I’ve been away at the Eurochurch conference, which is one attempt at providing a learning community for various people involved in
mission and church planting from across Europe. A wonderful group of people to be a part of.
Here’s some observations, my own included:
· Although Lesslie Newbigin (1909-98) probably began
what we now call the Missional conversation, it remains at best picked up by
early adopters and is not deeply embedded among us, or in our organisations.
· The influence of Christendom may have begun to wain
around the end of the 19th Century, but has a long tail.
· The reverberations of all the 1960’s highlighted has continued
around Europe, albeit differently.
· Answers for Europe will not come ready packaged from
elsewhere.
· Europe is in danger of denying our foundation
(Christian) story ever existed.
· Whenever there is a crisis in a culture it revolves
around truth and epistemological questions.
· We are living in a pivotal time in Europe for the
church.
· The NT word kairos is a word usually associated with
repentance (metanoia), which calls for a turn of the whole body (mind,
direction, actions, life).
· The gospel travels along relational lines.
· The extent to which the Churches of Europe believe the
future is in attractional church models will reveal the extent of the problem
(on this evidence massive!).
· If the only tool you have is a hammer then everything else
looks like a nail. (Alan Hirsch quoted elsewhere, but worthy of another
mention).
· Our problem is we’ve arrived at a place where we think we have to get
people to feel bad about themselves before we can introduce hem to Jesus.
· Discipleship is the number one issue across the
(European) board.
· Challenge to take people from building their kingdom
(and inviting God sometimes to fit in) to building God’s kingdom, with Jesus as
King.
Many more, much to digest and missional
movement to nurture.
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