movements

Well, I'm wanting to move swiftly on from last night's football - dismal, or what? I was listening at breakfast to someone saying 'Stephen Gerrard playing on the left-hand side completely ruins the shape of the side' - so a football conversation, which is about 'team.' I also happen today to still be part of the Partnership for Missional Church Cluster we're running, where we're talking about spiritual leadership, teams and mission. Now the resonance with last night's football and today are very interesting. Of course, both things are fresh in my mind so there's a danger of the preacher's spiritualising of everything which moves syndrome. 
Again, a comment on last night's football - 'if the shape of the team is wrong and you're asked to do a job you're not comfortable with, anyone will struggle' - just like many a church leadership - we're pushing round pegs into square holes in too many situations and the whole is struggling as a result.
Read Stuart Murray Williams' article in the BT today on family or movement? Of course, I found this interesting because I agree with him (and even got a subtle reference). Here at PMC we've been reflecting on the 'family' mentality we have about our own local church community - so many of the references from the congregational interviews we get churches to accumulate, refer to being 'friendly' and 'welcoming' but they point has been made that if we go into the communities around our church buildings they ask 'who'? They're not saying we're lying, not friendly or welcoming, but they simply don;t know we exist. What is also interesting to note is the correlation between the deep experience of being family on the inside, is the reverse of what is experienced by those on the outside. So, I think where I'm going with my thinking on this is to support the idea that the role in movement anything other than the edges of the movement has will be indirect, permission giving, empowering, etc.