Navigating the new waters Navigating the new waters What does missional leadership look What does missional leadership look like for these new times? like for these new times?
Jan 05, 2016
Navigating the new watersNavigating the new watersWhat does missional leadership look What does missional leadership look
like for these new times?like for these new times?
Sometimes things change and they are Sometimes things change and they are never the same again. This looks like never the same again. This looks like
one of those times. Life moves on. And soone of those times. Life moves on. And soshould we…….should we…….
2007 Tear Fund survey of 7000 adults in contact or not with church
“ “ this majority (66%) presents a major this majority (66%) presents a major challenge to churches. Most of them are challenge to churches. Most of them are
unreceptive and closed unreceptive and closed to attending church; churchgoing isto attending church; churchgoing is
simply not on their agenda.”simply not on their agenda.”
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
60-year-olds 40-year-olds 20-year-olds
Percentage of people with childhood experience of the church
Age in 2005%
‘‘The reality is that mainstream The reality is that mainstream culture no longer brings people culture no longer brings people to the church door. We can no to the church door. We can no
longer longer assume that we can assume that we can
automatically automatically reproduce ourselves, because reproduce ourselves, because the pool of people who regard the pool of people who regard
church aschurch asrelevant or important is relevant or important is
decreasing decreasing with every generation’with every generation’
Mission shaped church report p11Mission shaped church report p11
A missional A missional re-engagementre-engagement
with societywith society
“ we understood mission oneway and organised life to accomplish it. We have awakened to find out the mission moved on us. To keep focusing on mission, wehave to turn the furniturearound and face a differentdirection. We may even have to move into another room.”
Loren Mead. Loren Mead. The Once and Future Church,1992 The Once and Future Church,1992 Alban InstitiuteAlban Institiute
A re-imaginationA re-imaginationof what church isof what church is
(and could become) (and could become)
…do not try to call them back to where they were, and do not try to call them to where you are, beautiful as that place may seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a place that neither you nor
they have been before.
Vincent Donovan
In our missionaryIn our missionarysituation we situation we
need pioneersneed pioneersmore than pastors.more than pastors.
1.Missional leadership is the key
1.Most models repackage old paradigms
2.Discontinuous change is the norm
3.Congregations still matter
4.Leaders need new capacities & frameworks
5.A church is a unique organisation
Alan Roxburgh. The Missional Leader
What does a leader/pioneer for the open seas look like?
“a person with a detailed knowledgeof an area of water, who goes on to
a ship to direct it safely.”
Archegosis
‘The pioneer of our salvation’
Hebrews 2;10
Spectrum of pioneeringSpectrum of pioneering
PioneerStarter
PioneerSustainer
SustainerPioneer
SustainerDeveloper
Four enduring features?• Dissatisfied
– Not grumbler but wanting change for the better
• Visionary– Looks beyond what is to what could be
• Hopeful– Change is possible and this inspires others
• Risk takers– Acts on convictions and out of comfort zones
Stuart Murray: Ch 7 Planting Churches: who?
Danger of one model
What are missionalleaders trying to do
in these new waters?
Listening,praying & loving
in the Kingdom
Building community
Exploring Jesus
BecomingChrist like
together
Able to listen and discern
‘ if Christian mission is about, “seeing whatGod is doing and joining in”…. then
discernment & the cultivating of an environmentwhich enables discernment are the leadership
capacities most needed at this time.’
Graham Cray, The Discerning Leader Grove Book 2010
Able to love and serve
Networker and draw people together
Missionary
‘do the work of an evangelist.’
•envision•encourage•equip•example
Ecclesial former
How do we communally express what is happening
to us as we meet Jesus?
“ We are not inviting people to join an institution, nor to educate people
in a process on interior transformation.We are inviting people into a renewed creation
made possible by Christ through the Spirit.”
Rowan Williams
What kind of people are we called to be?
What kind of community is capable of raising people like that?
•Reorientation- look out
•Reconnection- walls down
•Recreation-sent out
What are the key characteristics ofsuch people?
People who arePeople who are
1. First
2. On the edge
3.Moving out
4. Bi cultural
5. Know when to go or stay
6.Know when to bring order or chaos
Disturb us Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
when our dreams have come truebecause we have dreamed too little,
when we arrived safelybecause we sailed too close to the shore.
Sir Francis Drake
http://davemale.typepad.com/churchunplugged/
Alan Roxburgh’s Five Steps
• Creating Awareness
• Creating Understanding
• Evaluation
• Creating Experiments
• Commitment
The Missional Leader