who wins, or what wins?

Next week I’m off to the States to join in with a grandly entitled ‘International Research Consortium' on the future for the Missional Church for 3 days followed by another 3 day ‘think-tank’ – again around the missional church theme. I have to say I am looking forward to it – not last because papers will brought from a whole variety of contexts including European – Sweden, Holland and Germany. Anyway, Pat Keifert, who invited me, was the guy who I heard say ‘ leadership for most Ministers is about who wins’.

Now, arriving home from BU Council – thanks Alisdair for driving straight home (we had a slight detour en route, but just to help anyone else travelling to Swanwick there are two main Conference Centres run by the same group. So make sure you put the right postcode in your Sat Nav!!! It was, however, a chance for a good chat.)

-       I’ve been thinking ‘who wins, or what wins?’

We've been meeting up with the group of our Ministers who lead Churches over 150 in membership. Why 150? Well it’s often been suggested that when you get around this number, any system which depends upon pretty much everything revolving solely around one person, begins to fall down. It certainly cannot be one size fits all IF we are to enable that Church to grow significantly beyond. Beyond that, my take is, you need to follow the vision (what) and not the leader (who). You’ll begin to se the significant difference if you try and play out a few scenarios.

One of the big talking points in my networks over recent years has been ….. what’s happening to the good old days – when you couldn’t predict the winners of the League, FA Cup and anything else (Champions League included?) from four teams. There have been many gains since the inception of the Premier League (a wonderful array of stars on our pitches week-by-week, improved stadiums (although I’d still prefer to stand on the Kop), more money to do things). But who are the real winners and to what extent has the what (football) suffered? Even world football seems to be dominated by personalities (FIFA sounds as bad as the IOC), UEFA policy seems to be determined by the President) and the English scene is dominated by individuals whether they be the new owners, or managers. David Beckham, of course, is a nice bloke and a good (not great, but I’m biased) footballer, but what’s happened to the what (football) when the who (player) determines his last three moves (Real, Galaxy & AC Milan) for other than football reasons?

So who won at BU Council? That’s for anyone there to ponder and frankly, I don’t care, unless 'what' wins becomes clear. I believe we are in a strategically vital place as a whole denomination because we are in a position now where we can actually decide to tip the weight of our relating and resourcing in different directions. We can actually return to something of our roots, I believe, and become a movement of churches engaged in the mission of God (the what, for me). That, if it were to happen, means initiating, establishing, releasing, resourcing, sustaining, growing healthy churches. This wont happen by building grand institutions called associations (I work for one), but by recalling why local churches created them in the first instance. Neither will it happen if we (the ‘who’ – no not Roger Daltrey et al) get in the way. My big anxiety (well one of them) is whether we have too much invested in 'what' we've created than 'who' God created us to become.

The good news is Emily’s bag (above) turned up in Brazil

where the future meets the past....

Where the future meets the past. I just love phrases like this one I read on Alan Hirsch’s blog recently. He was using it to talk about the interface between the progressive forces that mission imposes on the one hand and conservative forces of tradition that must be maintained in order to retain organisational identidy and theological integrity, on the other hand. However, isn’t just a great thought to conjure with? Wouldn’t it make a difference if every worship service had a genuine intention to provide an environment ‘where the future meets the past’?

As for me at the moment - I'm at the BU Council meetings 'where the future meets the past"? - let's just say the opportunity is here, but I'll reserve my judgment as to whether it'll happen this time around - there's still tomorrow!

A sporting weekend this one. We went up to the Stafford Horse trails to watch Ben on Saturday – he did really well with a Dressage score of 37.5 having just got Hattie straight off the lorry, 4 faults in the Show Jumping and a clear Cross Country. Alongside this I was listening to Liverpool’s demolition of Man Utd at Old Trafford – it all seems too late for the title, but it sure feels good!

Today was the Bath Half Marathon – a lovely day for those watching, but too hot for me. Coupled with the fact I didn’t do enough longer runs before hand I didn’t get what I was after and had to be content with 1hr. 45m, which Tom says is still pretty good. Maggie’s suggesting I might be too old to get  a new PB, which, of course, is all the incentive I need to prove her wrong. Off to BU Council tomorrow, which is often described as a three-day church meeting and some people just love it – not me I hasten to add. I wont go as far as suggesting it’s a necessary ‘evil’, but it’s not my favourite way to approach the business of the kingdom. That said, there’s some crucial issues arising this time, so it might be more fun than usual.

Liverpool 5 v Real Madrid 0

If you blog and you support Liverpool, you just have to find a few minutes in a hectic day to make sure everyone is aware we absolutely walked into the Champions League quarter finals last night - Liverpool 5 v Real Madrid 0 is an amazing result. I would have loved to have been there as I've been at most of the great european nights at Anfield over the last few years, but if you can't get tickets for the first game, it gets harder as time goes on - still I'd have been at Heathrow seeing Emily off in any case. That went well, met the team and many of the parents - two I knew (small world). Just heard she's arrived safely in Recife (wonders of modern technology), lost a bag (good job she had two) and met Pat Cash on the plane over.

10, 9, 8 ... Brazil

Most of my early knowledge about Brazil came from Pele and co in the 1960's, but I've found out this week Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and suspect I'm going to discover a load more because Emily is upstairs packing before we drive up to Heathrow and see her off for four months with a Latin link Step Team. 

I found it very moving on Sunday evening at Counterslip when the church prayed for her, listening to her brother Tom praying it was all I could do to not just blub over everyone.

I guess this is a therapy blog day as my internal emotional system is in turmoil. Chaos would be too strong a word, but there's certainly a load of conflicting stuff going around. Basically, Emily is our youngest, our only daughter and so, as well as all the usual stuff about seeing one of your children off into the big wide world, there's all the added symbolic, psychological stuff around today representing the end of something, even if it'll be a transitional period because she'll be back, as Ben still is and even though Tom is married now he still pops in etc.

It's weird in many senses - you hope your children will want to move on and make their own ways, but leaving is tough on us. I'm thrilled my children are seeking to follow Jesus, but didn't write Brazil into my script. I'm tremendously excited for Emily as this is a big adventure, but worried as a parent about the 'if's' and 'buts'. In so many ways today is about many of the big themes of life through a magnifying lens - do you remember using them to focus the suns rays and start a fire, or is it just me who had a pyromanical youth?

However, in the midst of all this turmoil other big questions seek to grab centre stage in my brain. Things such as - why on earth when she's known she's been going for months do we end up buying so much 'necessary' equipment the day before? How come, when there's been 'trial packing' going on for days are we still not packed? It's those questions, which make me understand there's a bit of me going to Brazil too!

Partnership for Missional Church

Today we began the first (half) Cluster for Partnership for Missional Church here in the UK. We're going into this as a partnership between WEBA, Together in Mission and the Dioceses of Bath & Wells & Bristol. It was a relief to get going as some of us have been thinking about this for quite some time - Alisdair and I went to the States two years ago now to look at its operation. Thankfully, it was a great day - 9 congregations are so far on board and we anticipate others 'singing up' before September, which will be the full start date. The mix between Anglicans & Baptists worked well and I think will prove to be an asset to this UK pilot. Hopefully, we'll have some more Baptists brave enough to give it a go as I have a hunch this is going to prove extremely useful for any church willing to come on the adventure. The basic underlying intention is to enable any church to see a culture change towards becoming a truly missional congregation over a three year period. The good thing about PMC is that it offers any church a framework within which they find their own place and ways forward & if Martin Robinson think it's a good thing, that's good enough for me. Will it help? Time will tell, but I'm in the DL Moody camp on this one - 'rather the way I do it, than the ways you don't' etc. - it's definitely worth an experiment, or two.

fertile inactivity

I've been away at the delightful Charney Bassett again this week and will try not to focus on the delights of the desserts - needless to say, they were well up to the high expectation levels we've developed. It was farewell to Norman Tharby who has been the Regional Team Leader for the South East - we shall miss you Norman as well as the six bottles of Merlot! Anyway, amongst all what was going on my friend Geoff prayed for me, as I begin to think more about my pending sabbatical, that I might have plenty of opportunity for 'fertile inactivity'. What a wonderful phrase (Geoff's own blog is  Wonder and Wondering ). I'd already admitted my sabbatical plans were ludicrously filled with unrealistic expectations and how I'd ignored Roy Searl's advice 'do nothing'. However, the idea of fertile inactivity is a good one for me and I've been praying all the way back to Bristol along the lines of 'Lord what do you want to grow in my life?' The idea of culvitating the ground is crucial to good growth and I guess I'm being challenged about the need to not merely be patient about what God might be wanting to do and grow, but to intentionally create the space - clear the ground of the usual rhythm of activity to the point where you can't see what'll pop up. In  that sense, the front door of Charney photo is a symbolic representation of God's invitation. Thanks Geoff!