sustain:if:able kiwi

A snobs journey

OK, so I’m a snob. Now that’s clear, I need to weed through my life. How did I end up a snob?

Please, as you read this, don’t try and put names and places to my story. It’s my snobby narrative and I don’t want it used to think bad of any other people. It’s about me OK?

You see, I started out as a bright young thing in what would become a sort of NZ mega-type church. Along the way I realized that some of my mates were dropping out of the mega-type thing. So I began to ask whether they were “back-sliding” or what? Part of this was Graceway, and a journey with a great group of people, together learning about being real, being creative. A lot of healing, a lot of creating, a lot of redeeming went on.

Then along came what I call the “heresy trial”; on the mat, back at mega-type HQ. Never told what was wrong, but funding was suddenly an issue. This was a very painful period of my life, watching those I had loved and respected inflict some pretty painful wounds in me.

So I’ve been whacked about a bit, experienced a personal lack of space for innovation from larger church places. And I don’t want to see another young leader go through what I’ve gone through.

So God bless the large church. And I mean that. But my life experience makes me a bit wary of the relationship between institution and innovation.

In fact, I have a whole folder of “papers” on innovation I’ve given to various institutions. A waste of a few trees really.

So I believe that God uses all sorts of shapes and sizes, from Balaam’s ass (Numbers 22) to Jael’s tent peg (Judges 4). And I believe in Easter Friday and Sunday, that God can redeem; me, mega and emerging. So I plug away within institutions. That’s the call of God on my life. But I hate to see another bright young thing on the mat at mega-type HQ. Because it’s been a really hard place to be.

There. A snob’s story. Never before told on-line. I’m trusting you OK. It’s not for guessing and adding names and making connections.