sustain:if:able kiwi

pastoral leadership skills

Partnering in God’s new future requires spaces to listen. It resists programmes and models and hurries from impatience. It requires attentiveness to the unique contours of the cultural now in people’s lives. It plays with metaphor and possibilities. It lives within a narrative, not its own yet strangely familiar. It is birthed amid a personal attentiveness to my uniqueness, gift mix and personality.

Sorta nice

One of my recent poems is featured on theooze. I’ve never considered myself any sort of poet.

strangely familiar: how to respond to religious bigotry

I preached on Luke 9:61-56 on Sunday. What initally seemed a rather opaque text in the end became strangely familiar. This weekend a religious group marched in protest of family values. We have seen how the US responds to 9-11. We live in a world dominated by religious terrorism.

In Luke, Jesus meets religous opposition. He choses to journey to Jerusalem via Samaria. It’s a shorter trip, 150 km, but goes through an area in which a different ethnic and religious group dwell. He could have taken the longer route, 190 km, and avoided Samaria. Most religious pilgrims did.

For some reason, Jesus takes his pilgrimage into religious pluralism. He is faced, probably naturally, with opposition. Rather, than turn or burn, Jesus lives out the Sermon on the Mount. In the face of religious hostility, he will love enemies, and quietly move onto the next village.

a day off through the eyes of a 5 year old

“Daddy, have a good day at home cuddling Mummy.”

processing a tough one

A lot of my thought has gone into a tough pastoral issue this week.

Late last year we baptised a new Christian. His testimony was honest and raw. Coming back after the Christmas break, I became aware this new Christian had copped some flak for what he shared.

Sigh. I don’t know the who or what. Not everyone knows about this, yet there is a fair bit of talk in the community. Should I leave it or not? Is this a one off or more sinister? There are 25 new people at Opawa since December. Will hearing some of our history put them off?

Sigh. This morning, after consultation during the week with heads I respect, I took the plunge. In the context of communion I talked about being one body. I described the joy as the body grows (we had welcomed 4 new members), and the pain if one member of the body suffers.

I described some of what happened at and after the baptism in December. I then reminded us of the grace of God, in welcome, reconciliation and forgiveness, that is offered to all at communion. The invitation to take communion this morning was an opportunity to walk with Jesus in a body of honesty and forgiveness and grace.

The coming days will tell if I made a wise call and if the processes I engaged with were appropriate. Leadership is scarey and I’m feeling exposed over this particular call.

The Diary of the Opawa Baptist mouse

If there was a mouse, in the house (of God), their dairy for the week would note the following.

Sunday: Some tired ladies laugh and joke about something called “camp.” After dark, a big, fat, sound system arrives.

Monday: Dodge some paint from the community art class. The carpet ain’t so lucky.

Tuesday: Staff team leaves a trail of crumbs through foyer at morning tea. 35 American university students leave an even bigger trail of crumbs after lunch. When it gets dark, the Board arrived. Senior Pastor tries to look sharp, but I think he’s bluffing.

Wednesday: Small groups of youth (cells) are in so many rooms that I go to bed early. But the sound system cranks up for a video. Can’t sleep. Get up to watch some new people at Opawa mingle over pizza, with that new bigger Pastor looking pleased with himself.

Thursday: That office person rushes around looking “Crafty.” And some Asian voices practice their (Conversational) English. When it gets dark, ten people arrive for a new members information evening. Again, Senior Pastor tries to look sharp, but I’m sure he’s bluffing.

Friday: More crumbs from the staff table. More dinner for me. Hope it’s quiet for the weekend. I need a sleep-in Sunday morning.

Signed: The mouse.

festival spirituality and road trips

At the risk of upsetting a few respected friends; let me put up some ruminations about spirituality of road trips (or pilgrimage), festivals and large Christian gatherings.

But first some context. Their have been two recurring themes among Baptist youth ministry across New Zealand in the last few years. These are
a) the rise and succcess of easter camps as they grow each year
b) the rate of 20 plus’s leaving the Baptist church, either drifting to large, Pentecostal churches or totally out of church.

Could it be that these two are related; that what is happening at Easter Camps is contributing to the loss of young adults to church?

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crossing cultures

I spoke to a group from Eastern Mennonite University. As part of their study, they have to go overseas – and so a group of 35 of them are here. I like that. A deliberate attempt to subvert being US/us[centric].

They asked me to talk with them about the emerging church in New Zealand. The whole conversation seriously disorientated me. I’m just back from stuff in the US, just back from having a funny accent and having to make cross cultural links.

Suddenly here I am, back in my home church, surrounded by American accents, suddenly having the same accent problems and having to make the cross cultural links. Talking “accented” mission, but now in my home patch! Categories of edge and centre; home and away; in flux.

inside a story

My early experiences of Christianity were in what I now call a “point” faith. Testimonies were framed around the conversion moment and the emphasis was on a decision to follow Jesus.

My recent reading of Scriptures has moved to a greater desire to indwell the story. Rather than preach for the “point,” rather than worry about who is in and who is out, I want to tell the story of the amazing grace of God and the radical ethical implications of this grace for our lifestyles.

This seems to me to open everyone to the challenge of the gospel. All of us need to hear and re-hear grace and ethics. It allows people to explore their actions from within, rather than be told what to do. It honours the fact that most of us live our lives by the story/ies we tell.

I was talking with a person on last week. A year ago, they were nowhere near church. In the process of a pastoral conversation we talked about the implications of Genesis 1 and 2, and God as Trinity for a specific area of their life. Rather than give advice, a list of “how tos”, we explored the story and made application. As they talked I suddenly realized they were inside the story. At some time in their year, at a point probably invisible to them, they had moved inside a story by which now guided their life and actions. I was seeing new life, without ever witnessing the moment of conception.

how far should I go?

OK, so I am back in the west coast of USA April 27-29. And so is U2. So, is it worth me arriving early, and flying up to Seattle (April 24-25), to say “Hi”?

Or do I wait, and hope they come to Melbourne, Austalia (still a 3.5 hour flight from Christchurch, New Zealand).

Update: I booked. I am not chasing U2. I fly into LA on Sunday 24th April and leave Friday 29th April.

repackaging Jesus

Back before Christmas, I got interviewed for a national magazine as part of an article on “re-packaging Jesus.” Just noticed the article is now up on the web.

Some of my favourite quotes:
So, if you’re expecting what Rev Dr Steve Taylor at Opawa Baptist Church in Christchurch calls “a Mr Bean experience” – a mumbled sermon and badly sung ancient hymns, with people dozing off around you – think again.

And:
Back at Opawa, Taylor says that each church has to be like a DJ, sampling from a range of texts and traditions – the Bible, culture, ancient rituals. Whatever it takes to get people dancing. Different cultures, generations and churches will come up with different rhythms and God’s big enough for that. “When you mix these tracks together, new mixes emerge, new sounds.”

where is the gospel in film?

Last nite I kicked off teaching in gospel and film. It struck me in preparation that 50 years ago, Christians weren’t even allowed to attend films, let alone have them taught on at a theological College.

Why a gospel and film course? I suggested 5 reasons;

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hearts

Sunday’s worship was focused around hearts: Click to view image

you got a red heart as you came in;
and we read Ephesians 1 to each other – how God see’s our heart

you were invited to lay your heart at the cross
as we sung O love that will not let me go

you were invited to pick up a heart as a prayer for growth through hospitality; after I preached on growth through hospitality; Jesus and food and the gospels, with Emmaus Road text – full sermon here). You aren’t sure which heart you’ll get, which of course is part of Jesus challenge to growth thru hospitality

wireless

the church has just got a wireless network.
so i am showing off by posting from outside the men’s toilet.
wierd place to show off from isn’t it?
people get arrested for showing off in such places.
i should go.