The Council Go-Ahead

The local councilor for the Slacks Creek area called me back today. I called his office earlier in the week to ask if it would be ok to do a free BBQ in the local park. I explained that it would be for anyone in the local community, so they could meet some others in the area, find out about local services (doctors, police etc.), and build community.

And he said it sounds like a great idea! We figured he would - part of their job is to help grow a sense of community in their area - but it's still nice to have the official "go-ahead." When it comes to the council, you never know what's going to be allowed and what isn't!

Amazing Magic Trick | Youth Specialties

Amazing Magic Trick | Youth Specialties

Timelines

Tam & I were encouraged the other night when we sat down with her Mum & Dad. Tam's parents are doing a new cafe-style house church in Ormeau, which they started about 2 years ago.

We wanted to talk about how they've gone about planting their church, what strategies they've used, how they've connected with the community, and so on. We were struggling to know where to start! We've had lots of ideas, but we were finding it hard to turn it into a real plan.

One thing I wasn't sure about was the time involved - how long you'd spend on each stage of the journey. We've started getting people in our community together for social gatherings - to make connections and start building relationships - but there've been no "official" spiritual input times. We know it needs a fair bit of time to build friendships, but I still felt that maybe we weren't doing enough.

So it was encouraging to hear the story of their church so far. They were doing free BBQs in the park, without any spiritual input, for five or six months, before starting a more "spiritual" gathering (with a 5-10 minute talk). And they told us the church has only really started to take off this year, and it's been two years since they started it.

We could do that. That's how we'd expected it would happen for us, but it was good to hear that six months of purely social interaction is a valid plan!

It's bizarre how quickly you can feel insecure as a pastor - our decision to plant a church was only really a few weeks back!

The Four Spaces of Belonging

I've recently been finding a great deal of helpful information about church planting in Phil Potter's book, The Challenge of Change - A Guide to Shaping Change and Changing the Shape of Church. I'm sure there'll be more posts about this book and what Phil and his church are doing in the UK, but for now I just wanted to post something that's been especially helpful for us as we think about how our church will look....

In one of the chapters he writes about what he calls "The Four Spaces of Belonging." I think the ideas are from research someone else has done (sorry I'm a bit vague on the details - I borrowed the book from my father-in-law and he's taken it back), about the different places that people find a sense of belonging. And here they are....

First there is the Public Space. This is a large scale shared experience, where you feel you are part of a great number of people on the same wavelength, but you are still free to remain anonymous if you choose. E.g. A shared worship experience in a big church, a footy game, a movie theatre.

Next is Social Space. This is where we cluster around a common interest or focus (e.g. a BBQ, local pub, workplace, party or function). Here you connect on a superficial level, sharing snapshots of yourself - who I am, what I enjoy, where I live, where I work... This is a natural space to be introduced to new people, ideas, invites - a great springboard to the other spaces.

A little more intimate is our Personal Space. This is a smaller group of our friends and family, close work colleagues, home group, etc. Here we know each other well and share more privately, reflect together on faith, share our lives, pray for one another, care for one another. Jesus had this connection with his twelve disciples.

And finally there is our Intimate Space. This is only shared with a few people - our spouse and one or two close friends. These people know us as we really are - the good and the ugly. In this space we can be "naked and not ashamed." We feel safe and secure to share the naked truth about ourselves, what we think, what we struggle with - the deepest parts of ourselves. Jesus shared some things only with his closest friends - Peter, James and John.

Hayaku

Take some time out and watch this. It's breathtaking.

Hayaku: A Time Lapse Journey Through Japan from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.

Finding Organic Church

My brother- and sister-in-law bought me a book when they found out we were planting a church:

Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities
The book is written by Frank Viola, a pastor in the US who has been doing new, non-institutional ways of church for the past 20 years.

I'm not finished it yet, but there've been some great practical helps in it. I was worried at first that it might be a little too detailed, or that it would provide a comprehensive guide to planting a Frank Viola church, but it's been a real encouragement to read. The guy doesn't hold back from saying what he thinks, but he's also very humble about it. He doesn't try to give a blueprint for what a non-institutional organic church will look like (because there isn't just one way). He just shares what he's found through his own experience - what's worked and what hasn't, the failures and triumphs etc.