Forge America

I was stoked to discover today that Forge are kicking off in the US.

Originally an initiative out of Australia, driven in large part by the work of Alan Hirsch and Mike Frost, who get so many mentions on my blog I’m fearful they might think I’m stalking them.

I’m not...really I’m not...I just think that between them they have the best handle on what it means to be missional in the West in the 21st Century, so it’s worth keeping a close eye on what they have to say.

My noodlings about Mission”Al”
My noodlings about Frosty

Forge America describe themselves like this:

Forge is an innovative mission training network that seeks to equip Christian leaders for mission in a first world setting.

Forge recognizes the enormous cultural shifts that have occurred in the world over the last few decades and is committed to developing leaders who can live and serve incarnationally, who have a holistic view of life and mission and who are able to re-think church structures recognizing that one size does not fit all.

Forge encourages the dreamers, entrepreneurs and the risk takers in our churches to boldly seek new expressions of church and new approaches to mission so that we can be genuinely connected to the heartbeat of our communities.

The Forge dream is to see both new missional communities birthed and established churches encouraged refocusing on the task of mission within their communities

Forge has emerged at a time when it is widely agreed that we find ourselves in a new mission context. In our present cultural climate most experienced evangelists and missionaries recognize that intentional mission responses and church planting is the most effective approach. Forge is a bold initiative that specifically addresses these challenges by linking experienced mission practitioners with emerging missional leaders. Forge aims to focus its energy on developing leadership that can understand the missional challenge and proactively develop strategies, approaches and teams, to be able to take the church onto new and uncharted ground.

You may want to check out the forthcoming Forge Missional Imaginations Conference in April, hosted by Wheaton.

Forge’s National US Director is fellow Aussie, Kim Hammond

As a double whammy bonus on this post, here’s a great little interview with Alan conducted by Andrew Marin of Love is An Orientation, and a link to Churchplanters conference where Hirschy gives a great lecture on the whole Missional deal....it’s really worth taking the time with a coffee to listen to this presentation if you want to get some perspective on this missional business (you have to give ‘em your email address)

Croydon Churches: Java for Jesus

I’m looking forward to Croydon Churches Forum Leaders Breakfast tomorrow, part of which will be a presentation from the Nationwide Christian Trust where they will outline their vision – described as Living Oasis - for how some of the old Wesley Owen Christian bookstores can be reinvigorated and used for mission and ministry in their local contexts. This nationwide chain of Christian bookstores has recently been victims of the recession and have been in various stages of liquidation and flux in recent months.

Now, it may seem obvious to Christians that there is need for a high street outlet for Christian resources – books, DVDs, music etc, but I’m quite intrigued to hear more about the vision, and what impact such a retail environment would have on the broader community.

A cursory look at the associated NCT and Living Oasis websites seems to show that - aesthetically at least - the initiatives seem to have both feet planted firmly in the realms of “Churchianity”.

Good books about faith are important – so important - and I dearly wish my own ecclesia would read more often. I’m a massive advocate that Jesus followers should be well resourced and well read, yet I think we have to caution ourselves about creating environments that only appeal to people who behave like we do, look like we do, and share our cultural points of reference. Beware the Holy Huddle.

NCT also mention a move from “Maintenance to Mission” on their site.

Again, this is right up my alley, but the thought occurs that we still need to understand and explore – corporately and individually – what is means to follow the Missio Dei. Do we need to create our own Christian coffee shops, or should we be drinking our Java for Jesus in those places – those “third places” that already exist?

It can be done – and done well, though, as shown by church.co.uk’s recent Hub coffee shop review.

Please don’t assume this post is wholly negative. I’m just exploring and sharing my own internal ramblings, and committing them to the blogosphere!

Blogging Bishop of Croydon, Nick Baines will be at the breakfast, so it will be interesting to hear his views.

HT to Pernell Goodyear of The Freeway for the image

Edify

This video from The Salvation Army’s Edify program in Oz is just amazing....a great work

Kore

It was really good today to share some time, some coffee and some spectacularly varied choices of cake - beetroot & seed, orange & lavender or prune & armagnac - (Google it. I had to...) with Matt and Juls Hollidge from KORE.

There’s something really inspiring about people that you feel an immediate connection with, so when I first met the guys at Digimission a few months, I knew there was a good deal of common ground.

So, today was an affirmation then of that original inspiration for me, as we were able to explore quite how many points of connection there really were – books read, events attended, many mutual in-the-flesh and online buddies, a passion for mission, a desire for the Church to connect with culture. It was exciting to be in the same space with so many ideas fizzing around.

KORE has a wide portfolio of creative resources and other initiates for Jesus following communities.

I’d suggest you explore the site to see if there are ways they could support you.

Check out Shibboleth:

Following in the tradition of master storytellers, Shibboleth is a series of modern parables for a church tucked up in bed..............................zzzzzzzzzzzzz............

Wild Thing from KORE uk on Vimeo.

Great to hook up, guys!

Missional in 2 minutes

This is not the whole story, and obviously only a two minute snapshot which largely ignores the Biblical roots of missional Church, but I think it’s a reasonable starting point to get a notion of what missional is all about.



If you want to go deeper – and you really have to if you want to really understand the roots and reality of missional Church - go and read some Hirsch and Frost, or check this vid out over a coffee.

Here’s a more expansive explanation from Alan Hirsch

I always try to give an acknowledgment the source of any video I post on here, but I struggled a little to find the precise source. I was kind of in the same quandary at The Well Mission’s Andrew Feil, whose cheeky wee comment made me smile.

...found this on Tim Chester’s Blog, but he got it from the Missional Church Network Website, who found it the twitter feed of Alan Hirsch, who got it from Jeff Maguire’s YouTube...

Old Forge Vid: Frost, McLaren and Mr Bass

Check out these snippits of stuff from Forge Australia Dangerous Stories 2 National Summit for the emerging missional church from way back in 2007:

Powerful stuff that had slipped under my radar.

Reclaim

Reclaim Promo from Communications Bureau on Vimeo.

Today in Atlanta – and into the weekend - The Salvation Army holds the RECLAIM event.

There’s an outstanding roster of speakers and workshop leaders, including missiologist, author & all round top bloke Alan Hirsch, the wonderful Phyllis Tickle and Pete Rollins, who has recently made the move to the US from Northern Ireland.

Hirshy has had numerous mentions on this blog because of the impact of his writing – together with his buddy Mike Frost – on my understanding of what it means to be a missional – sent – people.

I love it when our tribe reaches out to other wise voices to help inform what it is to re-engage with mission...so important for a movement that sometimes struggles with the balance of it's calling as a radical Jesus following mission movement and the challenges of also being a massive global social service agency.

It’s good too that some of the workshop themes are taking on the hot potato of human sexuality. I’m willing to be knocked down on this, because I haven’t researched the facts on this, but I can’t remember a time when a Salvation Army conference has dealt with it in such a head-on fashion. I’m glad the initiative has been taken.

We’re on a journey.

Wish I was there!

I’m looking forward to hearing how it went...

TwentyTen: I am released!

OK.

This is a biggie.

During all of the time I’ve been blogging, using Facebook and Twitter etc I’ve been very careful with my online presence to say very little about my previous day to day working life in the electronic music, audio & video product industry…concentrating rather on my life as a follower of Jesus trying to live as authentically as I can.

This was not some secular/sacred issue. I made that online separation simply because I wanted to be defined not by what I “do” in my career, but rather by what I “am”. In fact over the years I have become ever more convicted that it is this attempt at walking the way of Jesus that defines me; weak, faltering and broken as I am.

Now that maxim will apply more than ever:

Here at the beginning of 2010 I become a free agent.

I am released!

My employment came to an end just before Christmas, due to a merger within the corporate group I have been a part of for many years.

Together with my family – and with a lot of prayer – we’ve just been trying to discern where we go from here.

We feel this is gift of God (perhaps more accurately a hefty kick) to make myself more available to Jesus stuff in whatever form that takes. Expecting that there will perhaps be more time than before, I’ve already stepped out and started to take the initiative to get involved in a few things that I have a passion for, and are close to my heart.

It’s time to recalibrate.

Early signs seem to be focussed towards authentic missional discipleship, connection and some kind of increased & enhanced online activity - influenced in part because I have been inspired by those over the last little while who by their living, writing, sharing, creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, grace and love have impacted me more than they will ever realize.

JD, Thomas and Stewart are among that number with the Something Beautiful Podcast and JD’s book, St Peter's Brewery - Chris with Geek-Speak - Sam Radford with his Awaken stuff, Duncan McFadzean with his Seven Men projects, Chris and Dana at Blue Door TV, the remarkable transitional journey of Chick and Margaret Yuill...the list could go on and on!

I've never been much of a bread head, so it will be my passion that will drive this thing. In many ways I want it to be a vehicle to help others, as much as help myself. I'm excited to see how it evolves.

Also, I guess I've been recently quite inspired by former pastor, Problogger and friend of Tall Skinny Kiwi, Darren Rowse, and although I don't expect to be earning 6 figures anytime soon(!!), I am interested to explore just a little of what might be achieved. Over the longer haul, though, I've really been taken by how many of my buddies have just gotten off their butts, and taken leaps of faith...

If we’ve connected in any way since I started blogging YOU are part of my story, for that I thank you.

There’s a phrase that I picked up from renowned missiologist Mike Frost that has real resonance for me and my family at the moment. We are

“Following the Missio Dei into Strange Places”

I am excited about what God has in store for us!

If you want to join me on the journey or think I can in some small way support you on yours, feel free to get in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter

We would ask for your prayers.

Much love...in his dust

Digimission...a rambling response

I’ve been trying to find a few minutes to scribble down a few thoughts on the excellent Digimission day put together by the Krish Kandiah and his team at the EA to explore how we Jesus followers navigate the digital age , but it’s been mad busy since.

Right off the bat it’s important to say how good it was to have even seen such an event in the taking place at the moment in the UK. I think it’s fair to say that in terms of how the Church is engaging with this new digital age we’re a little behind where people are at in the US.

Having said that, there was enough of a good cross section of folks present at the London event to encourage me that there are people who are really getting to grips with what it means for us individually – as bloggers, Facebook and Twitter users –corporately as Churches, organisations, tribes of all sorts…as we wrestle with how we do Church today.

The mix of speakers was pretty good, each bringing a slightly different perspective to the table.

Jonny Baker was first up and for me seemed to be the most comfortable and familiar with this new “low control” Web 2.0 environment. A long time, influential & well known blogger in the area of missional Church and Alternative Worship, Jonny inhabits this world with a sense of ease that means that his experience seemed to be more integrated into the whole of life, rather than absorption with the technology for its own sake.

So, there wasn’t much of a feeling of “this is the tech, and here’s what to do with it”, but rather a more expansive and ultimately more helpful exploration of interconnectedness, mission, social media and relationship in the West in the 21st Century that drew in “Small World Theory”, networks and the writing of Clay Shirky.

Top stuff from Jonny!

Maggi Dawn’s approach seemed to be to start from a different but no less inspiring place…from that of a writer, and the “Vicar” of her blog.Clearly the relational – even Pastoral - aspects of blogging are high in Maggi’s priorities, and I liked fact she described blogging as a relational form of writing, a real point of resonance for someone like me who values so highly the level interaction and engagement that is possible now.

We heard too from Adrian Warnock via a pre-recorded video, which of course meant something of a one way dialog, which perhaps was slightly at odds with the “connected” thread I was taking from Jonny and Maggi. Interesting footnote for me that Adrian had intentionally switched off his comments on his own blog. I guess I’ll have to do some detective work to see if I can figure out the back story there, as I’m less familiar with Adrian’s web presence than I am with that of Maggi & Jonny.

Third up in the flesh speaker was Mark Meynell from All Souls Langham place. Mark’s approach seemed to me to be rooted in his missional heart. There seemed to be an intentionality about Mark’s approach that was interesting.

Ahead of the event, and one of the deciding factor in getting me to attend at all was knowing that Shane Hipps would be featured – albeit via a live online hook up from Phoenix AZ – where it would have been a great deal warmer than the freezing venue.

Shane’s Flickering Pixels has been on my book list for a while now, so it was good to hear what he had to say. I’m looking forward to checking out the freebie book that came my way for being an early bird booker to Digimission.

Krish himself wrapped up the day. He’s no techno-slouch, so I would hazard a guess that we will continue to see more days like this in the future. Bring it on.

The bottom line for me is this is the world we’re living in. We have to engage with it, and understand it. We need to speak the language.

Fabulous to hook up with Richard Hall and the guys from Kore (a website well worth the look)

Thanks to all for a great day!

• More lucid and sensible reviews than mine from Everything Christian, Church Mouse, Richard Hall and Andy Moore• Watch Digimission here:

Shifting sands in the Mid West

It’s interesting to me that two of my favo(u)rite bloggers, Carlos Whittaker and Scott Hodge both announced some major new initiatives in their live/ministries on the same day.

Scott announced his new senior pastor mentoring program for pastors leading Church communities in transition, and Los dropped a surprise by announcing his move to Soul City Church in Chicago, for some radical incarnational living….pretty much on Scott’s doorstep, btw!

Scott uses the phrase

“deep in the trenches on transition”

in his vid. That has such resonance for me right now.

Exciting Announcement! from scotthodge on Vimeo.

I also like Soul City Church's emphasis on whole life 7 day a week discipleship.




Inspired by, and praying for both you guys!

TransFORM

I kinda already heard a little bit of a buzz about these guys on the web, and Chris’ post at This Fragile Tent drew my attention to them with a little more fine focus.

TransFORM: Missional Community Formation from TransFORM on Vimeo.

There are some good people here, and I like what they are saying…

Thanks Erwin!

Having devoured Erwin McManus’ fabulous book, The Barbarian Way a couple of years back it was so cool to go and hear Erwin speak at Kerith Community Church in Bracknell this weekend.

It was such a good day…inspirational on all kinds of levels.

Erwin is such a dynamic, engaging and challenging speaker; it’s hard not to be motivated by what he says. A special word too for the beautifully produced short films which acted as bookends to each session. Each was a poignant and thought provoking film which made you really think. Amazing stuff.

There was so much to compute…so much good stuff to take on board that I’ve not had time to put my thoughts down. I’m still processing it all. I’m kinda hoping there’s someone better and brighter than me who was there, who is going to commit their thoughts on the day to the blogosphere! Hopefully, though, as the days go on I can actually manage to get some of my response down on paper.

Most significantly I was glad that through all the teaching, Erwin constantly brought us back to Jesus.

Also, it was fascinating to hear something of the story of Erwin’s tribe - Mosaic in LA and the rich diversity of the community there. One phrase that jumped out to me

…”we like people who are not like us”.

I love it!

It was great too to hook up with Neil Nakamoto from Mosaic, one of I think eight guys who’ve been travelling with Erwin on this European trip. A kinder and more gracious guy you’ll struggle to find. Knowing that Neil, Eric Bryant and Adrian Kohler are on staff at Mosaic with Erwin must mean those guys alone make up part of a rocking team!

…wonderful too to finally meet Sam and Rachel Radford from Mosaic in Sheffield, all the guys from The Salvation Army in Histon and fellow Twitterer Ben Pocock

Anyhow…an awesome day...I bought my copy of another Erwin book, “Wide Awake” – looking forward to reading it.

Thanks, Erwin!

If you know nothing about Erwin or Mosaic, the stuff online is really worth checking out.

Conference Junkie?

OK.

I confess.

Given the right set of opportunities…being in the right place at the right time…having the available funds….I could easily become a conference junkie.

In some ways it’s just as well that I’m this side of the Atlantic, because this early part of 2009 has seen a raft of fascinating events that I would loved to have been able to get to.

Since January 09, we’ve seen The Idea Camp and Catalyst West, and now Q.

For me, there’s something hugely attractive and stimulating about these hothouses for stories, big ideas and vision casting.

Web presence is high in all of these cases, so you might want to check them about.

HT to Q for the pic

Blessed

I’ve been really enjoying the teaching of Erwin McManus on the Beatitudes at the Mosaic Podcast.

If you want to explore Jesus’ teaching from that famous Sermon on the Mount, the podcast is a great intro….

Thanks, Erwin

HT to Mosaic for the great pic

Mahalo for the tees

Just thought I'd share a pic of these great long-sleeved tees from the guys at Revolution Hawaii.

Great ministry
Great clothing

Check out their Facebook Group here

Mahalo for the tees, guys

Two Chris’

Let me point you in the direction of this excellent & fascinating post from Chris Goan at This Fragile Tent, where he wrestles with the concept of friendship and the internet.

I found Chris’ great piece hot on the heels of spending a wonderful day with another Chris on Saturday.

Chris & Dana Byers and their fantastic kids spent a good part of the day with us…feasting on a sumptuous breakfast at Casa Laird, walking around our pretty little home town in the sunshine (yes! It’s back…or at least it was…periodically), fizzing around ideas & sharing our stories together. We had a really great time.

I mention this because our relationship is one that started entirely online, and has quite quickly moved to being an actual face-to-face flesh & blood friendship.



In his blog post, Chris Goan says this, drawing his conclusions about a study he references in the post:

“So, what can we make of all of this? The study clearly takes the view that on-line contact is not enough, and indeed may be problematic.
I still hope however, that when used well and purposefully, on-line connections might facilitate community building. This is where I still place my energy……..
…..It is almost as if we humans were made to find our highest expression in community. As if we were wired and plumbed for this.”

I was so glad to move from online to real community with Dana & Chris Byers, but am glad I can stay so closely and regularly connected with them via the internet.

Here’s to the next big breakfast, guys!

Pernell

Glad to see that Pernell Goodyear is blogging again after quite a long hiatus.

Visit Pernell for perceptive stuff about the way of Jesus, mission, stories about his tribe, The FRWY, and all kinds of other good stuff.

“Yet we are not without hope”

OK. This is a basically a Sally Army orientated post, but if you are reading this, and you’re not a Sally, there’s a lot of good stuff to chew over.
Phil Wall writes in his usual powerful and compelling way on the subject of hope, here at The Rubicon.

Challenging as ever - especially for those whose tribe is The Salvation Army – Phil pulls no punches when outlining some of the realities of the state of Western Salvationism. For some readers, it might make them wince a little, but for me, it’s imperative that we stare those realities straight in the face.

As Phil, says: “Yet we are not without hope”

No matter the difficulties that seem to confront us on every side, when we choose Hope over Fear, Spirit over Religion, Idealism over Cynicism, Mission over Tradition, Sacrifice over Comfort, Reliance over Independence, such an Army we become.

Thanks to @primitivesalvo at ArmyRenewal for pointing me in the direction of this great piece.

24/7 Prayer

...good to see that the incredible 24/7 Prayer Movement Leader, Pete Greig is featured on the most recent cover of RELEVANT Magazine.

24/7 is one of those movements that search for what God is blessing and rides the wave!

In the beginning there was chaos, naivity and passion...but they followed the Spirit and have blossomed in ways they would never have imagined.

Check out these short movies for a flavo(u)r

Freeway

Check out this little bitty promo vid for an upcoming show, which features - among others - my blogging buddy, top man...Pernell Goodyear of the Freeway in Hamilton ON.