::Rants-Good facilitation I was reminded of what good facilitation is yesterday. A colleague of mine, Kate Conway, from Tear Australia lead missio Dei through a process of thinking about (a) how a community disciples kids and (b) how as part of the discipleship process, we can help kids learn about God's love for all the people in the world and how we can be practical in helping to make a difference.

Labels: Children, Discipleship, Family, Justice, Leadership

  Posted by Stephen @ 1:23 PM   0 comments

::Rants-APEST in practice II I must admit, I am wondering if APEST is the best place to start?

Probably the biggest issue is trying to redeem the meanings.

Case in point: Evangelist. "Ah, so this is the person who will (a) lead everyone to Jesus and/or (b) bring everyone into the meeting/gathering."

Al's definitions are helpful, but also quite limited. If you have three people, from three different traditions in the room, well, let's just say that it it is going to be a long afternoon.

Let's not even begin to examine the implications when hierarchical presuppositions are super imposed over the whole process.

Labels are bad. But labels are good. I have always maintained that just because something has created damage in the past, does not necessarily mean you jettison the whole. Redemption is just that. The thing needs to be redeemed.

So, the difficulty in trying to use APEST has let to some confusion regarding definitions (baggage etc) and then the whole idea of a hierarchy within (upon, around, choose your issue) also can complicate matters.

One straight up problem we struck that is worth noting is that people can behave differently in different contexts. For example, in my work with Tear and teaching in theological institutes, I would be received profoundly as Prophetic (no jokes about that being misspelled please!) no if's but's or maybes. So P first then T.

However, in the context of missio Dei, I seem to be received primarily as a T and secondarily as an A. I feel far more comfortable as a P, a little less comfortable as a T, and to be honest, we are having a hard time trying to define what an A is (again, keep your funny comments to yourself!).

I am sure that there will be at least on person who would like to give a go at helping us define what an A is, and I would keen to hear from you, but keep in mind that the reason we are stuck is not lack of information. If anything we are swimming in it. The challenge is sifting the information to find a meaningful definition that honors the biblical and historical tradition, and that makes sense to us today.

Will keep you posted in a few weeks on this one. Will probably post on leadership in the next few days as these two issues seem to be closely intertwined for us.

Labels: APEST, Church, Leadership, Mission, Theology

  Posted by Stephen @ 11:24 PM   4 comments

::Rants-Leadership in Incarnational Missional Community This post is a response to a comment left on this post. You might want to check it out in the context of the other comments. I thought it was a good enough rant to warrant posting in it's own right. Thanks to Bec for the ever thoughtful comments that act as a foil. You have helped me many times in refining my theology and praxis!

It is problematic Bec, which is why you have to, and I believe we are, in the process of redefining leadership in the same way that we have (and will need to continue to) redefine the word "church".

When I say "church", I mean a group of people called out from the crowd to articulate an alternative vision of what the world could be like, and I continue to restate this until the word has new meaning.

It is the same as leadership except that this is more recent for me. I know what leadership is not. In terms of the exercise of power, it is not dictating to others what they have to do, particularly in reference to my realising my dreams for an organisation through others. Nor is it a provision of services.

Leadership currently has strong overtones of both of these definitions.

I think leadership does exist. People are always leading in different ways. Whilst I can't define it, I find Aesop's fable regarding the North wind and the sun the most helpful metaphor for leadership.

I think that biblical leadership is not like the North wind that blusters and tried to blow the jacket of the person walking through the village. I reckon it is more like the sun, that shines, and when people feel the warmth, they of their own volition, take their jacket off.

Leadership is about creating an environment where people feel the courage to change and to dream. Leadership is also about helping people move from intent, to action as well.

I think it also needs to be named.

However, it will always be problematic, as whenever a leader rises, as well as the dysfunctions of the leader, there is the dysfunction of the community that wants to be led in ways that are not healthy, which is what the story about Israel wanting a king instead of God is all about.

However, I have always maintained that a healthy response to something is not the absence of that thing, but the redemption of that thing. So the goal is as redeemed a leadership as is humanly possible, this side of the total realisation of the kingdom.

Labels: Church, Leadership, Mission, Theology

  Posted by Stephen @ 4:43 PM   4 comments