sustain:if:able kiwi

Unexpected treats

I have been unexpectedly and richly blessed by the following two books in recent months.

Seeing things helps me understand things. In the midst of words and concepts, I often find a simple diagram brings clarity and fresh insight. After the Spirit, by Eugene Rogers is a theology book that in the midst of some sophisticated reflection on the Spirit as revealed in the ministry of Jesus, managed to draw on some art. This is the type of book that has sat by my bed for the last 9 months, and I have found myself turning to as Christmas, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday approached. And the art pieces – on Jesus birth, baptism and ascension – clarified and then enlivened 3 sermons and 2 lectures.

Behind a boring cover, this book has been fantastic. It’s brought Ezekiel to life for me in recent days. What I thought was a dusty old prophet has become a deeply inspiring and encouraging friend. There’s a huge vision of God and the gospel for the whole of life hidden in Ezekiel that is accessed by this commentary. I have been toying with doing a series on the 12 minor prophets and reading this book has made up my mind.

sharpening the edge

Last week I was part of Sharpening the edge conference, wondering what God is up to in New Zealand by gathering around 8 mission stories. There are now some video highlights up on youtube, including part of my presentation, storytelling some mission stories about our multi-congregational approach. (Wow, do I ever wave my arms when I speak. Is that distracting?)

There were 7 other stories. You can catch Rich Johnson talking about St Pauls here, and Duane Major talking about 24/7 here.

So what might God be up to in New Zealand today? Here is an excellent written summary, by the prodigal Kiwis.

: Changing primary biblical mandates. A few years ago I suspect a similar gathering would have emphasized the great commission passages (e.g. Matthew 28) or the mercy/ compassion passages (e.g. Luke 4 v16) that under girded the move into community ministries but none of these mandates seemed to be primarily informing the new initiatives described as this gathering. More in vogue were Acts 2, Luke 10:1-12, and the parable of the prodigal father coupled with biblical images of friendship.

: The conference as whole offered avenues of hope for older established churches and new fresh plants. There were expressions of re-awakening and re-emerging Missional life and new mission endeavors. Both were encouraged and examples of both were shared by way of stories – memorable for many was youthful Anglican Priest, Rich Johnson’s telling to the St. Paul’s Symond Street story over recent years. Another example was the Opawa story, narrated in part by Steve Taylor. As we’ve noted above, both offered (in different ways) hope for long established mainstream congregations.

listening to the Spirit during weekly church

Today was a Sun-day when the last thing I wanted to be was a pastoral leader.

Some background. I had preached last week, a reflection on Ezekiel 37, and all week have been getting email and comment back about what I had preached. People challenged, people inspired.

All week, the intuitive part of me was saying “pause Steve. listen Steve.” You see, I’m like a magpie. I like bright and shiny things. It easy for me to approach the Bible like that, always looking for a new bit of information. It is easy to approach church like that – last week’s sermon was good, what will we be fed this week. I suspect those narratives are strongly at work in many of us.

The ordered part of me had a sermon topic – starting a 3 week series on Jesus and money – to work away on. Besides, how can you pause a week after you’ve preached something. There would be people absent last week, but present this week. There would be visitors, new to the church. It’s not very welcoming when they start to hear all about a previous something they’ve missed.

So by last night I had a sermon, needing the usual Sunday morning polish, but ready to go.

This morning I read today’s lectionary reading. In the cycle I use, it is Ezekiel 47 and it beautifully mirrors and reflects last weeks Bible text, Ezekiel 37. And I sense that God is wanting me to ditch the ordered sermon and go with the intuitive wondering. Which would be fine if this was 24 or even 48 hours ago, but church is 2 hours away.

God, find someone else to be a pastoral leader. Find someone else to balance preparation with intuitive trusting the Spirit. Find someone else to discern what needs to happen. Grump over. Back to work.

My partner created a handout, summarising last week and giving 2 questions for reflection.

I stood and explained what would happen:
1. A short introduction, asking us to consider how we as the people of God engage the Bible. Are we magpies? Does God only speak through preaching, or can God also speak through Scripture reading and through the body of Christ?
2. Summarise last week and read Biblical text
3. Give 4 mins for individual reflection, using handout.
4. Open microphone time for people to share
5. A 10 minute spoken reflection on Ezekiel 47 and how it mirrors Ezekiel 37, thus offering some fresh content for those fresh to the process and who like sermonic input.

Anyhow, these are my summary notes of what was shared during (4) at the open mic:
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us that we need to be willing to let God do something different.
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us that it is not up to us as humans to rattle dead bones. Rather it is God doing something. Our role is simply to speak “lavish kindness”
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us we need to pray every day “fill me afresh Spirit today.” This was being integrated into a spiritual practise that had been suggested earlier in the year.
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us God has given each of us talents, so none of us need to be a dry bone.
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us it is easy to look at dry bones and lose hope. Yet following God is about faith in things not yet seen.
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us even though things have been hard in my life (and thanks to my home group for supporting me), I need to keep working on it.
– Ezekiel 37 reminds us that we should never give up. Dry bones are like all those unanswered prayers.

A very stressful Sunday. How does a group of people who meet weekly pause and listen, in a way that is not inhospitable to visitors?

film and faith online

I am spending the day with my Bible College of New Zealand Faith and Film class. Rather than lecture, together we are working on a website, film and faith – online – from a Kiwi perspective. I am providing the coffees. They are writing the reviews and building the website (we are using a wiki) over the day. It will be fascinating to see what develops by the end of today.

Once we have the reviews up, the class and I will watch, fascinated, to see what happens. Two of the class learning outcomes are:

– elaborate some of the key characteristics of contemporary New Zealand culture as portrayed in New Zealand films and reflect on these from a Christian perspective
– identify ways in which film may be utilized as a point of engagement for the gospel within contemporary society

So, if we build a website about film, exploring film from a New Zealand and Christian perspective, what will result as a point of contemporary engagement? Will other’s comment? Will other’s want to join and add reviews (anyone can apply simply by asking)? Will the class keep wanting to write reviews once the day is done? Will the next class (I run Faith and Film every 2 years) want to build on today?

It’s fun. It’s a good way to learn and be together with students. It might even be useful. Imagine that. A seminary class that is actually useful!

one church, many congregations and one member

I wrote the blurb below for our church newsletter today. I post it here because it gives some insight into our life and into how we are reworking traditional concepts like church membership into our multi-congregational approach. Note also that there’s a whole lot more thinking about how to innovate and free mission within existing systems that lies behind the multi-congregational approach. For us, its not a formula, but a way of pursuing the mission of God.

At Opawa Baptist we are one church with multiple congregations. I find it helpful to think of it as an umbrella, a shared handle and a shared shelter, under which different congregations huddle. We are one church as we share vision and values, pastoral leadership, all-church events, teaching, shared prayer, growth coaching and training, etc.

Under this one umbrella different congregations can stand. A congregation is seen as a place to develop community, to grow in Christian life to the full and to extend Jesus love. A congregation will express these values in different and unique ways. For example, people grow in Christian life through sermons on a Sunday morning, or through engaging with art at Side Door or entering into discussion at Espresso, or hymns and soup at the Hymn congregation.

Practically, at a church forum in 2004, we noted that this would mean:
1. Working at all-church celebrations that gather the whole church.
2. Building discipling and pastoral structures that could fit any congregation.
3. A newsletter suitable for all congregations.
4. Members are welcomed and people are baptized in either their congregation or at all-church celebrations, with the use of technology to share highlights from other congregations e.g. baptisms, membership.
5. All congregations seen as equally valid.
6. All congregations have appropriate ways to contribute financially to the whole.

I note this because Tuesday night will include a historic moment for our espresso congregation, as it welcomes IM as a church member. Other church members attend espresso, but this is the first time someone has been welcomed into Opawa Baptist membership at espresso.

Why welcome IM at Espresso? Because espresso is the congregation by which IM found his way into Opawa. Equally, for IM, becoming a church member is an expression of his sense of belonging to the whole Opawa church.

For more on our multi-congregational model go here.
For information on each congregation, check down the sidebar here or here.

a day that turned pear shaped

I have been away from Sunday, part of leading and speaking at a conference in Auckland, storytelling around new mission expressions. About 70 people gathering around 8 mission stories. Lots of learning, lots of relationship building between different parts of God’s body.

Around that gathering I have also been hosting Al Roxburgh and the first conversations around the Allelon Mission in Western Culture project as it might apply to New Zealand. So last night included a meal, with various church leaders here in New Zealand, informally, as we wondered aloud (and got an overwhelming affirmation), with regard to New Zealand.

Today I was due to fly back to Christchurch for the first lecture of a new class for the Semester, Being Kiwi, Being Christian. At the hotel, I opened my laptop bag this morning to begin my lecture preparation and realised that in the rush of my speaking yesterday, I had left behind my powercord for my laptop.

Sinking feeling … quick cancelling of taxi … rushing back to conference venue … searching … finding … great sigh of relief … off to airport.

Only to find my flight delayed… great sinking feeling, as I realise I am going to be missing my first class … Lynne said she could collect my bags, so I run off the plane … rush from the airport by taxi (never again, it was RIDICULOUSLY expensive) … frantically print off my notes … charging into the classroom.

Thankfully the 35 students were very gracious about the class starting late and it was a good start.

I am now due in town, to do a recording for a community radio station, talking about life and faith in Aotearoa New Zealand. Very much looking forward to collapsing at home and being able to simply laugh about being on the other side of a pear-shaped day.