Tall Skinny Kiwi

Covenant Making is not always evil

Yesterday I was at All Saints [Hataitai] Church to witness and participate in a covenant signing ceremony. But before you get all excited about that word "covenant",  I should tell you that:

1. Yes, I know all about last week's contract/covenant controversy at Mars Hill Seattle and agree that covenants can be abused to control people and I am glad people are sharing exactly what their covenants and commitments entailed. Nothing wrong with a second opinion and the wider-church crowd wisdom.

2. Yes, I am aware of the personality-driven "Covenant" of Destiny Church in which some church members actually wear a covenant ring with Bishop Tamaki's name on it! Apparently the rings cost $300 and were only offered to male members. This practice is weird, creepy and cult-like, it has been suggested, and a good reason to look elsewhere for a church that is focused on Jesus, not the pastor.

I am NOT repeat NOT talking about either case OR about the hundreds of egomaniac preachers who manipulate people's desire for God towards building up the their own ecclesiastic capital [numbers] or financial empire [dollars]. This post has nothing to do with the Shepherding Movement, Gestapo glove-slapping, Kool-aid parties, David Koresh retro-sunglasses or setting up VIDEO TEMPLES for hand-clapping tithing zombies! It should be obvious but that Bible verse "Every eye shall see him" [Rev 1:7] is NOT talking about a YouTube strategy for your pastor's videoed sermons.

It's about Jesus. [Someone say 'Amen!']

Covenant making can be a healthy thing when done right. Yesterday was a good example. Yesterday was the day Urban Vision had its yearly covenant making. The usual suspects where present and there were also some new teams formed and sent into Auckland, Dunedin, Waikato and the Philippines. The teams and communities came up to the front one by one and signed the Covenant. Some were not able to commit to the same level this year and chose the "Companion" option. No pressure for the Companions to upgrade their commitment and those leaving were blessed and prayed for. Reminds me of the phrase "Leaver Sensitive Churches" from Alan Jamieson

This is the Covenant they signed for 2012:

"I freely choose to covenant to fully participate in God's building of the Kingdom as part of the Order of Urban Vision. As part of this Covenant, I choose to uphold and outwork Urban Vision's three commitments:

Deeper intimacy with Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour

Journey further with my Urban Vision community in increasing wholeness, integrity and friendships

Play my part in sharing God's loving justice in this world, especially amongst the poor and marginalized in our neighbourhood"

Signature:                                                            date:

Bishop Thomas Brown [middle] led the communion. Urban Vision Founder Justin Duckworth [right, with the dreadlocks] was waffling on about something . .  can't quite remember what :-] but he did note that Bishop Tom, who is retiring as Bishop of Wellington in March, did "everything right" in his dealings with Urban Vision and will be sorely missed. Archbishop David Moxon [left] flew down from Auckland to witness the event and to deliver a great message. He finished off by illustrating the words of Jesus with chapter headings from Justin and Jenny's book [Against the Tide, Towards the Kingdom]:

Going Deep: Throwing out the "Next" and the "New"

Staying Faithful: Throwing out Experience seeking

Living the Dream: Throwing out Entertainment

Finding our Vocation: Throwing out Career

Trusting God: Throwing out Financial Security

Nurturing Healthy Relationships: Throwing out the Hollywood Romance

Opening our Homes: Throwing Out the Picket Fence

Peddling against the Current: Throwing out Respectability

Sidenote: Nice to see Rev. Simon Winn who is Vicar at All Saints. We met in Oxford at CMS some years ago.

So, do you have a good example of covenant making?

Tall skinny elves at The Hobbit casting call

I took my tallest kids over to Lower Hutt today for The Hobbit casting call. Filming starts next month for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and they were looking for extras: the short, the tall, the skinny, men with big biceps [not me} and those with 'character faces'. Unfortunately, 3000 people turned up and they could only handle 800. The rest of us were turned away but told we could apply online. The Herald said they were "overwhelmed" but it should have been a surprise. We all want to be in the movie!

Bummer!

My kids and I would have made great elves. I am 1.96cm (6'5'') and my son, who turned 21 today, is just a little shorter. The Hobbit will not be the same without us but we forgive Sir Peter Jackson for his oversight and will wait eagerly for the movie.

Actually, it was quite a fun day and a few people turned up in costume. I saw a Gimli lookalike and the guy didn't have any make-up. I suppose thats what they call a "character face".

Sweet Voice Amber Hunter

Amber Hunter has been giving songs away online for years but now is creating her first CD. She led worship at our roundtable gathering at Cornerstone Festival last year and we really loved having her there. She has a story to tell. Watch the video and if you want to help out, visit her project at Kickstarter.

What if church could be more like summer camp?

Camps are cool. My youngest kids went to Christian camps last week. TJ (9) went to El Rancho and Hannah (14) went to Lakeview Bible Camp with some Gospel Chapel people from Foxton. They had a great time. They came home with huge smiles and heads full of memories.

I also have very fond memories of New Zealand camps when I was younger.

Camps are where you can hang out late at night, dress badly, discover yourself, fight the giggles at 2 in the morning, watch the uninhibited speaker embarrass himself publicly, eat poorly cooked food, get up surprisingly early to pray, create and perform silly skits, pee in a freezing cold cement toilet block, and share your life-changing decision with your new friends as bonfire flames lick your eyelashes.

Why can't church be like more like camp?

Well, actually, it can be! As you know we arrived at Ngatiawa Camp a month ago and are still here. This is an old Presbyterian camp that was purchased 8 years ago by a network of Christian communities called Urban Vision and turned into a contemporary monastery that has been embraced by the Anglican church.

Founders Justin and Jenny Duckworth tell the story in their book Against the Tide. Justin is working on his Ph.D on contemporary monasticism and I expect he will have some great contributions to make once he is finished.

In a way, its like a camp that goes on forever, a perennial camp, a camp where no body has to go home because this is their home. They have fixed up the buildings, added gardens, a milking shed for the cows, art spaces for creativity, extra accommodation, a chapel for their 3 daily services, and a wifi signal. But its still a camp. Except the food is better.

We cooked pizza for 50 people last Friday. Every day new people seem to turn up. Lots of young people. Lots of Anglicans, especially since last month's big profile [read article]. Anglican Youth Network Facilitator John Hebenton has been here all week, hiding himself away in the prayer hut. Yesterday, Bishop Richard Ellena dropped in for a cuppa.

Last week a young guy named Tim flew up from Christchurch and hitched his way to Ngatiawa Camp, just to stay one day before flying back south. People are looking for a better way to do church and models like this are giving hope to a new generation.

A lot of young people around the world are starting intentional communities that begin with the template of a monastery and then reduce the weird elements to make it fit the context. But another option is to START WITH A CAMP and add what needs to be added. Seems to be working for Urban Vision.

Want to check it out? Come for PassionFest in Feb right here at Ngatiawa and bring your tent.

Related: Prophets of a New Order, PassionFest in 2012

Top 15 Ways Pastors Get Rich

Ever been ripped off by a pastor? It's embarrassing.

In San Francisco many years ago, my wife and I were relieved of our wedding rings at a Pentecostal meeting. The mega-church preacher had flown in "unexpectantly" from Argentina to host this spontaneous meeting for us pastors and leaders. I don't remember if I handed over my ring before or after he put his hand on my head and knocked me backwards since it was all a little cloudy that night, and still is, actually, but I do remember wondering how the pastor was going to get all that jewelry through customs. And what he would do with the money once all that gold was melted down.

"A church isn't a family business you know; it is a family, but it's not a business." Mark Vrankovich, How Pastors Get Rich.

I may have been ripped off but at least I was done over by a PRO. Lets face it . . . the guy was GOOD. The $10 wedding ring I have now is silver and, due to some knuckle swelling, has permanently mounted itself to my finger so I can safely enter a prosperity church and return without having to explain a ringless finger to my wife. If I wanted to, that is.

There is a great article at cult watch called "How Pastors Get Rich" in which Mark Vrankovich outlines some nasty practices you should watch out for. Its a little scary, and if you see some uncomfortable parallels with your own church then it might be time for a second opinion from someone outside the church.

Top 15 Ways Pastors Get Rich.

1. The Multilevel Marketing Pattern

2. Books

3. DVDs

4. Hyped Conferences

5. The Christian Speaking Circuit

6. Pastor Owned Businesses that Feed Off the Flock

7. The Honor the Pastor Scam

8. High Pressure Offerings

9. Cathedral Building Wars

10. Siphoning Cash into Property

11. Excessive Wages

12. Perks

13. Nepotism

14. Their Fabricated Tithing Doctrine

15. The Carrot and the Stick

Related on TSK: Ka-ching in the Ka-church

Image source.

The Bourne Ecclesiology

Can't wait for the next movie in the Bourne series. Here's a suggestion.

Neo-Reformed Movement and the Fiasco

- David Fitch asks an interesting question regarding Driscoll as the poster-boy for the Neo-Reformed Movement and the emphasis on hierarchical authority:

My question is: are these assumptions part of the larger Neo-Reformed movement as a whole and does this mean that the Neo-Reformed will always be inhibited somewhat from true missional engagement? (Can I say “just asking?”). It will always be a movement prone to attracting Christianized people who are already habituated to submit to a pre-established hierarchical (male) authority.

- Lydia issues a challenge: "Neo-Calvinists, your integrity is on the line here. The world is watching."

- Pastor Jonathan Martin from Why Mark Driscoll is wrong about women in church leadership:

I find it hard to believe that he has not noticed that most women in ministry on the ground are not, in fact, mainline Protestant liberals who are embracing some leftist agenda, but fire-breathing Pentecostal females who are preaching the whole gospel with other-worldly boldness.  Or is the neo-Reformed movement so elitist and self-congratulatory at this point, that this escapes their attention?

Related on TSK: Why I am not a New Calvinist, by one guy who should be.

 

Lausanne Young Leaders

Nominations are open for the Lausanne Consultation for North American Younger Leaders, July 24-26, 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin. Go here to nominate someone. Feb 3 is the deadline.

Because this gathering is by invitation only, we are seeking recommendations. Participants must:

• be in their 20s or 30s
• have a broad influence in their country for the task of world evangelization
• reflect the diversity of the Body of Christ, including ethnicity, gender, and denomination.

Although it has been difficult to see how exactly the young people are "carrying the baton", and although this will not help the balance of North American influence on the wider movement, it should be a good meeting. Nominate the right people and it should make a difference. Here's an image I made from the last Lausanne gathering I went to in Cape Town. Hopefully you will dance better than we did.

Can anyone guess who that white megachurch pastor is???? Clue: (Minneapolis)

Previous: Lausanne Young Leaders 2006, Lausanne Fringe 2011.

Best Coffee in Wellington

Wellington, New Zealand. This little city of 400,000 apparently has more coffee shops per capita than New York and more coffee roasters than London. It's fast becoming a coffee capital of the world.

I went to visit Peoples Coffee at the recommendation of pretty much everyone. We visited Matt Lamason, who started the business in 2004 with his wife. He made me us a wicked expresso with extra shot. Strongest coffee I have ever had. But not bitter at all.

Peoples Coffee deliver their beans to coffee shops all over Wellington and even up in Auckland. They have a strong philosophy of providing a better world for their customers and suppliers. We saw green coffee beans from all over the world but not Indonesia. Apparently they were not convinced that the Indonesians were being fairly treated so they have suspended the coffee supply. Having just been in Indonesia with Wolfgang, we were both able to tell some stories about coffee growers we knew and maybe we can get that supply happening again.

Anyway, great to see a business with such a high standard of ethics and a strong philosophy of mission. They have a special relationship with Urban Vision which describes the coffee initiative this way on their website:

"The Peoples Coffee . . .  is the first justice-oriented business initiative so far in Urban Vision and will hopefully spawn other Fairtrade/Organic business ideas."

Visit the Peoples Coffee Blog

Back to Turkey for earthquake follow-up

Looks like I am going back to Turkey next month. You remember a few months ago we delivered blankets and warm clothes in the first week of the earthquake. There is some follow-up work with the earthquake that I am involved in. Very exciting but will be hard to leave the family.

I am looking for a sponsor to get my flight there. I am also receiving donations for the earthquake and making sure they go to the right place. You can see how we spent the previous money here and our philosophy behind the how we spent it.

I might be open to some volunteers coming with me. There is also a need for some young people to spend a year in Van to help with the rebuilding. I would love to see some Kiwis and Aussies go because there is a special connection with Turkey. Email me and tell me what you're thinking.

Related: Emerging Philanthropy: Now Funding and not Soon Funding

Pioneer Mission Leadership Training

Great news for training for Anglican ministry and ordination, especially young people working in pioneer urban situations. I have blogged about this a few times along the way because we have been supporting this process in a number of ways. Heres the news:

CMS has been given the BIG THUMBS UP to train ordinands in pioneer ministry. Press release here.

Well done, everyone. Especially Jonny Baker who is very very excited about it and also Mark Berry who is berry berry excited.

New Christian websites

2 new Christian websites are launching soon that you should know about:

OpenChurch.com from USA (January) courtesy of Kent Shaffer.

Christian.co.uk from UK (February). Everyone say hello to Ian Matthews.

Both are open for Christian content, articles, blog posts, etc. Go check them out, join them and submit something before the crowds come. What other similar Christian websites are launching this month????

Also, I am getting traffic from Goodsearch.com, especially on my Prayer of Jael post. Does anyone know who is doing this website?

And more:

Julia Mitchell has an iPhone app to help women pray called GodFirst.

40 Baptist Voices from the UK.

The English church that went up a mountain but came down a hill

I have lived in USA for ten years and UK for five. In both countries I worked for the churches. They are different, the churches in USA and UK, something that became more evident this weekend after Mark Driscoll suggested the UK church was the poorer for not having any well-known teachers. Interview is here.

Somebody say CULTURE-CLASH!

"The problem for us is not that the church is full of "cowards", but the problem affecting the way Driscoll sees it is that he doesn't know any "big names", which he feels we need to have.. . . As a nation, we are extremely uncomfortable with personality cults surrounding leaders and "celebrity pastors . . " We Mixed our Drinks

"To write off a whole nations worth of preachers based on the criteria that they need to be “well known” is unhelpful anyway. It plays to the celebrity culture that Driscoll has become enmeshed in." Krish Kandiah

Some differences I have noticed that affect the way we do church in USA and UK:

While Americans memorize their presidents during school and expect other countries to name the most famous of them, the British do not see politics as a celebrity sport but more in terms of policies and parties.

While many [although probably not you, if you are currently writing a nasty comment on my blog] Americans are attracted to spectacle and superlative, the British feel more comfortable with balance and understatement. They would rather call the mountain "a hill" and be corrected, than being accused of making something bigger than it really is.

While Americans stress innovation, the British stress continuity.

While Americans audiences were getting rocked by loud bands on a stage, the British developed club culture in which the stage disappeared and was replaced by a DJ in a booth, putting the lights not on the artist, nor the music, but on the participants themselves. The alternative worship movement in British churches developed along similar lines.

While many American church leaders see thousands of church attenders as the sign of success, some British say 40 is the highest number of church attenders that will still allow an acceptable working dynamic of interaction and intimacy with each other. Any more than 40, and people slip through the cracks or become mere spectators.

While Americans saw the emerging church embodied by a few celebrity pastors and top-selling authors, the British point to the small alt. worship churches and the Fresh Expression movement. Interestingly, out of those 3000 Fresh Expressions that have emerged in the past few years, most Americans could probably not name a single leader. Tell me if you disagree.

Interestingly, while American church attendance has decreased, the British church has noticed "significant increases".

The church in USA is different than the church in UK. While both countries can learn from each other, exporting value systems across the Atlantic does not always help.

Religion: Love it and Hate it

Discussion going on about a YouTube video released this week with 10 million hits already. "Why I hate religion but love Jesus" by spoken word artist Jefferson Bethke, was also the most watched video on Facebook. Jeff seems a nice guy and his message sounds like mine when I was his age. Some people are confused by his take on religion and statements that Jesus came to abolish it. Here's my take:

There is such a thing as dead, empty, powerless religion which God rejects.

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies." Amos 5:21

And there is also religion done right.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

In my youth, I tended to reject the word 'religion" outright as always negative and something to contrast the way of Jesus against. But now in my fourties, I tend to embrace the word more and try to redeem it by showing and attempting to live religion done according to the way of Jesus.

I probably agree with Kevin DeYoung who had some email exchange with Jefferson and  . . . well . . . its all good, bro!

Interesting sidenote. Back in the day, the word "religious" was only used to describe monks. Later on the meaning widened to include non-monastic believers in Christ. These days, we argue whether the word is helpful at all.

The wonderful and lonely path of Dieter Zander

Dieter Zander is one of those guys who make a huge impact on you. In the eighties he pioneered one of the first GenX churches in USA. In the nineties was a well-known pastor and worship leader at Willow Creek. But even then he was a lovely person [its possible!!!] and success had not gone to his head. He and his family moved to San Francisco at the encouragement of a few people, including myself, to follow a harder path. But that path became even move difficult when he endured a major stroke and found himself unable to lead worship or function as a minister.

He calls it "this wonderful and lonely path."

Since then, he has been gaining physical coordination very slowly. He has also become quite the photographer. I got an email today from him and it points to a YouTube video in which he shows some of his work as part of his own struggle and narrative. It's called Stroke of Silence. Thanks Dieter, you are an amazing individual.

Guys in dresses preaching to grandmas

What does a sex-drenched society need most of all? Another book on sex, perhaps? Some preachers think so. In Texas, Ed and Lisa Young are promoting their new book on sex from the rooftop of their house as part of a Sexperiment.

[Sounds like "Buy our book or we will do something you will regret!"]

And on the blogosphere, Mark Driscoll is promoting the "sex manual" that he and his wife wrote by slamming the British, apparently calling their Bible teachers "a bunch of cowards who aren't telling the truth" and suggesting that young men wont go to church so long as there are  "guys in dresses preaching to grandmas!" [Link]

It's called PR Driscoll style, but it is quickly turing into the Battle of Superlatives.

Word to the wise: Never insult the British because they are quick-witted, more clever in their use of the Queens English than you are [they invented it], and boast the sharpest critics in the world. And even though they are a small country, they are a great one, too. Or so said Hugh Grant.

In my opinion, its better NOT to stir them up at all. But Driscoll has indeed stirred them up and they are responding.

At the center of the discussion is an interview with Justin Brierley in which Driscoll shares his perspective on the British scene and is either quoted as saying some really dumb things OR has his words taken out of context. We dont yet really know.

Driscoll calls the interview "“in my opinion, the most disrespectful, adversarial, and subjective."

Both Christian Today and Christianity Mag will run articles on Driscoll. Christianity Mag was known as Christianity and Renewal Mag when it interviewed me back in 2004 on the emerging church and Premier Radio chatted with me the same year. That was back when the emerging church was an interesting subject. Nice people. I will watch for the interview with Justin Brierley.

[update: interview is posted here]

In the meantime, Driscoll has A Blog-Post for the Brits and it would be unfair not to read it first if you were thinking of blogging this conversation.

I, for one, do not have time for the discussion. Neither do I want to focus on the sex issue. I actually agree with Al Mohler [surprised?] that there are some things we as leaders DO NOT have to talk about. There is a place for discernment, for mystery, for some intimate secrets, things left unsaid. The bedroom is one of those places.

If you want the skinny on the controversy, and have already read Rachel Held Evans [who hasn't?] and you dont want to stick your head in the Twitterverse, and you are waiting for Adrian Warnock to say something, then I suggest starting with Bill Kinnon who is getting a lot of blog-action. And Bill points us all to WenatcheeTheHatchet Blog and also to one of England's finest Bible teachers, Chris Wright, who does not, repeat NOT, wear a dress! At least he didn't when we were teaching together in Cape Town.

Some related old posts: Is the blogosphere ready for Mark Driscoll? and Mark Driscoll: The Skinny

The books: Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together [by Mark and Grace Driscoll] and Sexperiment: 7 Days to Lasting Intimacy with Your Spouse [by Ed Young]

Brazil 2012: Rediscovering the path of our fathers

Our global gathering of alternative ministry leaders will take place in Brazil this year. June 6-9 in Uberlandia. The theme is "Rediscovering the faith of our Fathers". The website has been put up by the Brazilians on Tribal Generation but no English version just yet. A similar event they hosted two years ago in Brazil had over 4000 young people attend. I expect it will be mainly Latin Americans. Very expensive to fly right now from other parts of the world. We might do something in Asia also this year on a smaller scale.

I am committed to be there in Brazil and am speaking on something profound and vital [which means I am not sure exactly what] but I don't have the funds just yet for the plane trip which makes me feel a little unsettled. But I am hoping to find some sponsors by June. Keep ya posted . . .

Multi-media gospel preaching from 1892

The "Wordless Book" being used in open air preaching. From the book "China's Millions". Found by Matt Stone. Nice find, Matt!!!!

Jasmin Jones in the house

No relation, but musician/surfer-chick Jasmin Jones from the band Triplet is in the house. Make that IN THE YURT, because a few days ago we managed to fix up a storm damaged yurt and move into it.

Jasmin is the Ozzie-born daughter of a Kiwi dad and Portuguese mum and is in NZ for a month. She has a new album called Lost in Rainbows that is less hard-core than her earlier Triplet stuff and more chilled indie-folk-surfer music. I think so, anyway. Watch her on Youtube.

Practices of a new Jesus movement

 

I visited a number of Asian countries in 2011 and was amazed at the dynamism and commitment of the young Jesus followers.

One network, in a country that I will not mention, stuck out to me as an outstanding example. They have started almost a thousand new communities, many of them multiplying into the second and third generation. And like many new movements in the non-Western world, a Sunday worship service as an evangelistic entry point for potential members, has not been part of their ministry portfolio. Which was the subject of my somewhat provocative post a few days ago, 9 Reasons NOT to plant a church in 2012.

So if they didn't start worship services, how did they start a replicating movement of Christian communities and how do they maintain such a high level of spiritual growth?

Of course it's hard and a little presumptuous to claim which elements of their ministry are the most important but . . . here are 11 practices that I think have contributed to their success:

1. Bible study.

The Bible studies were simple and regular. And there was a lengthy program of discoving Jesus in the gospels which took months to complete. Most who completed the study decided to follow Jesus by the end. Discipleship was based on an "obedience-based approach" to the Scriptures that happened around their 3 simple Bible study questions [see 4. Simple habits]. When the group meets again, everyone is held accountable to do what they said they were going to do and this way the Word becomes an integral part of life.

2. Open houses.

The people were hospitable to visitors who seemed to come at any time of the day or night. Their houses were full of young people living there while their lives were being transformed. I did not see any buildings used for worship or church functions. Bible studies and events took place in the houses, with young people sitting on carpets and mattresses, but I would not classify it as a house church movement, since there was no regular worship service to invite neighbours into.

3. Fringe focus.

The primary influx was young people from the margins, the underbelly of society and those discarded by it, drug addicts, and postmodern sub-cultures rather than mainstream folk. I have seen this trend all over Asia including Japan. Most of the leaders I met had come from these backgrounds also.

4. Simple habits.

Nothing took a lot of skill. Teaching Bible, sharing jesus, leading AA-type meetings, no need for a charismatic superstar to attract an audience and in fact, there wasn't one. Anyone could lead after a short time of instruction. The Bible studies, for example, were based on the same pattern:

After reading a passage together, they all answered 3 questions:

1. What does it say?

2. What does it say to me?

3. What I'm going to do about it?

 

5. Good business products.

Financial sustainability came partly from their micro-businesses. The organic products from these businesses were among the best and healthiest in the country, even if they had not yet found a way to promote or distribute them widely. They had also innovated in the production process and believed God gave revelation that is helping them produce more and better goods and in a way that blesses the environment rather than taking from it.

 

The Christians stole my camera

If my blog has been lacking in cool photos recently, its probably because I no longer have a camera. The Christians stole it.

It was in Cairo, Egypt, last November, when I found myself pushing and shoving inside a thousands-strong mob of Christians trying to enter the Cave church for all night prayer meeting. I didnt even feel them open my bag and take out my camera. But they did. The Christians. They stole my camera.

What do you do with that?

Prophets of the New Order

We are currently in New Zealand, at Ngatiawa Community, a contemplative monastery of Urban Vision that was featured last month in the Anglican publication Taonga. Justin Duckworth [pictured below] has a Youth For Christ past as well as a Baptist background but felt that the Baptists already had lots of good works going. The Anglicans, however, needed some encouragement. Thus the decision to "add value" to the Anglicans by aligning with them.

Nice thinking. Read the article. It's also another good example of next generation ministry that prefers NOT to plant new churches [see my last post] but still maintain a contemplative life and active ministry among the urban poor through Kingdom-minded intentional communities.

Best time to visit the monastery is at PassionFest, Feb 24-26. We will probably return in time for the festival.

9 reasons NOT to plant a church in 2012

[UPDATE: When you are finished reading this post, go here to the second post in this series: Practices of a New Jesus Movement.]

"Church planting is the most effective form of evangelism under heaven" said C.Peter Wagner. I know he said that. I was there. I was a young [and good looking] Seminary student sitting in his classroom when he said it.

It was a welcomed idea, proven scientifically more effective than trying to expand older church structures. Back then, there was little argument against it and the idea was embraced by mission societies and church denominations who played it out in their strategies all through the 90's and also during the noughties when the thinking became mainstream rather than rebellious. I was part of that movement the whole time.

But now it's 2012 and while some young, enthusiastic people are out there planting churches like its 1997, others are focusing on launching more sustainable, more holistic, more measurably transformational Kingdom solutions.

One of the biggest trends in church planting that I observed in my recent 30+ country trek is the SHIFT AWAY FROM planting churches towards NOT planting a church at all but focusing on a wider range of transforming Kingdom activities. Some church planters are delaying the worship service piece of the pioneer missional ministry for as long as possible and sometimes indefinitely.

- At our gathering in Prague, some of the key leaders of the Europe church planting movement a decade ago told us they had already moved into launching monastic type communities and less ecclesiocentric models of ministry than church planting.

- In USA, some of the most innovative new Christian communities I came across did not launch or host Sunday worship services as part of their ministry portfolio.

- In China, I met a young "church planting" couple who have started ministries in over a dozen cities but refuse to start church worship services. They told me that starting a church starts a long and arduous battle with the Chinese government that they have avoided by starting missional enterprises, Kingdom businesses and concert-like events . . . but NOT churches.

- Same in Indonesia. One group had started hundreds of communities but avoided Sunday worship services and refused to construct church buildings, which have a habit of being burned to the ground in that country. Real church happens when the conditions are right, they told me. They would rather seed a potential garden than plant a church.

C.Peter Wagner Image lifted from Ichabod, a website with strong fundamentalist [but poor aesthetic] sensitivities.

WHY THE SHIFT?

There has been some disillusionment with the church planting movement, even after it has purged itself of its 80's church growth pragmatism. I have talked with many of these leaders and have added some observations myself. Here are some of the issues:

---------------------------

David Crowder Trending

Yeah! My mate David Crowder the musician is trending right now worldwide on Twitter.

David - you rock! We are all really proud of you. And I am sooooo sorry for saying you look funny - you look awesome - except that weird gotee!! David, you have come so far since the 90's when you were the worship leader down the road. Hope your final performance as The David Crowder Band goes well at Passion2012 tonight. Sounds like it is. Come over to New Zealand one day and play PassionFest (the other, cooler, smaller, more southernly Passion Festival that we are big fans of.)

Thanks whoever took this photo a few minutes ago . . ..

Worship in a minor key

It's been about ten years since AlternativeWorship.org emerged. This is one of the projects we helped to fund and support and its great to see how it has been a resource to the alt. worship movement over the past decade. Although its pretty impossible to keep up with all the churches, or blogs, it's still a great resource for those looking into doing worship in a postmodern world. It really is a different world that the upbeat, major key, happy-clappy stage worship-anthems that have dominated the evangelical world. And although its a smaller world, its been helpful to hear what everyone is doing and access those resources through sites like Alternative Worship.

Special thanks to the mighty Paul Roberts for the thinking behind it and Steve Collins for the webdesign and some of the research. Steve also created the smallfire.org site which he is still updating and offers a rich view into church on the other side. Check out Beyond.

More resources at Worship Tricks and EmergingChurch.info and there are two excellent books on the art of Curating Worship.