sustain:if:able kiwi

missional church learning is on the road

One of my key tasks this year is teaching a new course, Missional Church Leadership.

Define missional church Steve? Missional church is about the future of God among the people of God.

So what Steve? Well, since course design should follow course theology, that means you can never teach missional church as a theory or set of ideas. Rather, you must allow learners to pay attention to the work of God among the people of God.

Practically this has included quite a number of innovations. One of my hopes was that we would be able to push the learning envelope by moving out of the classroom and going to a students’ context, to hear them, in context, talk about their context. Well, today is the first attempt.

I have just written the following for the lecture notes:
Welcome to Phil’s space. Being here reminds us that
1. Missional church is about real, living communities, and being present in their narratives NOT classroom learning of intellectual ideas.

2. Spaces shape learning. Be alert to how our interaction and your learning changes in new places. In Luke 10, Jesus sends us to other people’s spaces. A key skill of missional leaders will be the ability to create learning communities in other people’s spaces.

As part of the class Phil will talk about his local context. The class will be asked to reflect back to him the narratives they are hearing. We will then dwell in Scripture together. And so together I hope we will be increasing our skills around the cultivation of a missional imagination among real, living contexts.

so how did it go in Australia?

I always struggle to answer such a question, when asked how a speaking assignment goes. I’d much rather have a listeners perspective than a speakers perspective. So it was nice to stumble across this writeup of my May trip to Adelaide.

“Steve invited us to consider the leadership practices displayed in the sending out of the seventy-two in Luke 10. He told stories of fostering new faith communities on the fringe of his older, conservative congregation. We heard about leaders who listen to their people and build on their hopes and dreams – a bottom up, not top down approach, involving active listening [and] communal discernment. We were invited to question whether our models of leadership are formed by culture or the gospel. And we saw and heard the images and sounds of multi-sensory, participatory, creative worship.

We appreciated hearing from someone with a ‘southern hemisphere accent’ and someone who could ‘practice what they teach’. Steve managed to open up people’s preconceptions of mission and church by not fitting many of our categories for such things. His Opawa journey connected very well with what many folk here are facing. Through his stories, metaphors, insights and analysis he communicated with us at a range of levels. Leaders from across the synod have commented on how they have been encourage and challenged. We acknowledge Steve’s generosity of spirit and great leadership over the week.”

In, other words, from a listeners perspective, it went well. I do enjoy jumping out of people’s mission boxes. I do enjoy using a range of media and mediums to communicate. I do think it’s way past time we in Australasia told our own mission stories rather than looking northward. I continue to be grateful for the way the story of what God is doing at Opawa encourages and challenges.

code-sharing emerging church

Today was the first day of a 2 day block course I teach at BCNZ introducing the emerging church. It involved 3 groups: BCNZ students; Praxis (community youth orientated training programme) and 4 visiting Americans interested in the emerging church as it applies to their Church of the Brethren Denomination.

Each of these 3 groups wanted to have time with me and so I suggested we all meet together, rather than me repeat myself 3 times. It certainly made for a much richer classroom interaction.

It was great to see a visiting American returning from having lunch with some of the BCNZ students, proudly showing off his L&P (iconic Kiwi) drink bottle.

(The course finishes at 12:30 tomorrow and I have to be at the International Airport at 1:30 pm to catch my flight to Melbourne.)

australia details

A fair bit of time in the last few months has gone into planning for a 7 day stint in Australia. Here are the current details.

MELBOURNE

Saturday 5 May
Morning “Take no sandals (a missional leader); Unfreezing imagination (a missional church); Practices for the table (a missional spirituality); When the Kingdom of God is near, is that far? (a missional intentionality).” A conversation between life, mission and Scripture, all in grounded life among a 96-year old church.

Afternoon (provisional) “Spirituality2go. A workshop on resourcing Christ followers outside gathered church”

Sunday 6 May
Preaching twice at Doncaster Church of Christ

ADELAIDE
Tuesday 8 May
10.00 am – 3.00 pm “Leadership in The Emerging Church” – seminar for ministers and lay leaders at Adelaide West UC
7.00 – 9.30 pm “Alternative Worship” session at Parkin-Wesley

Wednesday 9 May
12.15 – 1.00 pm Chapel Service at Parkin-Wesley
2.15 – 3.30 pm Colloquium on “The Emerging Church” at Parkin-Wesley
7.30 – 9.30 pm “Alternative Worship” session at Parkin-Wesley (repeat of Tues. evening)

Thursday 10 May
6.30 – 9.00 pm [re]generate pub conversation about fostering new and fringe faith communities.

Saturday 12 May
9.00 am -12.45 pm Keynote Speaker at Presbytery meeting.

More details on Adelaide here

Theological education 2.0

There is a lot of talk about Web 2.0; that emphasize online collaboration and sharing among users. I have just written the following for the Course Outline of a new course I am pioneering this year: Missional Church Leadership:

This is designed to keep you in context. In other words, you read not for class, but for your missional context. At the same time, the use of on-line community and tutor engagement is designed to encourage you and give you a sense of being part of a learning community even while engaged locally.

Missional church is about the future of God among the people of God. And since course design must follow course theology, that means you can never teach missional church as a theory or set of ideas. Rather, you must allow learners to pay attention to the work of God among the people of God.

The missional church leadership course also arose because I had pastors saying to me: “Steve, how do we put these missional ideas into practice.” So the first draft of the course, starting next week, is as follows:

a : name a context: (defined broadly as a place that a person can regularly return to, listen among and start to imagine God’s future). This could include a work place, a community ministry, a local café or regular social gathering. It could equally include existing student fieldwork or recognized church ministry

b : gather monthly: we will gather around a set of practices, to hear what each other are learning, and to receive input and coaching. This places people in an accountability group and ensures we learn from each other and the gathering is shaped by what we each bring and contribute. This is not a conference or lecture, but a year of habit building. We will physically move these gatherings out of the classroom and around each participant’s context.

c : read in context: people will read in their context and name their learning using e-technology. Reading is thus grounded, yet a person remains in a collaborative learning relationship as the lecturer/tutor gives them feedback. (The next step will involve making this learning public and allowing other groups, on the same journey, to interact together. So my dream would be run this course in say Christchurch, Melbourne and South Auckland at the same time. Participants are in context, yet part of a collobarative enviroment.)

d : projects : two major projects include firstly, listening in context, asking students to identify the narratives of God at work and secondly, to name an action project that cultivates the missional imagination in their context. These projects will be shared with the group, for feedback and learning.

So I wondered as I worked and typed, is this a step toward Theological Education 2.0?

discipleship material

I am playing around with discipling options for next year. We already have 1-1 options around growth coaching. But we’ve been playing with adding in block course based options. My underlying principle is: multiple options for multiple learning styles.

So I am considering 3 options
1 : a visual option, using the Nooma videos
2 : a storytelling option, (more on this as it develops cos it is something that is being Opawa designed.
3 : a content based option. I am quite drawn to Living Faith by Tom Wright, because I like the breadth of topics (including 5 on the Bible plus Christian history).

Just wondering if anyone out there has used either Tom Wright stuff or the Nooma videos in discipleship? If so, what was helpful? what was not? Only answer if you’ve used them small group and discipling contexts (compared to in a worship service context).

Tutorial Reading for Gospel in a Post-Christian Society

A Generous Orthodoxy chapters 10 and 12.

ANKC Ch 7 might also be useful revision, but is optional

Come as your favourite Christian stereotype.

kiwi in US

Booked for some June and July US trips last week. All groups are keen for the word to be spread about these gigs, so please spread the web-word if you can. Here are the details;

June 19-22; Ministry in the Postmodern. Tutoring at the Allelon Summer School. Details here (and note; they are using my book, -tee he).

June 25-29. International Think Tank on Mission to Western Culture. First step in a 10 year project seeking to re-focus the missiology of Leslie Newbigin, with a particular emphasis on congregational practices. Details of the project here. This mix of missiologists and congregational practioners is really exciting, as is the intentionality and long term commitment.

July 17-21. MP541 Living the Text in a Postmodern Context.

Lecturing a one week intensive at Fuller Theological Seminary (not 2 weeks as I first indicated here). This is the course description I have put together (download file).

Leading through change

Effective leaders understand that change is a reality of life and ministry. Leading through change is a one day seminar led by Dr Steve Taylor. It will explore the dynamics of leading change, grounded in Biblical and theological understandings, contemporary leadership insights and Steve’s experiences of transition and change at Opawa Baptist Church.

Details: Friday April 7, 9:30-12:30; 2-5 pm, Bible College of New Zealand, 70 Condell Ave, Christchurch. To register phone 3544270 or chch at bcnz dot ac dot nz

Wanting some short, sharp leadership focus?

Mark Strom is speaking for a day on Wise Leadership, Friday, March 24 at the Bible College of New Zealand (Christchurch). Mark combines a passion for Jesus, a PhD knowledge of the Bible, church ministry miles and years of leadership consultancy among business and educational spheres. It is a unique blend not be missed.

Details: Friday March 24, 9:30-12:30; 2-5 pm, Bible College of New Zealand, 70 Condell Ave, Christchurch. To register phone 3544270, chch at bcnz dot ac dot nz.

For overseas punters (included North Islanders 🙂 ), I might see if I can do a podcast with him on “leadership challenges for the New Zealand church.”

using blogs for on-line seminary learning

leadership-bcnz blog;

I’ve just set up the blog home page for a course I am teaching this semester; Pastoral Leadership and Management. As part of the assessment, every student will be expected to set up a blog in which they record their weekly readings and reflections. Some students assessment will also include offering comments (critical engagement) with their peers. Here’s the methodology blurb:

Using on-line blogs is designed to enhance the student learning experience, by allowing them to interact with each other outside the classroom. It means that critical student reading is no longer a conversation between lecturer and student, but becomes a class conversation. Using blogs has the further benefit of introducing students to new technologies and enhancing their communication options, an essential leadership skill.

It’s new for all of us, so it will be interesting to see how it develops and what students make of it come “Lecturer evaluation” time at the end of June.

For the course outline download here

mission health conversation

Looks like I’ll be in Dunedin Thursday 9th March as part of Mission Health Conversation (Baptist Union gig).

4:00 – 5:30 Telling the Opawa story as part of a panel.
5:30 – 6:30 meal
6:30 – 7:45 4 Options; 1 of which is me on “Thinking missionally”
7:45 – 8:00 coffee/tea
8:00 – 9:15 4 Options repeated.

It’s a great topic, that will force me to articulate not only the Opawa story but the underlying missiology and theology.

Venue: Valley Baptist.

I am marking today; students had to write a journal as part of the assessment of my emerging church course. I’ve just made the following comment on a student’s work. It captures for me what the emerging church conversation could be about.

Marking comment: This is a profound shift; from style (music) to theology, relationships and content. It makes all your [training] worthwhile, because ministry is no longer a Parachute/Koorong catalogue of the latest trendy music, but a Biblical, relational, ministry lifestyle.

interactive learning

I am very pleased with this. If you go here, you can download your own online snakes and ladders game. The download comes complete with a separate questions file. So, change the questions and you have a great way of doing review and learning.

Tomorrow is the last day of my being kiwi, being Christian class. So we will divide into two teams and have a computer game of snakes and ladders, with teams answering the review questions I have set, and so reflecting on what they have learnt during the course.

(I tried to upload our game for you to play, but couldn’t get the file paths right and have run out of time. Sorry. Anyhow, the questions the teams will answer are here.)

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