Contemplative Kids

What are your assumptions about what type of environment kids need for spiritual nurture?  Many assume that it’s a high energy, high activity based program.  I have been part of other ways of faith communities shaping their kids times, and have many friends who encourage their children in experiences of God based in contemplation.

Here is a good article about contemplative kids.

Christian practices and Mission

Two key topics that I am passionate about are Spiritual Practices and Mission.  Given this, I was excited to read a book review a few months ago about “Practicing Witness: A Mission Vision of Christian Practices” by Benjamin Conner and ordered the book.

As Conner discusses, the relationship between these topics has not been explored in explicit ways in many places – and that is what he sets out to do in this book, explore the relationship between the Missional Theology conversation and the Spiritual Practices conversation and suggest ways in which each is enhanced by the insights and learning of the other.  While at points it feels a bit like a dissertation (the book review suggests that the book does indeed stem from that), Conner certainly does a great job of exploring the link between these fields of thinking and practice and suggesting ways in which they enhance each other.

The chapter on Missional Theology is a great summary of particular branches of the Missional Theology conversation and the chapter on the Spiritual Practices conversation is a good exploration of the conversation within a corner of the Spiritual Practices conversation.  In his final chapters, Conner does a good job of questioning thinking that separates inner life and outer life and hinting towards more helpful and accurate thinking that is more about integration.

His definition of Christian practices is brilliant:

“Christian practices are the Spirit-filled and embodied signs, instruments, and foretastes of the kingdom of God that Christian people participate in together over time to partake in, partner with, and witness to God’s redemptive presence for the life of the world in Jesus Christ” (p94)

How would you describe the link between Christian practices and mission?  And how is lived out in your life and the life of your community?

 

 

NOMAD podcasts

This morning I listened to the NOMAD podcast Extra 16.

Tim Nash and Dave Ward speak about their current contexts – and reflect on their situations and what they are doing in the light of their thoughts on how Jesus encourages us to enter into mission.  They share useful reflections from some people who think deeply and theologically and who act coming out of that … and engage in further reflections based on their experiences.  It’s a real and laid back conversation – with some meaty content.

If you are not familiar with the NOMAD podcasts – they are often a conversation with a “big name” person of relevance to the missional church movement and well worth listening to.

AMUC this January

AMUC … a great week to be part of in Perth in January.

What is AMUC (AMong the Urban Community)?

It’s like a camp – but its focus is on discipleship.

It’s like a retreat – but with times of action.

It’s like a mission exposure trip – but in our own city.

It’s a challenge and a call to follow Jesus, to be with the rejected and marginalised.

24th – 29th January 2012; Speaker: Stephen Said

AMUC 2012 Poster and registration

How have Leadership Blind-spots impacted the Missional Church?

Below are some thoughts on this topic by Geoff Westlake – which will be explored further tomorrow night at the event in the last post. Feel free to join us to ponder these things together.

Blind-spots. You can’t know what you don’t know. Not until someone shows you, then you know what you didn’t know before. Andrew Olsen showed us some leadership blind-spots which, on reflection, are some areas in which I could have benefited if I had known about them earlier.

1. Human nature defaults to pecking order and scapegoating.

This is why groups of good people, that started well and co-operatively, ended up devolving, quietly drifting apart, “losing interest,” or loudly arguing, fracturing, or ending. I thought that if we consciously figure out good ways to go forward, that the Spirit’s leading and logic would make that apparent to all. But it’s the sub-conscious primate-brain that short-circuits us. We THINK we differ on “the issues,” but IN FACT as soon as there is a group loyalty there is a subconscious drive to have our place in the pack, and to protect and galvanize our pack by expelling “threats.” This sinful human nature lies at the base of all our conflicts, all our groups!

Maybe some missions failed because we trusted each other to be good, and failed to properly acknowledge our sinful human nature. 

2. Human nature needs to be managed by good civic ground-rules.

Everyone knows what is right. It’s just that we struggle to do it. So a leader can form good civics by asking three basic questions, and letting the people shape the civics. ”How do you want the meetings to be?” safe, not talking over the top, honest, etc. “How do you want us to relate to each other?” Respectfully, listening, honest, friendly, etc. “How do you want the leader to conduct the group?” Keep us on task, safe processes, etc.

So now the leader’s job becomes clear: he/she is accountable to the group to make the group behave like we all know we should. And we have given the leader authority to do it. The leader uses these civic ground-rules (which we chose!) to make us behave better towards each other. If he doesn’t, he fails and we tell him off. If she does, we all perform much better towards each other.

Maybe some missions failed because we failed to set up solid ground rules that manage the human nature. 

3. Parallel Thinking Grids overcome Oppositional thinking.

How quickly arguments get out of hand! Brain research tells us that when we feel under threat, adrenaline is released which interferes with the function of the frontal lobe, the part only humans have, used for reflective and rational thinking. We default to primate-brain, pecking order. So as soon as adrenaline kicks in, stop – we are no longer physiologically capable of understanding other viewpoints!

Oppositional thinking (he said / she said) is our default way of dispute resolution, and it creates adrenaline in no time!

Alternatively, if the leader makes us think in parallel ways, it keeps us together, and tables far more information on both sides of the issue. In parallel thinking, the leader makes us all park our points of view. Then all together, we all brainstorm as many reasons for ‘A’ as possible, uninterrupted. Then we all brainstorm as many reasons against ‘A’ as possible, uninterrupted. Then we all brainstorm as many reasons for ‘B’ as possible, uninterrupted. Then against ‘B’. Then we all consider all that info together and mention what has become obvious, without defending our observations. Then we all name the obvious actions to take.

At no point did we become oppositional, we stayed together throughout. No adrenaline, so we can empathize.

In fact  brainstorming by using a thinking grid like this gives you 5-10 times more useful info, than just brainstorming “pro’s and cons.” This is because the “value-finding” part of your brain is different from the “danger” finding part. The thinking grid makes you stay in one part for an extended period, which triggers a spiraling creativity. You also spark off each other by being collectively in that brain-space together.

Parallel thinking grids are one of the most powerful tools to manage sinful human nature, and also create synergistic thinking. I wish I’d known that before!

Maybe some missions failed because we used oppositional thinking processes that ended in adrenaline, and failed to use parallel thinking modes enough.

4. Leading well requires skills to be learnt.  

I under-estimated the complexities. I had two tools – prayer & logic. I thought if God prompted and it made sense, that would win the day and all would follow. All I had to do was be clear. Ba-poww! Wrong!

I’ve already mentioned the skills of setting up good civics, and parallel thinking grids. I also learnt about: value-creating questions; shortest possible time negotiation; commentating on thinking and social processes; techniques for stimulating imagination; delegation; reflection; and finally the ability to teach all this too.

I did not know all this! And that’s just the skills of leading a group to do it’s tasks.

I also under-estimated the complexities of getting the tasks themselves done. There’s all the interplay between the setting, the staff, the clients, management of operations, admin and logistics, communications and command, relationships, conflict resolution and peacemaking, strategy planning and execution, priorities, stages of formation.

Yikes! A bit more info on all that would have helped. Did Jesus have a handle on all that stuff? Well, now that I think about it, yes he did. It doesn’t mean he formed a company, but he had a wide repertoire of those skills and more.

Maybe some missions failed because one or more of these many elements were not tended to properly, because we just didn’t learn about them, or because we had too simplistic a model of what was happening. 

5. Teams Dysfunction at different levels

Patrick Lencioni gives this pyramid of dysfunctions of a team: Absence of Trust > fear of Conflict > lack of Commitment > avoiding Accountability > inattention to Results.  As soon as this was described, I suddenly saw the dysfunctions that made sense in the various groups I was a part of, and then I could work on it. Until I saw it, the group “just wasn’t working” and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Maybe some mission groups failed because there was one of these foundational dysfunctions. 

6. Flat leadership structures do not mean laissez-faire

Laissez-faire means, “whatever.” That’s not flat leadership, that’s just flat! It’s no leadership. That can be OK in a partnership where there is mutual initiative, but when more people are involved, relationships become more complex, and group-loyalty engenders pecking order in the primate-brain. Therefore trust has to be worked at, otherwise the weeds of fear and sinful human nature will choke the garden of community. As soon as we give someone responsibility we require them to lead in that area, and, as we’ve seen, people can lead well or poorly.

Flat leadership is not an oxymoron. The group can defer to each others’ expertise in different areas, and there can be a co-ordinating leadership that asks questions and facilitates the whole group expertly, without dominating. And that kind of leadership has to be conscious, or else it will be blind-sided by the above issues.

When the group defers to someone’s leadership in an area, each area-leader would benefit from understanding all of the matters listed above.

Maybe some missions failed because there was no leadership, leaving them defenseless against the entropy of primate-brain defaults.

7. Hierarchy can be used to serve

If you have a hierarchical leadership structure, you can use it to serve, or to dominate. From the Arbinger Institute we learned about “out-of-the-box” thinking vs “in-the-box” thinking. This is not about creativity, but empathy. Being “in-the-box” is relating to people from within your own frame of reference. Being “out-of-the-box” is relating in open-hearted ways, being other-centered. It’s the mindset that says no to manipulation, and yes to service. Conversely, in-the-box thinking can turn the most gentle method into heartless manipulation. Being out-of-the-box is an important overlay to all leadership skills.

Maybe some missions failed simply because leaders were “in-the-box.” 

Event: Leadership and the Missional Church

Leadership and the Missional Church

- an evening of exploring the impact of leadership blind-spots on the missional church

Blind-spots. You can’t know what you don’t know.

Not until someone shows you, then you know what you didn’t know before.

Earlier in the year, Andrew Olsen showed some of us some leadership blind-spots.

Geoff Westlake reflects on what he has learnt through this and thoughts on how these blind-spots have impacted the missional church.

Tuesday, 15th November

7.30pm – 9.30pm

Craigie Baptist Church - 119 Camberwarra Drive, Craigie

$5 Donation

RSVP by Friday 11th November to Barb (e: barbtott@gmail.com; m: 0419 134429)

8 Ways to Easily be Missional

Jonathan Dodson did a great post a couple of months ago over at the VERGE network.  He lists 8 ways to easily be missional.  Key to his ideas is this comment: “Don’t make the mistake of making “missional” another thing to add to your schedule. Instead, make your existing schedule missional.”

In line with that, his 8 points are:

1. Eat with Non-Christians

2. Walk, Don’t Drive

3. Be a Regular

4. Hobby with Non-Christians

5. Talk to your Co-Workers

6. Volunteer with Non-Profits

7. Participate in City Events

8. Serve your Neighbours

Go over to the original post for more info.

TEAR Gathering with Dave Andrews

Many readers will have been inspired over the years by Dave Andrews.

There is an opportunity to hear Dave and engage in questions around holistic mission in our local Perth/WA context next Saturday morning 13th August at the local TEAR gathering.

Look here for more info and note the RSVP date of Wednesday 10th August.

Contextual Ministry in our Own Backyard – Global Interaction Event

An event run by Global Interaction that readers in Perth may be interested in.  (Rachel from Global Interaction is happy to extend RSVP’s until Tuesday 26th July)

Contextual ministry in our own backyard

How can we connect with our neighbours and share the gospel in culturally appropriate ways? How can we empower people to develop their own distinctive ways of following Jesus? Keith Jobberns takes lessons learnt from cross-cultural mission and helps us think about how we can genuinely engage in incarnational ministry in our own backyard.

Speaker: Keith Jobberns
Keith is a leader and a practitioner with many years experience in both pastoral ministry and cross-cultural work. For the past seven years he has been the General Director of Global Interaction.

Thursday 4th August, 7.30pm
Riverton Baptist Church
38 Modillion Avenue, Shelley

Cost: $10 per person for a light dinner

RSVP 19th July to Rachel - rphilp@globalinteraction.org.au or 0434 464 848

Check out the link here.

Real life neighbours

I love Alison’s blog.  Regularly her posts inspire me.  This one is no exception.  Read a real life story about the connection between two neighbours entitled: How two chicken-loving enemies became neighbours once again.