Toronto: Feb 2008

The Sheffield CentreChurch Army’s Research unit

Vital Church Planting – session 2

DNA as the process of creating Church

2 DNA as how Church is created– What are the processes?

Church Plants or Fresh Expressions?To Church Plant – its a verb: The theory and practice of the understanding that governs the following process : ….“The creating and sustaining of further and fresh expressions of Christian community”

“Church planting” is the discipline [CPg]

“Fresh Expressions of Church” [FXC] is its fruit

or manifestationMission-shaped Church p 32

Process lesson ONE

Learning from Seed sowing

The principle : Seeds must be allowed to die

“What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” 1 Corinthians 15 36

Sowing Jesus patterns

If anyone serves me, he must follow me and where I am there my servant also will be.John 12 26

Baptism – yes Church year – yesSpirituality – yes

Mission? – what?But John 20 …

As …. In the same apostolic manner of being sent ….On the same journey from incarnational identification to counter cultural engagement …In the same way I died and re-emerged different and the same … In the willingness to die to present glory & take the form of a dying slave ..In becoming different to become like those to whom I was sent ……. So I send

you

As the Father sent me so I send you

Sowing Jesus patterns

Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds.John 12 24

Dying to live …

Something unforeseen can grow

How’s that ?• The seed is the sent out incoming team

• They “die” to their previous identity – No longer part of St Silas Somewhere– No longer holding onto “how we did things there”

• Remember Paul the apostle– “To the Greeks I became as a Greek” [1 Cor 9] …

Seeds are different to plants

Mixing with the soil of the mission context…The planted seed community becomes a new body of believers as well us a body of new believers

Beware • What is planted is …• Jesus centred community-in-mission

• It’s not mechanical – sorry Henry Ford • It’s not just biological – spraying seeds around

• It’s human and spiritual

• Dying to live yes but…• Be real about the costs

Process lesson - TWO “Double listening”

Mission in stereo, hears God better

MSC p 104-105 and Michael Nazir-Ali : Shapes of the Church to Come Chs 1-2

To the essence/core of the Christian Inheritance

To the Mission Context

Listening to what sources?

To others in the World

To God through the Word

• No, too narrow a view:– Separates Word and Tradition – Separates Word and the Spirit, active in the world– The NT shows Apostles listening to both

Get the connections right

Planting …Evangelism

Create Church

1st earListen To Context

2nd ear Listen To Tradition

?

?

Only one…Listening

Irrelevance

Syncretism

Get the order right Planting …Evangelism

Create Church

1st earListen To Context

2nd ear Listen To Tradition

Mission

Shapes

Church

Scripture assesses fresh expressions

Hold together two things creative engagement with contextfaithfulness to the good news in Jesus

Process lesson - THREEProcess lesson - THREE

Ask the right questions– Ask them in the right order

start with the church and the mission will probably get lost. start with the mission and it is likely that the Church will be found. Mission-shaped Church 2004:116

WHO FOR ?

WHO WITH ?

WHO BY ?

A three dimensional process A three dimensional process Who is the Fresh Expression FOR ? –

Mission GOAL – Network or Neighbourhood– De churched or Non churched

Who is the planting done BY ? – Mission RESOURCE – Pioneer or Progression– Cell or Congregation

Who is it done WITH ? – Mission PARTNERS – Runner Graft Seed or Transplant

3 key questions ...3 key questions ...

“What is the mission to this area ?”

“What set of spiritual disciplinesis required to sustain the community in that mission?”

“What kind of community is needed to sustain the mission?”

Based on questions asked by Church of Saviour Washington DCMSC p 116

Process lesson - FOURProcess lesson - FOUR

Beware Christendom imported distortions– Including the dominance of public worship – Leading to “come” shaped mission

WorshipCommunity

MissionSpirituality

Robert Warren: Building Missionary Congregations

What is ChurchIdeally made of ? ....

The Christendom distortionThe Christendom distortion

Worship

MissionCommunity

Different Mission FieldsDifferent Mission Fields

Non ChurchedNon Churched(40%)(40%)

Regular attenders Regular attenders – at least monthly– at least monthly

(10%)(10%)FringeFringe

- less than monthly- less than monthly(10%)(10%)

Open de-churchedOpen de-churched(20%)(20%)

Closed de-churchedClosed de-churched(20%)(20%)

MSC p 37-40

Target Group

StartingPlace

“Style”

Or MissionContext

WORSHIP EVANGEL- ISM

COMMUNITY theirs & ours

Climate

The Fringe

Open De- churched

The Non - churched

ClosedDe-Churched

Christen-dom

Pre - Christian

Post Christian

AntiChristian

Apology

Warm

Cool Cold to.... Arctic

Control

Dialogue Partnership Listen ?

Where do you START in which context ?

WorshipMission

The Missionary re- discovery The Missionary re- discovery

Community

Is Church in mission being moved on...From springboard ….

We decide when to jump

We decide what kind of jump

Into the indoor pool“Lets improve what we are doing alreadyThat’s risky enough.”

To … surfboard

Reactive & waitingFor what wind and sea floor do

Whose in control here?&Where might you end up?

Similarity & Difference Skill and using powers beyond us

I stay in control

I react to what occurs

Where is the adventure & wildness?

No prizes for guessing

It’s not new• Donovan & Allen 20th Century• Venn & Anderson 19th Century • Ricci & Xavier 17- 16th Century• Cuthbert & Aidan 6th Century• Martin & Anthony 3rd - 2nd Century• Paul & Peter 1st Century I never said it was safe or prudent

Danger! Apostolic Porcine Aviation Zone

Did Jesus go surfing?• Interesting Patterns

– John: Jesus acts in response to the Father– Luke: Outrageous acceptance of outsiders– Mark: “He immediately…”– Matthew: “I am only sent to ..”

– Paul: the Cost : Philippians 2 – Golgotha – carried where he did not wish to

go

– Where might it take us?

Not very fresh expressions of surfing

“Let’s buy a wave machine for the swimming pool”

Please not – lets do the real thing

Even if we are only junior partners with the Maker of shore, wind and waves

Even if we’re not yet very good at it