Reflections : two years after MSC

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Reflections two years after MSC

• 1 Domestication Danger

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1 Domestication You think Im joking ?
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Oh dear

• Just change the labels

• M-S PCC Agenda
• Mission-shaped Apologies
• Mission-shaped Minutes of 20th Oct
• Mission-shaped Matters Arising
• Too many to list
• Mission-shaped Repair of Hymn books
• Mission-shaped Tower Appeal
• Mission-shaped sacking of Youth Worker

Mission Shaped Plonk 2004
Parish Plonk 1989
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Not just Language games ?
FXC
Mission Context
The key is the process not what it looks like
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2 A framework to assess mission
The apostolic direction of the ChurchActs 1.8
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria to the end of the
earth When the Spirit comes upon you..
What is this journey ? From the familiar
through the disagreeable to the unthinkable ?
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Questions

• How much of our current work do you think is
  within the Jerusalem and Judea framework?
• How can we co-operate with the Spirit in spotting
  and releasing people like Philip, Barnabas and
  Paul who are called to journey to Samaria and
  the Ends of the Earth?
• What proportions of our evangelists should we
  seek to have sent to each mission field? How
  would we discover answers to that?
• Is the diagram, about a change of centre, fair to
  NT history? If so, what are the implications of
  the change of centre for the way we work?

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The Judean Journey is not enough
PS Notice what happens to the old centre
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Mission-shaped not just flavoured
Mission-shaped means

• Changes of instinct for existing churches
• From modify the existing to create the different
• From improve the existing, to diversify
• From adding to 1 church, to multiplying churches

Staying in Jerusalem and its shape - cannot be
enough
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Mission-shaped not just flavoured

• Changes of instinct
• From modify the existing to create the different
• From improve the existing to diversify
• From adding to 1 church, to multiplying churches
• Seeing all inclusive congregation is an illusion

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3 Double Listening

• Takes skill, humility, perception, experience

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Double Listening clarified

• How are we listening?

• Is this just a human activity - a missional
  science?
• No, its spiritual, listening to God
• No, its an Art a kind of discernment

MSC p 104-105 and Michael Nazir-Ali Shapes of
the Church to Come Chs 1-2
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Listening to what sources?
To God through the Word
To others in the World

• Too narrow
• Separates Word and Tradition
• Separates Word and the Spirit, active in the
  world
• The NT shows Apostles listening to both

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Listening for what ?

• listening to God, for

Mission in stereo, hears God better
MSC p 104-105 and Michael Nazir-Ali Shapes of
the Church to Come Chs 1-2
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Get the connections right
Only one Listening
Create Church
Planting Evangelism
1st ear Listen To Context
Syncretism
2nd ear Listen To Tradition
Irrelevance
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Get the order right
Create Church
Planting Evangelism
1st ear Listen To Context
Mission Shapes Church
Scripture assesses fresh expressions
2nd ear Listen To Tradition
Hold together two things creative engagement
with context faithfulness to the good news in
Jesus
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Triple Listening doesnt help

• 3 Sources Word World and oneself ?
• We do need to avoid both
• Modernist nonsense about utter observer
  objectivity
• Post-modern doctrine that there is no objective
  core
• Who has 3 ears? - Let alone 6?

Stay with careful Double Listening Be rigorous
about it Make it a core competency in our people
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Questions re double listening
Culture can be described as the way things are
around here, and is almost imperceptible to
those who live within it. Some observers say
culture is made up of concentric rings
behaviours, forms and meanings, values and
worldview.

• Which of those levels are harder for outsiders to
  discover and why?
• Which of those four levels are most important for
  Gospel and Church to challenge?
• What would you say is the dominant culture in
  which you live?
• Describe the core/ essence/ seed of the Gospel
  that could enter that culture and what would be
  the challenge brought by it?
• What would the core/ essence/ seed of the Church
  be and what would be its challenge to the
  culture?

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What are these ?
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Crossing the gap
Great architecture, but
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Fresh expressions of community action
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Fresh Expressions of evangelism
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Fresh Expressions of worship
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What are these ?

• Depends on what they do

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What tests for bridges and arches

• If it grows disciples
• If it creates interest
• If it produces enquirers
• If it produces converts

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5 Clear and Present danger

• Ask for experiments but deny them resources

Do mission- shaped Money and mission-shaped
Personnel follow the Mission-shaped Agenda ?
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Have we done the easy bit ?
The hardest parts of the journey may still be to
come.

• Lower rear gear less speed, easier pedalling
• Higher rear gear more speed, harder work

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Gearing up for more change
e.g. Re Getting Pioneers deep into our system
Enabling Pioneer Ministers

• Spot some pioneers
• Change selection criteria
• Provide different training
• Find suitable first posts
• Career Pioneer path beyond first job

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Finding the Non Churched

• Its about where they gather.. cf Acts 16ff

Do we dare enter their worlds of..