says much: it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world. Working with churches, I observe we can change all the words, whether they be written in church meeting minutes, or vision statements, but if the culture does change, the practices remain unchanged. If we cannot return to disciples making disciples at our heart, then all are lost.

A question: What is God is up to? I loved the line in Rowena Wilding’s poem:

“I thought our leadership came from the Teacher.”

We say Jesus is our Teacher. We say Jesus is Lord of His Church. It means precisely that ….  consequently we are not! The time to re-calibrate according to Jesus is here. Everywhere: locally, regionally and nationally. Discipleship needs to return to being our core business, in reality.

Sadly, it has taken the money we are told, by Jesus, not to serve, to make us stop, look and listen. We can both serve and use money. We cannot both serve and use God. Can we face reality AND ask the big questions, which might lead us to address our challenges yes, but also rise to the opportunity this situation presents us with? Only, I suspect, if everybody changes….

As local churches, we gather momentum on the transition from doing mission to being missional.

As regional associations, we cultivate an environment in which pioneers are, not simply given permission, but intentionally grown.

As a national resource we cut the power lines trying to become a proper denomination and re-wire according to the original design for being a missional movement.

As Baptist Colleges we stop asking how can five survive and start asking how can we equip the whole people of God?

As Baptist Ministers we stop pretending we’re professional experts and start learning how to release the ministry of the whole church.

As ministerial recognition processes, we re-establish character as our priority, but that will mean being non-conformists.

Tired?

I notice last week I posted an entry for 'Beyond 400', which is now up and running and promising to be a creative impetus for the future for BUGB.

This week, I'm conscious of feeling 'tired', which can be an early warning system, a valid call for re-adjustment, or even re-alingment, or even simply an excuse to turn back.
Just a sample, for me, as one individual, in what is an average week I imagine: I could be tired because I'm trying to do too much, I'm fed up with the conversation around our future, I'm struggling with issues regionally, I think others are asking too much, I don't seem able to find enough time to get to the really important things, I'm carrying too much for others. or all of the above, or perm any three from ten! (only those with more dubious pasts, like mine, will understand this).

Of course, everyone will identify with feeling tired and especially those being paid for exercising 'Ministry'. Here is an arena, almost designed to drain people of creative energy and disperse clear gifting into mist, if you don't have two things within your grasp: a diary and perseverance.

So, it was with delight I read again James 1:2-8. I've found it a wellspring of nourishment and re-kindled hope.
'joy in trials' (? - not sure about that) brings 'testing of faith' (? - not sure about that one either) leads to 'perseverance' (ahh - at last, something I want, something I desperately need) ...
and then this lovely little phrase, I don't think I've paid much attention to personally before, even having preached on the passage (never assume both co-incide) ... 'let perseverance finish its work'.
Direction is crucial when it is God's call for long obedience in the same direction.

What then is the work of perseverance going on in my life, I must allow God to lead me through?

This brings a whole new perspective, this brings purpose into trials, this sees 'testing' as an experimental laboratory from which new discoveries are made and new ground is explored. This is an adventure with God ..... it just doesn't feel much like it right now.

Beyond 400 - baptists imagining life after 400 years.

‘Beyond 400’ is a new website, starting tomorrow, which has been designed, as far as I understand it, to provide  a platform for raising some creative and innovative thinking concerning the future of baptist life in BUGB (primarily England & part of Wales).

The 'beyond 400 six' say: “We hope that prophetic hunches, helpful insights, and creative thinking will emerge as baptists imagine what might be next after 400 years in Britain”.

40 people (myself included) have been invited to write a short piece of no more than 700 words and the hope is it will help the developing conversation about the future.

www.beyond400.net is the address you need!

Well, we certainly need to hear where the mission of God is leading us, so I hope this welcome initiative cultivates our imaginations and increases our capacities for engagement with God's future.

Cheap Grace

'Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.  Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ - living and incarnate.'










To the best of my knowledge, it was Dietrich Bonhhoeffer and this quote in particular, from The Cost of Discipleship, which coined this phrase. It's now a well known phrase, but tends to be used without reference to the depth and breadth with which Bonhoeffer first used it. It's done me good for years and I am drawing upon its insights again now, so I simply pass it on.