A question of context

Decisions Decisions

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000+01:00

Making big, hard and difficult decisions is a fundamentalpart to leadership and is essential if organisations are to realise theirvisions. It is the same situation in the hope and vision of a church. Decisionshave to be made that will impact the values and culture of God’s people to movethem on from A to B. As a leader the buck can’t be passed or not taken up. Itmust be tackled if there is to be a new future. I can express my own experiencein making such decision has been both liberating and painful and deeplysignificant in the life of the churches I have been a part of. You (personallyand corporately) will only change, see growth and flourish if those bigdecisions are made and made well.

While I was chatting to a friend about his situation and thedecisions he had had to make in his first year as the leader it occurred to methat you never/rarely see the impact of the big decisions until much later. I would guess thatthe bigger the decisions the longer you have to wait t full grasp what adifference it has made to you as a person and to the people you are leading. Itis easy to get frustrated, even demoralised in the time after a big call but Ihave learnt that God has a way of just reminding you at the right time that youdid the right thing. This is not to say that you should not reflect back on asto how you did it and want to learn from it but as a leader our role is to makethe calls everyone else wants you to make (whether they will like the outcome ornot).

As leaders we have to make decisions that affect people. Myprayer is that we have enough faith to make the right ones and patience to seethem come to fruition.

Matt

Thanks for all you do!!

2011-10-13T16:57:00.000+01:00

I have blogged in the past on language we use to express ourthanks to those under our leadership for the roles they fill, tasks theyundertake and success they achieve. I have been struck again as to the subtleway in which leaders chose to thank people for what they do rather than thepeople they are. I maybe covering old ground but it has brought back intofocus the need for me to be conscious of my language and whether my thanks isgiven on a results basis rather than as a way of developing and lovingindividuals I love and lead.

I can confess that I have been guilty myself of being drivento place more significance on the amount, types and effectiveness of myministry above the one for whom I engage in it to start with. As a result Iknow that I have put large amounts of energy into doing rather than developingthe person within. In my time at Leicester I even put it ahead of otherelements of my life such as friends and family. I have learnt but stilllearning what it means to have a fulfilling ministry without compromising myhumility and drive to serve God.

By putting so much emphasis on what we do, the amount we doand the success of it we are actually creation a subtlety but significantlycreating a culture of guilt and pride. We are slowly reinforcing in ourchurches and denominations that if we work harder, do more we will see theblessings of God on what we do. This is a lie. We may see fruit but at whatcost. At Leicester, I put unnecessary strain and demand on my marriage becauseof my desire to do more (this is in its self a sin against God’s community). Iwanted peoples praise and to feel my ministry was worth something and that thechurch could not function without me. It has taken me a while to confess anddeal with that realisation that even God still functions without my input andeffort.

It is actually very liberating when you realise God doesn’tneed you. However, it is inspiring when you discover that wants you!

Matt

Putting it into practice

2011-10-11T14:07:00.001+01:00

In the last few weeks I have realised that I have begun to put into practice some of the components from the Arrow Leadership programme. There have been a few days when something has cropped up in my week which maybe 6 months ago would have had me stressing or even making me work more than was necessary.

One of the principles that struck a cord with me was organising my week to plan for emergencies or the unseen meetings and appointments of your week. Obviously, by their nature you don't know when they will happen, how long they will take and what follow up will be required. The theory presented to us on Arrow was that you can build time in to allow for such events. Of course, this takes discipline and planning. Two things for which I am not renowned. However, I have begun to see the beginnings of development in these areas. It has taken time and a lot of wiilingness on my part but I am beginning to see the benifits for my self but also the church I lead.

For example: Today Katherine has had to be dropped off back with me from the Childminders because she has suspected chicken pox. Because of how I plan my week I know that I can afford to drop everything, take her home and spend time with her and take her to the doctors. All my tasks I need to get done are relatively sorted and the things I need to do can wait until she is in bed. I even have time to blog!

In leadership it is necessary to be flexible and prepared for the unexpected. I remember James Lawrence saying " you know emergencies will happen , so plan for them." My diary is less full than this time last year. I block time out and stick to it, if I have time spare I use it to focus on long term stuff rather than little jobs. In leadership, you know and accept that you will have things to do, people to support, places to go and responsibilities to fulfil but ultimately how you plan and use that time is the individuals responsibility.

If you find your self with to little time to do things in and do them well, then do less.

Matt

All together now.

2011-10-03T19:00:00.000+01:00

All people are complex and unpredictable yet the key component in God's hope in the world today. The church is not supposed to be a place for perfection but of safety for failure and imperfection. Yet we can do one key thing to ensure we keep seeking after the heart of God and serving the needs of our community. Work together. There is great potential and strength in working together if we are willing and prepared to support each others ministries, missions, lives, and relationships. It is easy to become transfixed on trying to get others to do what we want and forget that we may have something to offer them.

Take Carlos Tevez for example. Whether we know all the facts, the reality is that he is causing a disruption. How much of that effected the team in their defeat is unknown but it can't have helped. He may wear the shirt and training top, he may even sit on the bench but when it comes to supporting his team and when asked to try and make a difference he declines. We maybe like that in the church. Wearing the right clothes, sitting on the pews but when it comes to supporting others our first question is "what do we get out of it."

I know that I have, as the leader, subconsciously asked people to do stuff to "help"or "benefit" me without considering whether they want to do or are gifted to do it. We need to stick together and work with the people around seeking to use their gifts not simple to get a job done. If the church is to grow and deepen its relationships within then we have to work as a team that is focused on the vision God places before us. As a leader, I have a responsibility to make sure that we all know where we are head, why and what may occur on the journey so that we can stick together no matter what may come our way.

The church must always desire to reflect the unifying nature of God. It is through this that others may want to be part of something so loving.

Matt

Know where your going (without a Sat Nav).

2011-09-27T14:43:00.001+01:00

The other week I was in a meeting where I was the only one that did not have a Sat Nav. I havn't used one but clearly understand what they do and why you would use one. However wonderful and helpful they maybe in directing people around the exstensive British road network, I don't like Sat Navs. It could be to do with fact that "I am a man and we don't ask for directions" or "I don't want to admit to Lizzy that I'm lost." Yet, there is more to it than my flawered character and therefore want to make a case for ditching the technology that tells us where we are going. I know I have not used one (and will not) but want to comment on my frustrations with them.

Apparently Sat navs are better than maps to stop us getting lost. However that is not what is reported in the telegraph where it claims 82% of 18 to 24 year olds despite having a Sat Nav have got lost in the last year. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/caraccessories/8636633/Drivers-are-better-off-using-road-maps-than-satnav-new-research-finds.html This says alot about our reliance on technology rather than the most sophisticate computer of all: our brains. For me, using a map (google maps or paper map) to plan and set eye on the route provides a better indication of the route we need and could need if there are road works accidents or if we take a wrong turn. In our impatients to get somewhere we forget to look how to get there before entering the car and know apprectiate just what the journey may entail.

Even if the Sat Nav's don't get us lost and to our destination on time, we could neglect the opportunity in developing a key life lesson: A sense of direction. With a Sat Nav we could concentrate on being told where to go rather than keeping and eye on where we have been, where we are and what is up ahead. For example: Whilst driving on the motorway we keep going until we hear the voice that tells us to exit in 1 mile (or what ever it may say). Yet you have no idea where you actually are, what city/town you have passed, what road you are going on too or even what number junction it is you have come of at. Now you need to do the route again. I guess you put the post code and repeat the process, oblivious to where you are or where you have been! Imagine what you might have missed out on and what you may have learnt along the way.

There is a point to my ranting about such a minor issues as the use of Sat Navs.

Faith is like living without a Sat Nav. It is faith that allows to develop a sense of direction and then allows us to see the beauty on our journey.

Matt

All together now.

2011-09-20T15:30:00.000+01:00

"We are one of them. The staff at the club have got to keep pushing the squad as hard as they can. We have got to push them, pull them, carry them, drive them on - and we have got to do it together." http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/

This quote comes from Southampton manager Nigel Atkins after our sides demolition of Birmingham City which moved us up to top spot in the Championship. Being a loyal and long standing Saints fan I am thrilled with our start to the season and delighted that my club is in a better place than it as a few years back. A lot of that has to do with the new owners but also to Nigel Atkins. Despite my reservations of getting rid of Alan Pardew, Nigel Atikins was the best replacement. In his quote above I think we can see why.

First and foremost, he understands that the modern football club must be focused on the primary objective; is the team winning football matches. This is why teams like Man Utd, Baraclona, Ajax have been so successful. Whether we like it or not (I don't) this is also what the investment has gone in too at Man City (training ground, additional club staff, and top footballers). To win football matches, titles, cups and glory. To be the best team in the world, you don't just need the players but an environment that they footballers can flourish in.

My observation of the church is that we all need to know that we can only be effective and successful if we, as one, work together for the glory of God. This is our primary focus and should always be. If we forget this or take our eyes off the goal we may end up like Leeds, Sheffield Utd or Southampton (2 years ago). More on this in the next few blogs.

We need to work, pray, live and hope as one. United in our primary focus.

Matt

Fatherhood

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

I am having a break from my usual blogging topics and comment on something Ihave been thinking a lot about lately. Fatherhood. From the pain when wesuffered a miscarriage before Katherine, others experience of the complexnature of conceiving and the trails of being a parent, I can honestly say thatI love being a parent. In short it is brilliant and a blessing that I neverwant to take for granted. Yet as a father there is a dichotomy that we face.Let me try and explain.

It is easy to accept that there are roles that a mother and father play in achild's up bringing yet how realistic they are is up for debate. My observationis that there is a lot of pressure on father to be highly active in a child'sup bringing yet we seem to find it difficult in maybe admitting we do. Forexample: How many men’s public toilets have baby changing facilities in? (Inone public toilet it had such facility but the sticker had a picture of afemale and baby on it!) This is not the issue the issue is how many mencomplain about it? Would we admit/point out to our male counterparts that thisis wrong or should be made more available? There seems to be an unspokenagreement that we men keep quiet about such conveniences so that we get out ofdoing nappies!

This is one observation But us fathers need to grasp the significant ofbeing involved in all parts of our children’s up bringing (even the smellybits) and telling others dads about it too. Why are we so worried about whatother blokes think?

I do not claim to be the best dad in the world but I am a dad that wants tobe the best and encourage others to do so. Let me know your thoughts and tips of being a good father. We need all the help we can get.

Matt

Resources you can check out:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14880055- interesting article on the physical changes on a father when a child comesalong.

http://www.dad.info/

60 minuet father by Rob Parsons - This book changed my fatherhood. It isbrilliant and easy to read.

The who and not the how.

2011-09-13T15:21:00.000+01:00

As I blogged yesterday, I have been challenged as to whom I share my faith with. It is easy to get caught up with the how that we forget that this is about the eternal hope of those that have no faith. Telling people about who Jesus is and the difference he makes in and through my life needs to be higher on my agenda. I have always been good at connecting with people, taking the church to new places and being prepared to venture in territory undiscovered but have not always been clear and open about the message. It is easy to hide behind my "role" and try and do evangelism purely as a church rather than personally. This is where the who comes in. Essentially, I know a lot about the how but have not been intentional enough about the who I share it with. But I want to be.

As I said at the end of my last blog, making evangelism part of my normal everyday life is the hard bit but I am making a start. There are two people I am praying for to come to faith. Today, I had a great opportunity to talk to one of those people about the purpose of the church and the difference God should make in a Christians life. That's it. She didn't come to faith and become a christian but we have begun a journey that I pray will see her know God. It's a start and is more than we have spoken about in the past. Now I need to keep going because the thing that strikes me deeply is that if I don't who will. This is not to say I am better than others at evangelism but I have the opportunity and ultimately the responsibility.

God is always at work, his spirit is always speaking. My prayer is that I am always ready and available to join in with what he is up to.

Matt

but I don't have any friends.........

2011-09-12T08:00:00.000+01:00

Don't worry, I don't want you to feel sorry for me. I do have friends and some good ones at that. I have been challenged once again to reflect on my personal sharing of my faith with others, especially those that don't have a faith. One of the dangers of being involved in church leadership at any level is that you can be isolated from those that don't know God and quickly be immersed in a church culture surrounded by Christians. When challenged to invite their friends to church, an event, Alpha course or such like, I have heard many Christians say the words "but I don't have any friends."

Over the next few Sundays at Aspley I am going to be looking at this very issue. How do we share our faith with others? Maybe the question should be: "Who do I share my faith with?" The main excuse that church leaders use to neglect their responsibility in person evangelism is time. It is easy to use our role as a way of not engaging in evangelism. It is easy to lead and challenge others to do it but it is not always being backed up by our own actions. There are many factors that influence our lack of engaging in evangelism (time, work, family, scared, not feeling gifted) yet these should not become excuses. I have been really conscious of the way I use my time so to be able to engage with evangelism but it is still a struggle. I still find it hard to create regular and meaning time with people that don't know Jesus so that they may see him in me and for me to be able to speak about him openly.

What I have learnt is that evangelism isn't hard but making it part of my normal everyday life is.

Matt

Busy Busy Busy

2011-09-08T17:00:00.002+01:00

I was with a bunch of church leaders today and was presented with the classic first question: "Are you busy!" Maybe in the past I would have responded with a yes or tried to ignore or deflect the question but this time I went for the brave answer. I said "no, busy is over-rated." I was met with a shy laugh and then silence. I have a few frustrations I need to share:

Why is it that people assume that busy means we are doing the right things? We get caught up in a world that says the more we do the better and more valuable we are. Just because we are busy doesn't always mean we are getting things done and done well. I have been quilty in the past of doing lots of stuff but doing few of them really well. I want to do less but do them better.
Why do we value busy people more than those that consitently and quietly go about their work at a healthy pace? Maybe it boils down to the fact we are jeleous of those who have slower paced, calmer and more blended lives. For many of us we have many presures that compound this issue that are out of our control but there are many things that are.
Why can't we ask better questions about each other? At no point did anyone ask how my marraige was, how being a father is going or if I need any prayers! I have to be honest and say that I didn't ask them any of these questions. I should have and will try to next time.

Of course the danger of being less busy is we slip into a place of comfort or even worse, an attitude of complacency. This will be just as damaging as being too busy. But we are only doing ourselves a dis-service if we don't get thie sorted.

Matt

Jesus on the phone

2011-09-08T17:00:00.000+01:00

On twitter this week was a tweet from the Guardian regarding a banned advert ran by Phones4U. There were complaints on the use of the Jesus image on the advert as irreverent and inappropriate.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/07/jesus-mobile-phone-ad-banned?CMP=twt_fd

I do wonder who it was that complained. I understand why they would, even if I think they are wasting their time. For me the issue of the use of this image is not offensive, irreverent by simply highlights the underling message of Jesus still in people's lives, even if they don't know it. The fact that they used the word "miraculous" says to me that people relate the story of Jesus still to our culture in the 21st Century. What is it about this man Jesus that still stirs up interest in people imagination? For me it is the mystery of a man who walked on earth, created controversy and yet was willing to be a sacrifice for a world that didn't deserve God's forgiveness is pretty facinating. The stories of Jesus miracles are brilliant, not because of what Jesus does but because of who he does them for and the reactions those that are healed express. The churches responsability should be to tell the stories openly and passionatly rather than complaining about silly adverts. If we get that right people will know and understand what all the fuss is about when it comes to this man Jesus.

If you don't know much about him, he's worth finding out about.

Matt

Now and not yet (4)

2011-08-19T17:00:00.000+01:00

Meeting with my mentor each month is always a delight and a blessing. Along with his great insights and knowledged he also still shows a desire to work out what it means to be a follow of Jesus and a leader in his church. This week's meeting was no different. As we chatted, the issue of how a emerging leader responds in these difficult and troublings days cropped up. I made a comment that the church is likely to remain in a place of flux for a while yet as we seek to work out how we respond to the culture we find ourselves in. Two things have stuck with me during this week and deserves a blog. He stated that "the church should always be in a state of flux."

Firstly, I am encouraged that I don't have to have things sorted. There has been a trend in the church for leaders to make sure we are in order and under control; that our programmes, provisions and administration is faultless and professional. The danger of being in control or having things under control is that we (leaders) forget to leave space for the unexpected, the miraclus and graceful acts of God. This is not to say that we just let our admin pile up, not take care of the day to day issue that will allow smooth running of our church and centres. But, control can lead to a over reliance on process rather than keeping focus on our purpose. For example: you can over plan times of worship, over illustrate, use video clips because you feel you have to etc By the time you have planned you then forget to make/leave space for God's spirit to promt and speak to those in attendance.

Secondly and closely related, I was reminded that I will never get everything sorted. This is such a relief to someone who is not naturally organised. It is great to feel freed by the never ending nature of God's kingdom and released to know that time is on our side. How often do you hear a church leader (or anyone for that matter) say that they are not busy and have lots of time on their hands. We need to make sure we are not doing to many things. This is not an excuse for slapdash leadership and leaving everthing until tomorrow (that never comes). Yet we need to use the time God gives us each day to place those things that are of priority to God at the top of our todo list.

Things are in flux but God knows what he is doing.

Matt

What is my value?

2011-08-02T17:00:00.004+01:00

Last week I received an email that ended, from a person that doesn't know me, saying; "thanks for all you do." All of us like to be thanked for what we do. But I was interested as to what he meant as he is unfamiliar with my role, personality and character. I am sure he was being encouraging but in a conversation with a friend we chatted about what signals this sends out. Are me more excited or interested in what people do rather than who they are? For example: What is the first question we ask when we meet someone new? The thing is, I realised that I do the same. I have ended many an email to my leadership team " thanks for all you do" in an genuine attempt to encourage them for the way they lead the church. I wonder if I have missed something or even worse sent the wrong signals to them. Do I care more about what they do or who they are?

It is easy to value people for what they do because we can see the results of their labour and efforts. It is also important that people are encouraged for what they do and the quality of their work (whatever the level of profession ). It is free and only takes a moment but can yield results and increase performance. People want to be thanked and encouraged but we (the church) could simply become an organisation reward good deeds, success and effort rather than celebrating diversity, character and even failure. In leadership, it's easy to slip into an attitude of "what can I get from others" rather than seeking to support and resource them in their own unique ministry.

In the past few weeks I have begun to put various other things at the end to encourage people for who they are rather than what they do. I need to keep working on this and develop both my attitude and skill in valuing people for the depth and diversity of their character rather than simply what they can do for me, the church or even God.

Surely, God is more interested in who we are. I pray I will be too.

Matt

Uniform or Uniformity

2011-07-22T13:00:00.001+01:00

A couple of months ago Lizzy and I attended a conference for Natural Church Development. During one of the sessions we considers the challenges that diversity has on churches. One of the issues that was highlighted briefly was for those churches that see diversity as a danger rather than an opportunity. Chritoph Schalk from NCD helpfully pointed out that diversity can cause uniformity in some organisations, including the Church. On the other end of the scale, organisations, again including the church could be in danger of becoming competitive. These two manifestations of diversity can obviously harm the effectiveness of a church community in growing and deepening its faith. What is needed, to use an NCD word, is symbiosis. Everything working together as one for the health of an organism, the church.

In this blog I want to address the issue of uniformity. As a member of and a leader in the Salvation Army, uniformity has always been a big issue. The Salvation Army appeal in its early life was it's uniqueness as an expression of God's love in action. But somewhere along the line we managed to lose this uniqueness and become uniformed. Not too long ago, if you went to most Salvation Army churches their worship, programme and outlook would be extremely similar, if not the same. Uniformity is not the same issue as the wearing of uniform but are obviously closely linked. In the last few months I have heard and been part of a number of conversations around the specific issue of uniform within our movement. The issues of uniform can only be answered by digging deep into to our understanding willingness to engage with the issues of diversity.

For many, diversity is a scary subject and it can force us to become defensive in our approach to church, worship and mission. There is much comfort in all being the same but it is not a true reflection of God's creation. If we are to be a organisation that is growing and healthy we need to embrace the gift of diversity within our movement.

Matt

Now but not yet (3)

2011-07-19T22:00:00.001+01:00

Having watched some of the Murdoch's grilling at the House of Commons Committee, it got me reflecting on the Kingdom of God once again. One of the things that stuck me as I listened was the sense of judgement (on all sides) that had already preceded and that is surely still to come. The question for News International is: Has there past caught up with them?

The question for me: Is it the same for me when I meet my maker in Heaven? Is it a case of my past being trawled over by God and his courts of Angel's. Will my past catch up with me, how will his judgement work out? Will I be questioned as to what I knew and didn't know? Or will God have already "wiped the slate clean" and embrace me despite my considerable failings. Maybe these are the wrong questions to be asking about heaven and our potential admittance. I wonder if by starting with the ending in sight we find ourselves in a blind alley. Surely the kingdom that is yet to come is not about what we have or haven't done?

I am in agreement with Rob Bell (in Love Wins) when he highlights that those who are more concerned with who will get into heaven are less concerned with helping people discover that heaven is here on earth, right now. And so we come back to considering a kingdom that is "now" and "already here." It can not simply be used as promise for a future time. Why can't the riches and beauty of heaven become a daily reality in our lives and in the lives we interact with?

In the promise of the kingdom to come we must reveal a kingdom that is already clearly in view.

Matt

Now but not yet (2)

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

Understanding the kingdom of God is a life time occupation. And rightly so! There is no way we will ever be able the grasp the reality of what it means for the kingdom of God to be present but not yet complete. If we don’t understand it as an everyday Christian what chance do we have in helping others come to an understanding and relationship of this cosmic sized idea? Yet we are assured that the kingdom of God is at hand, its close by and it’s personal. How do we begin to communicate this concept to those in our communities who have no understanding of God? I don’t have the answers but would like to stimulate you in thinking about what question we can ask to start discovering some solutions.

First of all we need to get to the heart of the purpose of the church. What is the reason for the existence of the church? Maybe a better question is what is the motivation of my church and how is that motivation expressed? Is it that we see the church as God’s mission agency or as a residential home, preparing us for heaven. Do we see the church as a movement that mobilises it’s people or a place that keeps us contained. The kingdom of God is unable to be contained and therefore neither should its citizens.

That then requires the church to release and free its people to live as citizens in the world they inhabit. The question is; are we prepared for the mess that may ensue? The boundaries of the kingdom of God are obviously not as clear cut as they are when we travel through passport control. We are citizens of heaven on earth and therefore our instinct should be to shine as such. Paul instructs us a number of times to “put into practice, that which you have learned” and the church today needs to do likewise. It isn’t even about getting it right but seeking to discover what the kingdom looks like in our individual context.

Finally (for this blog) it is about seeking first the kingdom of God and joining in. This week I have once again been reassured that God is at work in Aspley, God is at work behind the various unopened doors of our community and in the lives that we seek to see transformed. God is always at work creating and transforming people in more ways that the church can ever put into a programme or project. There is a sense of relieve in my heart that all God requires of me is to unveil the kingdom that already exists in Aspley rather than trying to construct a kingdom from scratch.

The kingdom of God is not yet, so let’s unveil it.

The kingdom of God is now, so let’s live in it.

Matt

Now but not yet (1)

2011-07-12T08:01:00.001+01:00

I am currently reading Rob Bells book “Love Wins”. It is a typically questing and searching book that helps Christians we think faith on a number of different levels. One thing that stuck out in chapter 3 was this quote by Bell when talking about we can see heaven on earth; “This is what happens when the future is dragged into the present.” I was struck by the hope in this complex idea and the need for our lives to be ones prepared to drag that future into our present. Lives lived in such hope that people cannot mistake the touch of heaven, a expression of true love and a act of humility by Gods people. This is the kind of world I believe in but sadly rarely see.

This concept brings great challenge for us that confess to be followers of Jesus. If we are serious about changing our world then we have to be seen as someone that a future with Jesus has changed. We cannot rest at trying to resolve cleaver or contentious arguments about the reality and existence of God but we need to live our lives that reflect our beliefs and leave people in no doubt of where are hope lay. This is not simply about our future but the future of others. Our Family, Friends, Work colleagues, Class mates and House mates. These and many others have no idea what a future with God looks like because we have not shown them.

So how do we show them this future? What does it mean practically? Where do I start? Here are a few ideas to try? The secret is to persist and remember whose future we are dealing with.

1. Pray for someone you know who is unaware of the amazing future we have with God. Choose a work colleague, close friend and pray consistently and persistently.
2. Hang out with people that don’t know God? Maybe you need to be released from things you do in/at church to do this?
3. Join a club. You are allowed to do something you enjoy!
4. Get training on how to share your experience and faith in God. This could be in the form of a book or formal course.

Whatever you do, do something! God doesn’t want anyone to miss out on a future with him.

Matt

Leading Evangelism 3 - Easy Evangelism!

2011-05-10T08:00:00.002+01:00

This year has been a very positive one in the life of the Aspley Salvation Army and continues to be so. This week we had a strange occurrence when a young lad phone up asking if he could join the Salvation Army. Taken aback I composed my self and said we should meet, so he came the next day with his mum to meet with me and chat through what it meant to be in the Salvation Army. I encouraged him to come for a few weeks before we go through our membership classes to see if it is right for him and help him understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a soldier in the SA. On Sunday, he turned up along with his mum to join us in worship and said once again how he wanted to be a soldier.

A couple of things struck me about this strange incident. The first is this; in the church we concentrate a lot of effort and thought in to clever, well intentioned and often expensive evangelistic strategies that we forget about the miraculous ministry of God. Evangelism is a lot easier if we place of faith in God's power and plan for our church. It's not to say we sit back and wait for people to phone us (that clearly is not God's intention for his church) yet we must be cautious in forcing the issues with God. Patience and faith need to off set our action and commitment. If we are not careful we can be caught up in our own succussflness rather that the Holy Spirit's power and promting.

The second is linked: Why should I be surprised that people want to become part of the church? Why should I find it "strange" that people are drawn to God? How limiting has my attitude to leading my church in evangelism if I am surprised when people want to be a follower of Jesus. It has really challenged me to lead a church that see's people make faith commitments. This is not about making our church bigger but growning the kingdom and changing peoples lives in and around the place we worship, live and serve. If this young lad can decide to be a soldier why cant the other people I know well do the same.

Evangelsim is easy, when God is leading us.

Matt

Leading Evangelism 2 - Leading it

2011-04-27T18:00:00.002+01:00

As I mentioned in my last blog, when leading others in evangelism it must be backed up by the leader personally engaging in it but not because it a part of the job or programme. Evangelism is a fundamental response to our calling by God as His disciples and we must not hide behind structures or institutions to protect us from talk about Jesus. I don't think the church will survive for very long if those leading others in evangelism don't put themselves in a place where they can do it.

There are many reasons why the leader (The Corps Officer in my denomination) should be exposed to sharing there faith with people who do not know Christ. Here are a few thoughts:

1 - Practice what you preach. I have always been an advocate of mission and evangelism and on the whole been a good exponent of it. Yet there is a danger that I could end up talking about the "church" rather than the deep issues of faith. If I challenge my church fellowship on a Sunday to share their faith I should be ready to do the same at the next opportunity.

2 - You discover the reality - There are many people that do not find talking about faith easy and can end up feeling disheartened and discouraged because they feel they are not good enough to be evangelists. If the leader also experiences this reality then it can be an encouragement to their congregation to keep going. I am regularly praying for 2 people to become Christians but as yet haven't. This is my reality that I share with others. I still keep praying and believing.

3 - What works - If you are leading evangelism and personally engaging with it you are more likely to discover what works and share that with others. For example, I attended an excellent day with Carl Beech regarding men's ministries. He was able to share his own experience of success and failure in reaching men for God. Because he had the "T-Shirt" he could speak honesty and helpfully to us beginners.

4 - It is what we do - As I mention in my introduction, talking about my faith is not what I get paid to do, its what I am called to do and so must fulfill that call. It is only through my own personal willingness to introduce others to a life of faith that I will know how to lead others to do the same.

If I truly love God, why would I keep that to myself regardless of my role, job or appointment.

Matt

Leaders and Managers

2011-04-20T10:00:00.000+01:00

I heard that Roy Keane was being approached to manage the Qatar national team. Roy Keane's first management job was getting Sunderland up and doing well with them, then to Ipswich where things didn't go well and now a lowly nation team. He has not had the best reports for his man management skills and ruled by fear rather than respect. Yet there is no doubting his unrivaled leadership qualities displayed during his years at Forest and Utd. You would not only want to follow him out of the tunnel but feel confident he would lead by example on the field.

I begun to wonder if good leaders make good managers? Is there a difference between the two?

A friend of mine commented on this question on Facebook. He said; "To be a good manager you must lead by example so id say yes...thinking of becoming a manager then???" (Chris Smith). Yet, I wonder how many other great footballing leaders have made bad/not great managers. Shearer, Bruce, Ince and Souness to name a few? All great leaders but not great managers (in my opinion). So what is missing, what do they lack. Not leadership, passion or respect but the ability to manage people and expectations, whilst at the same time trying to lead by example. It is my observation that these people got so far on there past reputation as leaders but were not cut out to manage.

Here is how the Guardian commented on Keane and his hero, Clough.

Brian Clough has long been his (Roy Keane's) hero but he needs to remember his mentor could be warm and human as well as angry and authoritarian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/jan/07/roy-keane-irish-mourinho-ipswich-town

To be a great leader you need the mind of a manager, the heart of a leader and the ability to use them at the right time and in the right way. Easy!

Matt

Leading Evangelism 1 - why?

2011-04-19T16:00:00.001+01:00

One of the biggest impacts the Arrow Leadership process has had on me is my attitude towards leading evangelism in the church I am appointed to currently (and beyond). I have often seen ministers who can clearly lead others in evangelism but then opt out of doing it themselves. I would like to think I have always been open and willing in leading by example but know I have not always been effective or intentional about this. I know that I have a strong missional heart and am willing to go into situations that require me to show faith without necessary having or seeking the opportunity to speak about my faith.

However, I do wonder if I don't say enough! Evangelism is more than deed, it is about what we share verbally with others. As this point I acknowledge that the language we use is part of the issues but Evangelism isn't mission just very closely related and complementary too. People have become scared of the "e" word but it is crucial to our mission and purpose as the voice of God in our world. Maybe many of the issues surrounding the suppression of Christianity stem from the churches silence rather than supposedly being gagged. Whatever the cause, we are fearful of speaking about Jesus to our world today for fear of ridicule, losing friends or being seen as weird.

What I have discovered recently is that when you mention Jesus, people are intriged, respectful and open to knowing more. So lets tell them!

Matt

If your happy and you know it.

2011-04-12T14:27:00.009+01:00

One of Katherine's favourite songs for us to sing is "if your happy and you know it." She can only do the clap your hands bit as she hasn't worked out the bit about nodding your head or stamping your feet but loves the song. I came across this article on the BBC news page about an organisation that is dedicated in spreading happiness.

"The world's first membership organisation dedicated to spreading happiness is being officially launched. Action for Happiness, which claims to have 4,500 members in more than 60 countries, says it prioritises healthy relationships and meaningful activities as a means to happier living."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13046148

It got me thinking about the role of the church in the general well being and happiness of our society/local communities. I don't believe the churches main role/purpose is to make people happy(ier) yet it's ministry should make people feel better about life, themselves and God. Any organisation can do something just to help people but the churches mandate is deeper, it is to bring about salvation and freedom in peoples lives. This should naturally, if we do it correctly, impact the physical and emotional aspects of peoples lives but can't be what we simply measure our success and effectiveness on. Numbers attending and accessing our programme must never be the sole source of justification to running them.

As it states in the article, Action for happiness focuses on "healthy relationships and meaningful activities", which poses the question; If we are to be the church God craves, why isn't the church addressing these needs already? This is not about providing programme to fill the gaps or having programme for programmes sake but the very nature of the church expressing the relational heart of God. We need to ensure that our mission doesn't become a service we provide that makes us look good or make/keep people happy but as a way of exposing people to the fulfilling love of God.

If your happy and you know it clap your hands.

If your happy and you know God, reach out your hands.

Matt

Risk and Loss (3) Pain

2011-04-05T13:30:00.006+01:00

I am an avid House (the Sky Drama rather than the type of music) fan. It is a great example of good and bad leadership. House is a egotistical but brilliant diagnostician who feeds off the plight of others. Cutty, his boss, is responsible for House (they were in a relationship as well) antics but recognises his brilliance. During a recent episode, Cutty got ill and House responded in his one inevitable way. During one scene came this quote: "Pain happens when you care!" Cutty (House S7 Ep 15).

One of the tensions in leadership is showing and sharing our pain (not just in leadership decisions but personal issues also). As previous discussed when we are prepared to risk something we may experience loss. With loss comes pain. It has been said that leaders in the church find it easier to make the hard decisions because it isn't there church and can move at any time. In the SA it can be easy to hide behind the fact that we are appointed to a place rather than choosing to be there. However, this is to the detriment of the church we are appointed to and to our own leadership development. I once had an officer mutter the words "don't take it personally" to me about a decisions that had been made effecting me.

Where ever I have been (which is limited to 2 communities) I have sought to embed my life in the community I serve. I really have cared about the people I have served along side and believe that it has to be personal to make my leadership effective and meaningful for me and the church I lead. Often, it is in the pain that leadership can be refined.

When Jesus came into our world, he demonstrate just how personnally God took the worlds plight. He became flesh, he became an equal and walked with us.

Matt

Loving my tradition.

2011-04-04T13:30:00.001+01:00

Over the past year I have spent a lot of time with some great people from the Anglican Church (and a few other denominations) through my Arrow Leadership course and local ministers meetings. This has lead me to think more openly and clearly about the denomination I am part of. Things that I am still tying to get my head around about the SA include; Leadership, uniform, appointments, structure, mission, training, abstinence form alcohol, traditions, certain theological areas and what defines us as the SA. My main frustration is that the conversations regarding these areas usually, as a good friend said last week, happen around a coffee table and never get any further (whilst we were having coffee). I am inclined to agree. How do I work through these things if I feel I can't be honest that I may think differently to what has gone before. I don't have the answers or even think that I am right but would at least like to explore them in a productive way that will release me and ultimately enhance the wider SA. I guess I have a lot of questions and they don't seem to have anywhere to go. Yet, I am passionate about the Salvation Army's story from its early life in the East End of London to the way it responds to emergencies all around the world today. William Booth asked the right questions and responded with some innovative and exciting answers creating a culture of mission. We have a wonderful history that can serve to inform and energise our present. I have seen the SA at work in different countries and in different context, the diversity is beautiful. Embracing this is key to growth and developing our thinking around the issues mention. Many leaders form other denominations have such a high regard for the SA, I must not undermine that by simply moaning about the things I dislike or want to change. Churches are complex organisations but surely we need to find a way to embrace what has gone before without living there. All questions have answers. But we have to ask the questions to get the answers. Matt

Risk or Loss (2) How to make the tough calls.

2011-03-31T23:30:00.001+01:00

In the last few days, I have been reflecting some more on the issue of taking risks and what it means as a leader. Whenever you are given that leaders position, you will inevitably upset someone or some people along the way. It is a normal state of being the one who has to make the tough calls. So how can you make those "calls" without harming yourself or the people you lead. I have learnt from my success's and failings in this area and want to share a few comments that may help you in making those "calls" in the future.

Is it personal?

When ever leading change you need to ask yourself is this change purely to suit me, make my life easier or is it for the long term gain of the organisation. This doesn't mean that you don't invest something of yourself in the change or that you take it personally but ultimately change can't be simple down to what the leader wants. In ever tough call you have to make, ask your self what will the effect be and who will it will effect and how. This may scare you but also help you in forward planning conversations, information and how you communicate. In a church setting a simple example of this is seen in the songs I choose may not always be the ones I like because I am not the only one singing them.

Does it really matter?

This may sound obvious but don't do it if it doesn't really matter! In some situations you may have bigger change on the horizon that will include the issue you are currently considering. Wait a while and do it all together. However if it needs to be done now then do it. The worst thing that you could do is leave it and the issue build up and then feel to big to change or address. Some things need to be challenged sooner rather than later.

Can you afford not too?

If you don't make the call, what will the impact be. Even if it doesn't work at least you can learn from it and make it better next time.

Matt

Risk or Loss

2011-03-22T14:30:00.002Z

Tuesday afternoons are my designated “leadership time” when I spend the afternoon with some good coffee and find a place that isn’t the office or home to reflect on stuff that I am involved with currently. This week I got in to a brief conversation with a financial advisor regarding people’s perception of loss in the wake of the earth quake and Tsunami in Japan. He said this: “it is not the attitude of risk but the attitude of loss that people can’t get their heads around.”

Losing something is a painful experience and one that can take a great amount of time and effort to work through. It also means that we things/we will never be the same as a result; life will be different forever. It’s no wonder we don’t want to take risks, why would we put ourselves in a position to lose. If we risk nothing we lose nothing. Yet can we afford to live a live without taking risks? Can we walk in this world just taking the easy option? If we lose nothing will we ever learn anything new?

In these last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about how I seek to take risks both in my own life and in my role within the church. It would be easy to step back and just let things happen around me and keep things maintained well but at the same time not wanting to develop things that are unsustainable. Either of these elements does not reflect the creative and sustaining nature of God and responsibility he places on me as his follower and as a Salvation Army Officer.
Taking risks doesn’t mean doing stuff alone or that it has to be big stuff either.

One of the great joys in my life currently is watching Katherine leaning to walk and climb. There is no fear in her eyes when she sets of just hope and joy as she tries to get from the chair to her dolly. Learning to walk is a risk! Things can and will go wrong. In the same way as we are learning to walk with God and take risks things will go wrong but God never leaves us or change. When we take a risk we witness the sustaining nature of God and His love for His people.

Matt

Character

2011-03-15T14:44:00.008Z

This quote is taken from Phil McNulty's article on the BBC website regarding the reinstatement of John Terry as England Captain:

Terry is a natural leader and still remains a serviceable, if more vulnerable, England defender, so Capello's desire to employ him in an influential role is understandable.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2011/03/capello_wrong_to_reinstate_ter.html

I love my football and admire what they can do with a ball at their feet (hands if they are Goal Keepers) but can't help think that they have been elevated or elevated themselves to a place that is out of step with the reality most of us live in. Phil McNulty's comments that Capello's decision to reinstate him as England Captain is because he is a good defender and a leader. I agree he is still good enough at the centre of England defense but not an appropriate leader for such a role. His conduct and attitude, from what we know, doesn't seem to warrant such honour as leading out the England team. He may get the job done and done well but to be a great leader you must also display your leadership in all aspects of your character. I have nothing against Terry and have a degree of sympathy for him regarding the media frenzy that sounds players like him. Yet in contrast, look at the example of Ryan Giggs who has conducted himself with a great deal of maturity even from a young age. Who would you follow? Who is the best leader?

Leadership demands that we are examples to others in all aspects of our lives. We will make mistakes but we must learn from them and develop the character that can admit mistakes, learn from them and be better because of it. I have made mistakes, made wrong decisions and maybe dealt with issues wrongly during my leadership but I am learning all the time that they only serve as a base for growth. I don't claim to be better than John Terry, I am only seeking to be better than I am currently as a person in leadership. It is tough being in the public eye constantly and that is why our character has to be challenged and developed constantly.

We maybe good at leading but is our conduct good enough when doing so?

Matt

Leaving a legacy

2011-03-02T17:00:00.001Z

It light of the past week, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on the legacy that Verz (see previous blog) has had upon peoples lives. It is amazing to think that one man can impact, for the better, so many people's lives and leave a legacy that will continue to help the church share the good news of Jesus. As someone who got to share a lot of time with him, it's easy to see how. Apart form the odd Norwich fan, I can't think of anyone who would have a bad word to say about Verz, he had no enemies, only saw the best in people and was the most humble person I have ever met.

I have been challenged, as I am sure others have, as to the legacy that I will leave both in my current appointment but in all aspects of my life. Has my life been a force for good and left people with a positive experience of the God whom I seek to proclaim and follow. If I am to leave a true legacy it must be one that God has ordained and that I seek to fulfill in and through my obedience as a husband, father, friend and leader. It isn't my Officers commission that defines my ministry and life, it is found in the one whose commission I seek to carry out.

I don't think Verz truly realised the depth of the legacy that he has left and that will continue to impact our world. Knowing Verz, he would be embarrassed by all the attention and praise that has been on facebook, in conversations and that will undoubtedly come in the weeks and months to come. He deserves all the praise that comes his way but he would simple deflect that praise to one who called him in the first place.

The question is, what will my legacy be, what will your legacy be?

Matt

Faith First - Man of faith

2011-02-28T08:24:00.011Z

Since my last blog, I received the devastating news that my best mate and life long golf buddy, Mark Versey died suddenly. I am finding it hard to talk about it, and am lost for words to express my sorrow and pain. He was a great man, who loved life, would do anything for anyone and was a brilliant friend. I have so much to be thankful for during the times we spent together and I know that so many others feel the same.

If ever you needed an example of what faith looks like in human flesh, then Verz was as good example of it as you would ever get. Ever since I have known him, I have been inspired and encouraged by his great faith. In fact it was Verz that suggested I apply to become a minister within the Salvation Army. This led to a journey that continues today. He was more than a friend, more than our best man, he was a brother in faith. When Lizzy and I had a miscarriage a couple of years ago, he was there on the other end of a computer via Skype, telling us he was committed to pray for us everyday until we conceived again. Katherine was born a year later.

In essence, Verz lived out what he believed. In 2003, he came into contact with Ambassadors in Sport and from that moment he sought to live out his faith through the medium of Football. Verz, right up to his passing, never lost sight of the power of a living Jesus and how that could be translated through football. I don't think anyone could comprehend the impact he has made on the lives of people in many parts of the world, the impact on the running of AIS, the legacy in South Africa as over 500 coaches were trained by AIS and his friendship to so many people. These few words do not do justice to legacy he leaves behind.

Verz was a true ambassador of hope and a man of great faith.

Well done my friend.

Matt

An Tribute from Ambassadors in Sport.

Faith first 4 (Dealing with doubt)

2011-02-24T08:00:00.002Z

There have been many times in the past where despite my optimism and faith I have wondered whether I have done the right thing or if I have miss read God intentions for me and my leadership. It can seem a little irreverent to doubt God and His plan's but every time I doubt the more I discover about the God I am doubting. I don't think God is at all worried if we doubt in Him, His power and authority because we are acknowledging that he is involved with what is going on. In my experience, doubt usually leads to a reigniting faith.

In leadership it is easy to doubt so much you do nothing or have no doubt and only do what you want to do. There needs to be a balance struck between faith and dealing with the doubt when it comes your way. By doubting our faith in God's plan we are more likely to ask the questions that will lead us and help lead others to a deeper understanding and more authentic experience of who God is and what he has in store. It would be easy to put our doubts down to personal weakness rather than an opportunity to see God work in and through us.

There are always going to be moments where we doubt first rather than have faith first but in these moments we are allowing God to be placed first. We maybe shaken but he will always be unshakable (Psalm 62:2).

Matt

Faith first 3 (Risk Assessent)

2011-02-20T11:00:00.001Z

Don't worry I am not about to blog on the vital part that assessing the risk of activities plays in the life of a church ministry. They can be boring and laborious to undertake but are crucial to ensuring that we keep people as safe as possible whilst in our buildings, partaking in activities and involved in various mission projects. Yet I worry that this has had an untold impact on the life of the church. Not only have we assessed the physical risk but the spiritual ones too. There are two core elements to faith, they are risk and fear. We need these to bring in to focus our own faith and the faith of the church.

Over the past couple of weeks Katherine has discovered the wonderful world of stairs. This has brought a couple of bumps, a few tears but mainly great excitement and adventure. As her dad, I worry she will hurt herself but also rejoice that she is discovering all life has to offer for a one year old. The stairs probably fell like a mountain and provide much enjoyment despite the danger(which she seems to be oblivious too). It would be easy for us to put a stair gate on the bottom step and stop her even starting the climb.

Fear is emotion we experience in the presence of a potential risk. Once we begin to face the risk and work through it fear turns to other emotions such as excitement, joy or feeling scared. If we don't risk anything we will never fear and experience these and other such emotions. The church seems to have lost its appetite for risk in its ministry. If we as churches "play it safe" then how will we experience the protection and goodness of God. Didn't God risk everything by giving us His Son?

If we risk nothing we lack faith. I believe in a God who is faithful and is well worth risking everything for.

Matt

Faith first (2)

2011-02-15T14:18:00.006Z

Whenever I have taken a spiritual gifts questionnaire I have always had the gift of faith in my top 3. And yet as a result, I have struggled with are the issues of pride and arrogance in my life and leadership. This is a danger that I have been (and still am) working on a lot over the past couple of years. I know that I can be over confident, which has meant being under prepared for meetings, worship, conversations and life in general. The danger is that these issues and character flaws can be detrimental to both my leadership and God's plan for my life and the church I lead.

However, I also have witnessed God use me in amazing ways because of my faith. I believe that God can do anything. I have prayer for people who have been healed, prayed for situations that seem impossible and yet have become reality. Faith in what God can do, must never never be underestimated but similarly never taken for granted or used to personal promotion. I have learnt a lot during my time at Aspley about ensuring that God gets the credit when he uses my faith.

My faith must be place in God first, then and only then will God honour my faith.

Matt

Open book

2011-02-15T13:32:00.011Z

One of the great tensions as a leader is how much you give of your true self to the cause, how much you are yourself in public and how much you keep well hidden.

It is easy for a leader to reveal a fraction of themselves and be themselves to those they lead. A good example of this was when Gordon Brown, on his departure speech from office, revealed more about himself than in his entire premiership. As he spoke the words " I know go to do the most important job of all as a husband and as a father." Part of me was encouraged at his acknowledgement of the importance of family but was annoyed that it took a general election defeat to see that element of his character. I wonder what difference it would have made to his reign had he said that as he became the PM.

There is a need in leadership to be real, honest and as open as possible. This is difficult in many circumstance where there is a need for confidentiality for legal or personal reasons. However, I am always drawn to those leaders I know more about, regardless of what I know about them. In my experience, people will not like you any less if they know the truth about you. Being an open book does not mean you tell everyone everything but you are willing to be yourself in all situations and honest enough to admit your failings and flaws.

Over the years I have found this difficult and frustrating within the Salvation Army, whether as a member of the congregation or in a position of leadership. Trying to be yourself in an organisation that expects certain things creates a predicament that I have pondered about a lot. How can I be myself as well as fulfill the expectations as a Salvation Army Officer (minister) which sometimes I may have different views about? Yet

At the heart of a good leader should be a willingness to be open and honest in all situations. God created us as he desired, why would we want to hide who we are from him or anyone else?

Matt

Faith first.

2011-02-14T08:25:00.010Z

Over the past few months in our church we have witnessed some incredible moments of joy, fun and hope. One of the great blessing of leading the church is that I have seen people step out in faith and trust that God knows what he is doing. Whether in the small conversations,willingness to be a leader or believe that God's plan will be worked out, people have stepped out in faith.

One example of this is seen in our churches willingness to take on an allotment as a way of connecting with our community. We have no idea what were doing but it was offered to us free and was to good an opportunity to turn down. We set about weeding, digging, removing baths, pulling down a couple of trees and avoiding wasps from a nest we found and in the new year we placed a shed (the size of a small house) on the plot. It was time to get planting but without someone with the expertise to co-ordinate it were would we start. However, God had a plan. Last week David had a conversation with an old work colleague that was looking for an allotment but was unable to find one. David invited him to come and have a look at ours on Saturday and he has agreed to help us out. He knows what he is doing, talking about and is already planning the crops. Thank you God!

Faith always comes first when we are seeking to follow God's plan for our lives. Our church had the faith to take on something it wasn't skilled for but God has provided us with the person who does have the skill. Our church's theme for this year is "preparing to grow" and now we have a place to do it, a person to help do it and a church willing to see it become a reality.

Faith cannot be taught it must be learnt and the church must always be willing to learn.

Matt

Busy Busy Busy (how to beat the busyness)

2011-02-11T12:22:00.015Z

After raising the issue of being busy, I thought I would share some thoughts on how to deal with it. The reality for me has been that saying you'll make time for your family, be more organised and create more time for the tasks you don't like has and is still a difficult thing to work out. But I have improved the rhythm of my week to give appropriate/quality time for my family (not only on my day off), spending time in preparing my self for the coming week/month/year and managing my time efficiently so that I do what needs to be done. It is still a work in progress but here are some suggestions:

1: Put it in the diary - If you are going to have an afternoon off (on top of you day off), out it in the diary as an item, just like any other appointment. Put some time in you diary that is for an emergency. Obviously, the emergency will not happen at that point but you have space to catch up or benefit from. If you have an open diary system in an office then put it in code and stick to it! If an emergency crops up, reschedule your time immediately, don't say "I'll do it later."

2: Get a mentor - You need someone to hold you to account of your time. They can help you ensure that you are not in danger of either burning out or becoming lethargic and lazy. This must be someone you trust, respect and will listen to, even if it hurts.

3: Get active - No one can work productivity for long without an outlet. For me, I need to do something physical (running, football, digging at the allotment, walking to the office etc). It helps release stress, it keeps you body health and you get to meet people that you wouldn't necessary connect with. This is something I still need to work on and place higher on the agenda during my week.

4: Chill Out - You are allowed to stop and do nothing. Do not feel guilty about having you day off, taking all your holiday and making the most of quiet periods. These are God given moments when you can relax. Use your time to chill out as preparation before an event/busy period rather than recuperation after it because as soon as you feel you have caught up and feeling ready to go, you will be word out again. I have tried to think of my day off (usually Saturday) as preparing for Sunday and the week ahead rather than rest after a busy/long/pressured week.

The thing I am trying to do is be more silent (for those that know me this will probably make you smile) in my life. It is a lot easier to speak than to listen to God but how will I hear if I don't keep quiet.

Matt

Leading

2011-02-08T15:25:00.007Z

Last week the Salvation Army (SA) elected a new General (World Leader). Linda Bond will take up her appointment on the 2nd April 2011, following Shaw Clifton who retires on the 1st April 2011. I must admit that I was intrigued by the process more than the outcome. The body that makes the decision (The High Council) is made up of leaders of a certain position within the SA world. In theory any SA Officer (minister) can become the General of the SA but must be nominated by at least 3 members of the HC. This has never happened. See following link for more details: http://www2.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-search/0DA2C1DB392DE343802570EB0057542A?opendocument

It got me thinking about the process of leadership and how we raise new leaders within the SA at all levels. Does our position/appointment mean we are good leaders? Are the best leaders in the best places?

Of course, I have little say on the big issues regarding the Generals election process but I do have a opportunity to ensure that we are a movement that keeps raising leaders at local church level. In my experience, this is where leaders are born and should be develop and grown. The reality is if local leaders are not present, nothings grows. I am convinced that the local church should be like a chemistry lab where people are involved in experiments. It will mean that some work out well, some will make a mess, some discovering little, some discovering lots and some changing the way we think. This will allow people the freedom and opportunity to experiment in leadership and ultimately learn how to lead better.

I must add that being a leader doesn't mean having an official role or responsibility but the gift and ability to lead others in faith and vision. God doesn't have a standard mould that he uses to make leaders but he certainly can mould people in to leaders.

My hope is that as an Officer people look to me as a leader not because of my rank, status, or even experience but because I lead with integrity, honesty and a desire to release others to lead. If I get this wrong it will time for me to step aside!

Matt

Busy Busy Busy

2011-02-02T10:19:00.004Z

Having been thinking a lot in the last few weeks and months about the whole issues of Busyness. It is a frequently used word in all walks of life but especially by church leaders/ministers. On the BBC website last week was this article about Nick Clegg finishing at 3pm because of his family.

"Nick Clegg denies reports he stops work at 3pm each day. Nick Clegg has laughed off "silly" reports he is finishing work early after reports that he did not want to get any government papers after 3pm. The deputy prime minister said he might have many flaws "but not working hard enough is not one of them". He told BBC Breakfast his team had set the mid-afternoon submission deadline for Whitehall departments so they could add advice on documents before he left." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12343136

My response to this was: "A father that wants to spend more time with his family, what a great example." In my experience, many church leaders do not spend enough time with their families. I know I have been guilty of it in the past. It is easy to think that as the leader we must be busy, all the time. This was highlighted to me this week when talking with a fellow SA officer, who said "We are both very busy, the reality is we don't see much of each other." That saddened my heart, what makes they feel they have to live in that vain. Why are leaders in the church made to feel that they have to work all the hours God sends. Even God rested on the 7th day, and so should we.

I recognise that there will be periods in ministry will be busy but these should only be after times of preparation. We can't keep going at full pace all the time. Something will have to give.

As leaders, we are the only ones can work out what needs to give and what, like family, must be a priority.

Matt

A lot to do!

2010-07-13T08:42:00.013+01:00

In our church this year we have had an underlying theme of "mobilising for mission." At the beginning of the year I encouraged/challenged our church to get out more. It is easy for any church to become inward looking and isolated from the reality of what is going on around us. Not interacting and engaging with our communities is probably the greatest danger to the survival of the church in the UK. I am passionate about the church response, through mission, as to how we become a creditable partner in the places we seek to serve. A number of people have had to ask me over the past year " so where is the Salvation Army in Aspley?" Hoping people will come to us is not a viable solution to resolving the question.

A few weeks ago, whilst I was away, God presented us with an exciting mission opportunity. We were offered (and agreed to take on) an Allotment in our local area (only a ten min walk from the church). Its 600sq yards (very big) that has a small shack, concrete paths, a few trees, compost bin next to 94 other plots. It was over grown but the probation Pay Back team have been in to help begin clearing it up for us. It's a really exciting project for us to undertake and use as a way of expressing our faith and love for God to the local community. The Mustard Tree Allotment will be run as a community allotment where groups from the church (i.e Parents and Toddlers and After School Club) can use but also groups and individuals from the local area can get involved. The produce that we grow will be used in a variety of ways; used in our Drop In, given in food parcels and given to a local community market (Aspley's Miles Better).

There is a lot to do but such is the opportunity and potential for our church to be involved in it's community, how can re resist. As one of our members prayer "Lord, help us to grasp this opportunity with both hands." This is just one way I believe we can use to engage in mission, with significant practical and spiritual impacts on our church and the community we are seeking to serve.

Matt

Lessons

2010-04-12T19:22:00.008+01:00

Read this this week:

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I would say that life is pretty boring once you stop learning from it and church is no different. I can honesty say that I am currently learning a lot about myself, leadership, fatherhood and church. I can't say that I understand it or that I am any good at all of them but I know I am better than I was this time last year. For example; I am learning what the various cries Katherine makes and what they mean (i.e hungry, nappy change, sleep and just grumpy!).

I am discovering that to be a good leader, I must learn at every opportunity. When things go well, take the credit but don't forget to look at what could have been done better or differently. When things go badly, don't be afraid to hold up your hands and say "I could have done that differently." There is no weakness in admitting you got things wrong but there is danger in ignoring it. I have learnt that when you lead you have will always get things wrong but its how you respond and react that limits the impact of your mistakes.

I don't believe God asks for perfection but for a willingness that as we seek to live we seek to learn.

Matt

Is death the answer?

2010-04-07T21:59:00.007+01:00

Whilst listening to 5 live on the way to church the other morning, I heard a disturbing comment made by a caller. The phone in was regarding what themes are people thinking about in the run up to the election. She made the point that prisons were to comfortable and that capital punishment should be brought back. People are in titled to their opinions and thoughts but I should tell you that at the beginning of her call she boldly told Nicky Campbell she was a christian.

For me this doesn't fit. No one deserves to have their life taken by another, even by law. The death penalty and my faith do not sit together in any way. When I was sharing this at band practice (on the Wednesday after Easter), Sam piped up with "Jesus died by execution, didn't he." Interesting observation. Jesus not only came as a baby, grew up as a teenage and learnt a trade but also was put to death by the most inhuman form of execution available to humanity.

People wonder about the sense in God's plan in sending Jesus as a human in to the world but then to be put to death by humanity as well.

Thank God this wasn't the end of the plan.

Matt

Living it out

2010-04-04T21:29:00.005+01:00

Having failed to blog in a while, I have found a bit of time at the end of a brilliant Easter weekend. This Easter has been on of the best for a few years for a number of reasons. The whole week has been busy, so much to sort out at church, things to plan, meetings to attend and clearing out cupboards for good measure. Today has been a great day for our church, there was breakfast, an Easter egg hunt, messy worship, roast dinner, sung worship and then a service at a local resident home. It was a busy day but a day full of fun, laughter, and most of all life. This was the first of our Family and Community Sundays where we meet for family friendly worship and then seek to engage with our community in various ways. It was a great start and people entered into the spirit of the day.

If there is one thing I am discovering at the moment, it is that the church should be the ultimate expression of the creative life of God. God loves a resourceful church who are willing not only to think outside the box but live outside of it. The church must seek to be as creative as possible in order to take hope to its community. This is not about gimmicks but genuine interaction and mission.

In the experience of His resurrection we must seek to live our lives for Him and make sure that as many people are touch by our journey as possible. Today may have been Easter Sunday where we focus on the life giving resurrection but we live in the same power tomorrow. Faith is best lived out in the reality of life and can't be contained on one day of the week or certain time of year.

Go raised His son to bring us life so lets live it.

Matt

The kingdom or the church?

2010-02-14T11:00:00.008Z

You may have gathered from my blogs that I have a passion for the church to be engaged in mission in a local context. Recently my thoughts on this subject have been more focused through personal experience, books and conversations on the subject. I have never and will never see the church as a means to keep Christians happy until heaven but as a agent of heaven on earth. As Dave Tomlinson puts it "The mission of God was not to invent Christianity but to spread life" (Re-enchanting Christianity, Tomlinson, 2008:132). This should be at the heart of every church.

I am beginning to uncover the sticking point to this thought. I have long known and acknowledge that we should be a people of the Kingdom but never fully grasped and convinced myself about as to how and why. What is beginning to emerge for me is a picture of what the church would be like without the Kingdom as its focus. One dimensional, inward looking, a place on maintenance, safe and comfortable. The kingdom is none of these things that I have listed. The kingdom is a scarily unsafe place to live out faith, it is a place where anything is possible and anyone can be involved. It is about always being aware of your surroundings and seeing the creator in them and how God is calling us to engage with them. Often the church has taken the priority over the kingdom. Surely, God has ordained the church as a tool to represent the values and image of the Kingdom.

Our mission, if we chose to except it, is to be people of the Kingdom rather than members of churches.

Matt

Church is for girls!

2010-02-04T12:26:00.012Z

From time to time I get an extract of a news paper sent to me from our regional headquarters. This week I got a copy of an article that claimed that "real men find church too girly. Here is the first paragraph.

Real men don't like going to church because they don't want to "sing love songs to a man", because the "vicar wears a dress", because they feel like "mongrels on parade at Crufts" and because they want to be waited on by women rather than queue for coffee after the service.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7004861.ece

On first reading I thought how helpful this might be as I lead worship in our church but the more I thought about it the more stupid it all sounded. Apparently men would come to church if there were less flowers and more swords, more manly words and less wishy washy words in the songs that are sung. For what ever reason, women become part of a church a lot easier than men, women find it less embarrassing singing and praying and being sensitive to God. This article would suggest that men don't come to church because it isn't cool enough or that men feel stupid about saying they go to a girly church.

On reading through this again I found it strange that the church needs to be more man friendly. I would suggest it is the examples that males see that puts them off church. As I look back over my life I can tell you that it is the example of other people that has drawn me to faith and encouraged me to be a part of a church. There are a significant number of blokes that have shown me what faith looks like and it its to those that I acknowledge as the reason I find myself as an SA officer.

I don't think men want swords, HD TV's, sports related sermons and a vicar who drives a sports car. I think men need to see christian men living out faith in a normal everyday fashion before they even contemplate being part of a church. Maybe it is men who have the issue not the church?

Matt

Falling down.

2010-01-19T22:34:00.009Z

Having reached the eight mile mark in my Marathon training I am fear my long run on Friday to take me over the ten mile mark. But it has to be done if I am to achieve my goal. I can't simply turn up on the day and think I can do eight miles how hard can the rest be! I have to build my stamina, experience and understanding of how my body reacts as I get further into the race. I know it is going to be hard and it will hurt but if I am to get the medal and finish the race I must be determined in my training and stick with it.

Whilst in school this week doing a lesson I caught sight of a Japanese Proverb that said, "Fall down seven times get up eight times". Our Faith is not determined by many times we fall but whether we allow God to raise us up once more. For most of us we will fall far more than seven time but God will stick with us and keep picking us up. I have faith that God will keep me going in all situations, especially when I get to the point where there is still half the Marathon to go.

There is a song that has come to our worship groups attention in the last few weeks which has been so helpful to me in sticking in there with my faith. Its called "Give us your courage" by Tim Hughes and here are the lyrics:

I’m not backing down
I will stand my ground
Lifting high the name of Jesus
Holding out Your light
To a world in need
Living out the love of Jesus
And though the battles rage
Your blessing still will come

To the ends of the earth we will go
To the ends of the earth we will go
Fill us with power
Fill us with power
For the truth of Your Word we will stand
For the truth of Your Word we will stand
Give us Your courage
Give us Your courage

Be our strength and song
Till the battles won
Cause Your face to shine upon us
Stretch Your hand to save
Our God never fails
Nothing is impossible for You

Would You breathe on us
http://www.worshipcentral.org/audio/give-us-your-courage

I may fall but I pray my faith will help me up one more time.

Matt

Snow down

2010-01-15T08:50:00.006Z

Don't know about you but I love the snow!!! Its great stuff. I wish we would have had more in Nottingham but know the problems it has caused across the country. However the daily reporting of the "chaos" is start to feel a bit repetitive and over the top. Why is it that people seem to think that we have a right for all the roads, schools and shops to be kept open so that we can carry on as we usually do. Why don't we just slow down a bit and take stock of what we're doing, rather than worry about what we can't do. Is it realistic to carry on as normal with the conditions the way they were/are. Why don't we make the most of the time to stay at home, be with the family and enjoying the snow. We have become a 24 hours society that feels that if we go slow we are not doing enough or being productive or stopping the wheels of industry from producing what we don't need.

Not only that, we seem to have lost are ability to "get by" in hardship and trouble. I don't want to belittle peoples troubles with the snow but as we see the situation in Haiti we see what chaos really looks like and the fine line between life and death for those people affected by that tragedy. For all are disruption, we still have our lives, lively hood and homes but for the Haitian people, like so many in our world, they have had their lives destroyed.

Please pray for the people of Haiti and for the rescue teams to get in as soon as possible.

Matt

Faith is like a football club!

2009-12-17T12:05:00.008Z

I was chatting on Monday to a friend about our respective football clubs, Southampton and Notts County and sharing our love for lower league football. The premiership is so over rated! We shared storeys of administration, lack of money, having to sell players and another season stuck in the league we find ourselves in. Being a football fan is a bit like sitting on a roller coaster but not know where it goes next but we keep coming back for more and would not change teams even for all the trophies in the world.

Faith, like supporting a football team isn't straight forward, it can be up and down and we don't know where it's headed. It sometimes seems like we have no faith or that God has let us down. We can feel that just when things seem going well we then get stuck or something happens that makes us question God.

Yet, in my experience the more we feel faithless, God reveals his faithfulness to us in some new way. Having faith in God doesn't make our life's easier but it gives the struggles purpose and hope.

Faith is like a football team just not as overpaid!

Matt

Am I a nutter?

2009-12-17T10:00:00.001Z

The short answer to the questions is probably "yes" I am a nutter. For one; I support Southampton, two; I love jigsaws and three; I have rediscovered the joy of Lego at the age of 30. For many in the world, this would suggest I am a nutter.

Tony Blair was asked about how his faith impacts his politics. His reply was along the lines of; if you talk about your faith in this system, people tend to think your a nutter. Recently, "The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused the government of treating religious faith as an "eccentricity" practised by "oddities"."

So am I nutter or an oddity because I am someone who has faith? Of course I am! On the face of it, believing in something (God in our faith) you can't see, touch, smell or hear is strange, slightly odd. I could go into all the arguements about God being in all things because he is the creator but that still doesn't make it "normal". In the last couple of weeks I have had 3 or 4 strange faces pulled at me when I told them I am a "vicar". Aparently, I don't look like one and seem a bit to normal to be one. Having faith in God isn't rational, I don't believe faith is surposed to be rational as it wouldn't be faith. That would make it religion.

If being a Christian makes you a nutter, then why are there so many nutters in the world?

Matt

Do you know your neighbours?

2009-12-16T18:00:00.002Z

The research below is very interesting and I have been greatly challenged by it in recent days.

Some 96% of the over-65s among the 2,000 people asked said they knew their neighbours' names, but the figure fell to 66% among those aged under 25.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8393872.stm

On Tuesday morning two of the Children from next door came and gave me a Christmas card with "To Lizzy, Matt and Ruby the dog" on the envelope. Sadly I can't remember their names and can't say that I have had a long enought conversation to find out what they do, what school the kids go to or what faith they are.

Memo to self: Practice what you preach.

Matt

Dirt can be good for the church?

2009-12-08T14:00:00.001Z

Dirt can be good for children, say scientists:Messy play should be encouraged, according to the hygiene hypothesis Children should be allowed to get dirty, according to scientists who have found being too clean can impair the skin's ability to heal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8373690.stm

As a "soon to be parent" I noticed this and thought it was worth look. I have always been a believer that our society has become obsessed with cleanliness, over subscription of drugs and Health and Safety. But I do recognise the importance of these things in the running of a church community. Peoples safety should not be taken lightly and God demands we are good stewards of our the people we serve.

My point is more focused on how spiritually safe our churches have become and how we have sought to ensure that any mess is kept out of our churches, especially in worship. By playing it safe and keeping things tidy we are in danger of minimising opportunities of restoration and healing to take place on individuals and as a body of followers. We are fooling ourselves to think we can leave our sin at the door of our churches and worship as if we are all OK. It does a disservice to God and to our friends who we worship with. Maybe we need more sin in the church (this is not the same as being more sinful).

Dirt is good for the church because it allows God to clean us up, make us right and recreate our minds, bodies and spirits repeatedly. This does not mean we sin on purpose but bring the realities of our everyday life before God (not just on a Sunday), before our community and deal with it. Being exposed to the dirt of life will not harm us because God promises that he will protect us where ever we are. Jesus prayed for His disciples and us in John 17 that we would not be taken out of the world but be protected as we interact with it.

Then why are we scared to get our churches dirty?

Matt

Silence in church

2009-11-30T11:45:00.001Z

I have been prompted by a few people in my church to think once again about the purpose of music in church, as part of our worship expression. Having grown up in the Salvation Army music has always been a part of my worship tradition/experience. Whether brass, coral singing and congregational sing of songs (all ages) it has seemed that music is central to drawing people closer to God in times of worship.

But is music that important to worship? Does the style matter? Of course it doesn't but the reality is that there is always music in the church so how we use it must be right. My experience has taught me that it is easy to be in a music groups in a church and have no understanding of worship or faith. So often the music (or the musical group) becomes more important than the focus of the worship. The style is irrelevant, although I recognise that people connect with different styles for different reasons, because it is the purpose that should drive the people taking part in the music. Playing your part with your heart and mind focused on Jesus, no matter how small, is what is required to best serve those you are leading.

My questions to anyone involved in music group(s) in church would be; If there was no music group(s) would you still be part of the church? If there was pure silence, could you still worship?

If the music becomes more important then I would rather we stay silent.

Matt

This is your life

2009-11-24T15:00:00.001Z

I was leaving my coaching session of the Beacon Under 13's carrying two footballs when one of the lads asked for one of them. I said "no", and so he asked why. My reply was along the lines of: "it was dark, there were cars around and that I was about to put them in my car." He then added but "I want one." I replied once again to his question with "sometime we don't always get what we want and we have to do things we don't want to." Smart, so I thought. He then said "I only wanted the ball not your life story!"

This young lads comment has kept coming back to me in the last week because I think it has a lot to teach us about how the church relates it faith, beliefs and values to those around us. I think we have something people want even if they don't realise it. Something that is good, precious and liberating. My relationship with God is what sustains me, drives me and empowers me to be the person I am and will be. I highly recommend it!

I recognise that the church has finds itself in a difficult cultural climate, where people have become sceptical about religion, organised groups and also the church. It is not easy being a Christian but that's the point, it not supposed to be. My belief is that people want to share their life stories with others (christian or not), people want to be in community with one another but have forgotten how.

The church needs to rediscover its confidence in telling it's stories, and then get out of its buildings and share them.

Matt

It is a lot safer in here

2009-11-18T21:00:00.002Z

Have been reading a book called "Breakout" recently (Thanks James and Amy) . It the story of St Andrews, Chorleywood transitioning their church into Mission Shaped Communities with a central resourcing church. It has been really helpful for me in thinking about the life of Aspley SA but also in my thinking about the Salvation Army at large. One quote caught my eye: "This (today's) culture tends to keep the army in the barracks, and of course if the army is in the barracks the enemy has got the rest of the world" (Stibbe and Williams,2008 :Page 211).

It pretty obvious what is coming but it is something that has been bugging me a lot recently. How do engage with our community outside our church buildings? How do we move from maintenance to mission? How do we do church that makes sense to different groups of people of all ages? How do we make Christians confident in their faith enough to share it in the normal everyday?

I don't have many if any answers but I do know that the "come to us" model of church is no longer effective. We can't continue to wait for people to turn up on a Sunday, Alpha or Special services. We (the church) have to make the more out into our communities, in the reality of life. The problem is we feel safe in the barracks, protected by those we know and reassured by the familiar. yet, whilst we sit in our barracks we allow those people to continue to get lost, to miss out on the joy of being in a relationship with Jesus. It doesn't matter what model we use whether its cells, MSC, Alpha or planting (to name just a few), all I know is that we need to be creative and we need for it to make sense in our local communities first and foremost.

Still thinking this through but know that God wants more from his church, lets breakout and see what happens.

Matt

Run Forest........

2009-11-11T15:31:00.003Z

I have got a place in the Virgin London Marathon 2010 and last week I went for my first full session at the gym on my workout to build up my stamina. I ached a little the day after but not too badly.

I began my work out OK and the moved on to the cross trainer, which is like running with ski poles in your hands and not lifting your feet up. There are two directions: forwards and backwards. After about 7 mins I realised I had been running backwards. No wonder it was hard work and feeling a little weird. My mind was thinking forward but my body was going backwards. Once I changed directions and got into my stride It felt much better. When I went to the gym on Sunday I made sure I was going the right way.

You can probably see where this is heading. As the church we may think we are going in the right direction but it seems hard work. If that is the case then we need to stop what we are doing and refocus our methods. It is easy to plough head on for a long time with taking looking back to see where we have been, where we have gone wrong and we we need to do differently. God doesn't want his church to work hard, I believe he wants his church to work smart.

26.3 miles is a long way so I had better make sure I train and run smart.

Matt

I can't get no satisfaction!!!

2009-11-07T18:00:00.000Z

Do not worry I am not going to break into song! At the East Midlands Youth gathering in Grantham (25/10/09), Andy Whitehouse challenged us about our attitude to our churches to "not to become satisfied with what we have." An interesting thought that I felt was worth a blog.

On one level I disagree with him. Dis-satisfaction can lead to discontent which could in turn lead to a destruction of hope. This may sound extreme but I have seen many Christians get dis-satisfied and move on. Also there is a danger you can drag others down with you which will be damaging for a church community.

On the other hand Andy is right, if we become satisfied with our churches we will simple seek to maintain our churches rather than see that they are places of purpose and mission. I believe that God needs a church that is willing to question itself, be willing to be honest enough to see what is going on around us and change if necessary. Being dis-satisfied as a church should bread hope and mission because we are willing to evaluate our effectiveness and purpose.

I prayer I will never be satisfied with which ever church I find myself apart of but only because I want God to have the glory not because It doesn't suit my style or needs.

Matt

Home and Away

2009-10-21T22:37:00.005+01:00

I did something silly last week. I didn't have football for the Beacon on Saturday so looked at the Saints fixtures to see that we were playing MK Don's (which is an hour or so away). Spoke to a couple of mates about coming and phoned to book tickets. I asked for the tickets in the away end and got a strange reply; "your a Saints fan but you want to sit in the away fans end." I thought to myself "that is what happens when you see you team at an away ground." Anyway, turns out we were at St Mary's!!

Over the last couple of months I have been thinking a lot about what I believe church is or should be. I have been chatting with a number of people about how the Salvation Army seeks to relate to our world. Sometimes I feel like I am a home fan in the away end. Trying to be heard over the the noise or feeling like I am in the wrong place (not physically). Is my understanding and approach to church wrong or off the page, have I missed something along my journey? Is my passion for a certain model of church better or worse than another, is my vision for the church out of sync with God's heart?

On the other hand, I have been energised by what I see God doing in and through the life of our church in Aspley. People are responding to God, asking question and seek to deepen their faith. I have had great conversations around how we need to change and/or renew our approach so that we can be more effective in being a people who represent Jesus in our communities. I also know that God is showing me the kind of leader he has made me and what my limitations and skills are. I am even more convinced that the church in 2009 can't remain on the fringe of society and must find new and creative ways of being in communities and all levels.

God is teaching me valuable lessons that I hope I will be faithful in learning. Come and join in, it's great fun.

Matt

Back to church - Part 2

2009-10-06T13:31:00.004+01:00

Following on from comment on facebook regarding my blog on the 30th September, I thought it only right to deepen the discussion. Thanks to David for his helpful challenge (see below).

"ok - another little thought..."Isn't it about time we went back into our local pubs, shops, barbers, sports teams, schools, library, sheltered housing, council offices and many other places and take the message of Jesus with us for all to see." (This extract comes from my Blog 30/09/09)

"isn't that what everyone goes every day??so- i suggest (for chewing over) - we don't need any more calls to go - but rather a call to be effective in our demonstration of the gospel.... the "problem" may be that we Christians too often are living dualistic lives - we can be "all evangelical" on Sunday but on Monday be affronted that we would ever think of speaking of Jesus (after all everyone is entitled to their views)." (This is David Robertson's comment on my facebook page 02/10/09)

The questions that rang to mind as I read the comments were; is Sunday the most relevant day for a gathering? Are we stuck in a rut? What is church? Have we got it wrong? How do we aid our communities to inherit the kingdom of heaven on earth on Monday morning?

I think there is only one answer; Live it. We can have the best, well intentioned programmes or projects but unless our daily lives match up with our words we are useless. My firm belief is that people need to experience the goodness of God once again. We have left him out of so much of our lives that the world can no longer see His impact. Of course I know God doesn't need us for his mission to be effective but He wants us to be involved with His mission because it brings Him glory and honour. Maybe it's just me, but I think it requires us to redefine our understand of what church is or in fact what church should be.

Matt

Well done Wenger!

2009-10-01T09:55:00.005+01:00

Today sees Arsene Wenger 13th anniversary of being at the helm of Arsenal Football Club. I have to be honest to say that I am not always a fan of his attitude after games but there is no doubt he is a brilliant coach and his teams play the best football in the league. Not only has he nurtured teams to play football the right way he has influenced the whole of the club, and many others in this country, as to how to maintain a club for the long haul.

"Thirteen years after he was greeted with the headline "Arsene Who?," Arsene Wenger made Arsenal history on Thursday. Having arrived in English football a virtual unknown, he is now the longest serving manager of one of the world's most famous clubs.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2009-10-01-3633290902_x.htm

So what has this got to do with the church? Arsene, for me, has proved that time is an essential commodity in leadership. Someone once told me that the average length of stay of a C of E vicar in growing churches is 17 years. Stability is key to developing teams, leaders and ministries in local churches that can flourish and impact the community. Arsene is still not finished with Arsenal and will continue to look at ways of making it a place where good football is played and trophies can be won. A church leader needs time to survey the church and it's community, discern a vision and then develop the values with which the church will grow. Of course there are dangers with leaving leaders in the same place such as: becoming comfortable, traditions setting in, becoming leader driven rather than need driven and feeling immovable.

As a Salvation Army Officer I have no idea how long I will be in Aspley (a long time I hope) as it's leader. But I am convinced that time is need in all situations to allow leaders and the church to seek and respond to the needs around them.

Matt

Back to church?

2009-09-30T13:48:00.005+01:00

Last Sunday morning Lizzy and I went to Southampton to lead the Children's Celebration Sunday. Whilst on the journey (which was 2 hours shorter than the journey home) down from Nottingham we listened to Aled Jones on Radio 2 Sunday breakfast show. One of the guests on there was chatting about "Back to church Sunday" with the tag line "come as you are."

This got me thinking about how this idea is the wrong way round and that we should be going into the world rather than thinking people are going to stop what they are doing and come to church. We have been trying that for a long time and I don't believe it is a sustainable solution for the church. It is about time we turned our own backs on our church buildings and set out into the community to find out what exactly is needed rather than react to what is presented before us by people.

Jesus met people in their own village or town, He got out and about and His name and works spread out across the whole of the region. He was active not passive, mobile not static and people knew what he was about. In Matthew 13 Jesus sends out his disciples to go and cast out demons and heal the sick. He sends them out into the reality of a world where people needed to be freed, healed, restored and resurrected. He commands them to "go" and they go.

Isn't it about time we went back into our local pubs, shops, barbers, sports teams, schools, library, sheltered housing, council offices and many other places and take the message of Jesus with us for all to see.

Matt

Where would Jesus Shop

2009-09-25T07:42:00.006+01:00

We went for our 20 week scan on Tuesday (22/09/09). Whilst waiting for the scan, Lizzy found this little snippet in the Metro that was left in the waiting room.

It was in reference to the Bishop of Reading saying that the Church of England should be less like Marks and Spencer and more like Aldi. I love the idea that Jesus would stand in the queue at Aldi. An interesting sentiment which on the face of it I would agree with but I have a couple of issues.

First, I would have to say that M & S is a positive role model for reducing it's carbon emissions and ethical trading. This is something that I would encourage and support.

Secondly, and more importantly its makes some assumptions about the people who go to Asda or Aldi. Is it only the poor that shop at these places or that we should just go to Aldi because the poor are there. For me, I shop at our local co-op as much as possible and because of that have got to know a few of the staff well. I also see a number of other people who I know from football, parents and toddlers, the drop-in and general other stuff.

I don't use the co-op because of the type of person who uses it but who uses it. Local people. Maybe the issue is more about where our churches are, the focus of our mission or the places in which our congregations live.

Matt

Finding Christ..........

2009-09-16T12:40:00.007+01:00

"It's easy to see Jesus in Jesus people but we are called to see Jesus in everyone, even our enemies or people not like us" Rob Bell

I heard this quote whilst walking the streets delivering envelops for the Salvation Army annual door to door collecting. The money raised goes towards our Social Services in the UK. For some this is fills them with dread for others (like me) they quite enjoy it. The SA is involved in some great work throughout the UK from hostels to charity shops, Addition projects to working with prostitutes.

In contrast, this week I have also come in to contact with a family of 7 (mum and 6 children) who have fled a difficult situation and been housed in a council home. They have very little, the child have not been given school places yet and they were over the moon with the 2 bags of clothes and a football that I delivered yesterday.

Immediately, the quote from Rob Bell lept into my mind. It is so easy for me to "do my Job" and not get emmotional or attached to people and their needs. It is easy for us all to hide behind the SA and the "good works" that it does. We need to go beyond that and see everyone as Christ would, we need to get out of the comfort of our church buildings, even our own homes and be prepared to love those we find.

Matt

Are the blessings ours alone?

2009-09-02T18:00:00.000+01:00

Recently, went to see U2 live at the Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield. They were out of this world as they went through their latest album with many of the hits added in for good measure.

One line still rings in my head loud and clear; "Blessing are not just for the ones who kneel, luckily." It has made me think about the experience of God that non-christians can have with out asking for it. It could seem unfair for all the life long Christians who do the right things, say the right things etc and then someone who doesn't even ask or maybe want God's blessing can receive it.

However, I have been excited that God can speak to and bless anyone and everyone. So often I have reduced God, restricted Him to the churches property. I am beginning to understand what this mean (but have some way to go) and how differently it means are approach to church should be. If we keep God inside our churches, is it any wonder that the Salvation Army (as well as other churches) is in decline.

Jesus didn't bless his followers all that often, it was the poor, the sick and the oppressed to whom the whom the blessings were given!

Matt

Do we need songs to worship? These young people don't think so!

2009-08-03T10:10:00.005+01:00

Came across this little gem on the BBC website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8177318.stm

Yesterday at Aspley we had a Prayer Breakfast for the few of us that were around after a great day on Saturday for Louise and Mike's wedding. There were 6 of us in total and we shared in breakfast (bacon, coco-pops, juice and fresh coffee), watch the section from BBC one's big questions on "Do we try to hard to fix families and then had a conversation and time of prayer around the subject. No songs in sight yet it felt like church!

Matt

Do we need songs to worship?

2009-07-30T20:58:00.006+01:00

I can still feel my back hurting from mission week last week. It was an amazing week where we experienced something of God's passion for his church to be involve in the community. Not only that, I have realised that I was worshipping!

I would say that I understand that anything can be worship but usually my example would be sport. In this instant it has taken a week to reflect on the nearness in which I now realised God was with me as I dug, drank tea and chatted with Lou (the estate manager). The thing that struck me is that there was no order of service, songs to sing (apart from an impromptu rendition of O happy day), band, PowerPoint or even a congregation. As we prayed on the Saturday at the end of the week we all experience what I would describe as a "holy moment" a moment where we realised God had indeed been with us and would remain at Stepney Court.

What made the week even more significant is that we had our 12 week scan and all is well this time. Unfortunately, I missed it as parking was a nightmare. But I don't care because everything is good, in fact it is brrrrriiiilliant (in a high pitched Matt voice). It had been an anxious few weeks, after going through a miscarriage in March, but this time it is all going to plan. I am really excited about being a dad in February an keep praying that God will bless Lizzy over the coming months.

I don't need songs to give thanks and praise to a creator God who keeps his word. He isn't limited by them so neither should we.

Matt

Christian Mission

2009-07-23T11:17:00.005+01:00

On Tuesday as part of the Mission Week we had a discussion evening about mission. One comment really challenged all of us. What would we be like if the Salvation Army had kept it's name as the Christian Mission? Obviously it is a bit of a "what if" question where we will never know and can't do anything about it.

But for me, It raised a whole host of question about the current state of the SA and it's mission. Have we become a irrelevant/cumbersome organisation? Are we more concerned with being an Army in our barracks rather than a group of missionaries? Are we now deeply bound by the trappings of the past that we will never break free to be the radical, passionate and transformational people that William Booth raised up?

I have been encourage this week by the 4 young people that have come on Mission Week. They have restored my hope for the future of the SA in Aspley and in Northampton. Ultimately, there is nothing in a name, it is up to it's members to discern the heart and desire of God for it and get on with it, which is what they have done.

I pray that I keep learning how to be a missionary in all I do.

Matt

Mission Week - Day Two

2009-07-21T16:37:00.008+01:00

Not wanting to be out done by Andy on the blog front, I thought I had better blog while I have 5 mins.

I have always said that we should seek God and join in with what he is already doing. Today I have experienced that in a real way by digging out some grass to lay a patio.

We (Aspley SA) are hosting the East Midlands Divisional Mission Week and are doing a range of activities from Arts and Craft, sports and laying a patio.

This afternoon we have we have been digging out about 5 tonnes of soil ready for a patio to be laid on Thursday. This is a fantastic project that has been organised by a local council worker, funded by a counsellor and other organisations and we do the donkey work along side a guy called Darren. The local residents and estate manager are delighted we are doing this as they have been waiting 10 years for it.

So, where is God in all of this? He is in the hard graft of the 4 guys who have given up their week, in the conversations with Darren who is surprised we are doing this, in co-operative ways this has all come together and in the result that will bring joy to the residents.

Where will we see God tomorrow?

Matt

Best and Worst

2009-06-17T09:41:00.004+01:00

Was told about this story this morning and had a look on the BBC website?

Mark Simpson, BBC News
"Looking at 115 Romanians huddled together on the floor of a Belfast church hall, it was possible to see the worst side of Northern Ireland - and the best - all at once.
The speed with which Pastor Malcolm Morgan and his team created a temporary home for 20 families was remarkable.
At the same time, the sight of men, women and children looking so helpless and scared was a stain on Northern Ireland's international reputation. "

Lets pray for the church and its members that they are kept safe and continue to show God's love to those Romanians. This is a great example of the commandment to "Love you neighbour as yourself".

Matt

What came first.....

2009-06-10T10:43:00.004+01:00

I was coming back from a school this morning and saw a sign in bright "church orange" that read..... What came first Jesus or the Egg?

What is the point? Is is supposed to make people think about God or make them realise that the church is asking irrelevant questions?

We have just finished a seven week course called "The story so far..." where we have explored the Christian story. One of the great things for me has been the openness and reality of the questions ask within the group. It has been refreshing to see what God is doing in people and the way in which he has challenged me through those questions. Personally, I believe that the church doesn't have all the answers because it hasn't asked the right questions.

Let's ask some proper questions in the church and not be scared of them.

Matt

Is the church like Britney Spears?

2009-06-04T09:07:00.005+01:00

The Guardian made this report on Britney Spears concert last night:

"The audience can't possibly have turned up in order to hear her greatest hits sung live, given that everyone seems to accept that Spears isn't singing live - certainly there are moments when Spears could no more obviously be miming were she wearing white face make-up and pretending to walk against the wind." http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jun/04/britney-spears-alexis-petridis-music-review

Is the church like Britney Spears; it puts on a good show but when it comes to doing the thing for real, it mimes?

Matt

Unexpected Surprise

2009-06-03T12:31:00.008+01:00

When I was based at Leicester South, I was a mentor at a local college to a number of young people who need additional support through their GCSE's and going on to work or further education. One of the lads I had was called James (not his real name), He was a nice lad, quiet but easy swayed by those around around him in his lessons. I never knew if I had any impact or even if He was getting anything out of our hour every two weeks.

That was 3 years ago. This week Lizzy and I popped into Fosse Park for some shopping and I got a Costa coffee. The guy that served me looked familiar, it was James. He remembered who I was and we had a brief chat. Turns out that he went to college and finished His Uniformed Services qualification and is waiting to turn 18 to apply for the fire service.

Now, I am not claiming that I had a huge impact but hopefully I was one of the positive influence that has helped him along the way. It also was a unexpected surprise for me to see a small result of something that didn't always seem worth while. In our instant world we can get frustrated about not seeing results, sometimes we need to be patient and allow God to work in His way and in His time.

Matt

Statistics

2009-05-29T16:42:00.010+01:00

Earlier today whilst sitting out side I attempted to write an entry on my blog. I got half way through and deleted it because it was rubbish. Once I had finished my sermon for Sunday morning, I had a little read of my book (The last word and the word after that by Brian Mclaren) and came across this little gem of a quote.

"The success of a church isn't measured by the numbers who attend but by the formation of people as agents of God" (Mclaren, 2005:196).

Yes, Yes, Yes...... I thought to myself. I have blogged about being agents before but this has renewed my thinking regarding "church growth" not being numerical but about the development of the people engaged in a relationship with God as missionaries and agents in there own home, neighbourhood and community. The church doesn't need programme or projects to be successful but people who will be disciples and missionaries in the own back garden.

Having just gone through the process of recording statistics for our activities, I have been wonder if it really matters (I have done them and with time to spare). Do those numbers truly represent the movement of God or are they a way of justifying our existence.

My prayer for Aspley is that the numbers become irrelevant but the storeys they represent become the priority of the hearts of Gods agents.

Matt

Rebuild, Renew and Rejoice

2009-05-26T15:22:00.006+01:00

We have Just got back from our first experience of an Aspley Corps(church) retreat. We had a fab time chilling out as a group, playing silly games, eat loads and staying up late! The theme of Rebuild, Renew and Rejoice (based on the book of Nehemiah) was both encouraging, informative and challenging.

Sop what did I get out of it.
Rebuild: I know that there are things in my life that I need to put higher on my priorities list. I need to make sure that they are priorities that edify the kingdom and not just because I like doing them.
Renew: I need to delegate more jobs to people in the church. I have already given one job out to somebody that will free an hour or so of my week.
Rejoice: I give thanks for all the challenges of being a church lead. On the Sunday morning I felt overwhelmed by the burden yet the joy of being the leader at Aspley. It has been a privilege to see God at work and to see foundations being laid for the future.

God's kingdom is near, nearer than we probably think.

Matt

Rewriting the bible

2009-05-17T09:03:00.005+01:00

Saw this on the BBC website, I have never read the "Manga Bible" but they seem like they are trying to do the right thing and at least interesting young people in the stroy of God.

Matt

Richard Dawkins

2009-05-16T21:31:00.005+01:00

5 Mins with Richard Dawkins. Thought you maybe interestes in what he has to say.

Matt

Seeing God at work

2009-05-12T15:52:00.003+01:00

It is just over a year since Lizzy and I first came to meet people at Aspley. Time has flown by, lots of stuff has happened and will happen. Today was another of the many occasions where I have meet God at work. I recently joined the partnership for Children and Young people for the west area of Nottingham. Having attended about 5 meetings I have been asked to chair the group until next March. I feel completely out of my comfort zone, quite apprehensive about the responsibility and what work it may bring.

But here is where God shows up! My vice chair is someone I meet randomly just 3 weeks ago on a litter pick and she happens to go to a local church. She is someone that I instantly clicked with and will work well with. What an opportunity to be in a very significant position within the structure of Youth and Children's work for the. It will bring many opportunities for our church to show people God's grace and mercy.

At the end of the meeting I warned them that if I say "we will now close in prayer" to forgive me. I got quite a laugh! I guess you had to be there but for me I love it when I get to see God at work.

Matt

Fasting

2009-05-07T11:18:00.004+01:00

I have been fasting, one day a week, for a couple of months. I have found it really helpful as part of my week to "go without something" and to focus on prayer throughout my day. Most Thursdays I fast food but a I have also fasted coffee. On the days I do fast I feel more energetic, focused and productive.

I am still getting to grips with making sure I don't make a big thing about it (did wonder if I should blog about it), don't want people to think I am more spiritual because I fast or it to become a ritual but a help aspect to my spiritual life. Fasting is just one simple way for me to focus my mind on God, when my tummy rumbles.... I pray, when I should be eating a meal.... I pray, read or do something productive.

I will continue to fast for the time being but will be mindful that I may need to review it in the future.

Hope it helps if your thinking about it.

Matt

Drinking and Dreaming

2009-05-02T12:39:00.005+01:00

I was out last night at the awards ceremony for the Beacon U12's that I coach on Tuesday nights. It was a nice evening, a good opportunity to spend some time meeting the parents and chatting to the boys about football.

A couple of things that I wanted to share.

Firstly, it was evident that what I believe about the churches need to reach people outside of it's buildings is true. Even more true than I first thought. The reality is that if these people are to meet Jesus and follow Him, we need to be image and an an expression on God that is real and visible.

Secondly, one of the lads asked why I wasn't drinking alcohol. He asked if I was driving and was very surprised when I said I didn't drink. His comment was (I think) very significant. He said "its ever mans dream to drink a beer, I know its mine." I was taken aback, this boy is 11 and his dream is to drink. It probably the first time I have every heard such a comment from a young lad. If this is the dreams of our young people the we really need to give them a bigger dream, a deeper dream and a dream that will bring purpose, hope, joy and fulfillment. That dream is a relationship with Jesus, a dream that is as big as you allow it to be and a dream that will never disappoint.

Matt

Make room for Jesus

2009-04-28T16:05:00.004+01:00

I got this from a brochure of christian literature that I got this week. There were a number of them of a similar theme.

What struck me was the way it depicts our lives being departmentalised and Jesus being just one part. To say I disagree with it (and therefore will not be buying one) is an understatement. It says to me that these things are OK but Jesus isn't in them. That surely diminishes God's ability to be in all things. I think that God loves sport, jobs, films as much as we do and He is in them too.

Maybe the poster should read "Whatever you get up too, Jesus is there to."

Matt

Season review.

2009-04-24T20:33:00.007+01:00

I have been playing for a local Saturday pub football team called "The Beacon." I found the team by wondering over the park and asking the first team I saw if they needed some players. Since then I have had some interesting, frustrating and funny times with them over the season. I even managed one goal and a couple of assists (In 5 starts and a number of short sub appearances) and a appearance in the Senior Cup Final.

As soon as I got a start in the team (which was usually because we were short), the next week someone would turn up who would be more upset than me if they didn't play so I was dropped! This didn't happen once but a number of times. I know I am not the best player in the team but I was only missed 3 games due to other commitments. Lizzy was very patient with me as I turned up home 3 weeks in a row having "run the line" and not played.

Yet I have learnt much and enjoyed it (most of the time). The first few games I felt like a real outsider. In the pub the conversation was not one I would usually have and the language was colourful to say the least. Our manager is one of the few people that can string a sentence together with just swear words and still make sense.

I learnt what it means to feel excluded and be a part of a different culture which I do not feel comfortable in. They have nicked named me the Vicar and keep asking for me to pray for the water so that it is "Holy" and to pray for the win! I have even been asked to dedicate 2 babies whilst on the sidelines (I must follow that up).

I look forward to next season to continue the relationships and allow God to keep teaching me what I means "to be in the world but not of it."

Vision over Visibility

2009-04-02T17:20:00.005+01:00

I am a huge U2 fan (going to see them in August) and always buy their latest album. On of my favorites is called "moment of surrender" which I have listened to an awful lot. The line that has got me thinking a lot recently is this line; "At the moment of surrender of vision over visibility."

Why? Because it has made me think about my life as a follower of Jesus and as a leader of a church. Sometimes it feels like the visibility is limited or non-existent in our relationship. We wonder where we are headed, what is going to happen next and are we doing the right thing. I have been questioning myself a lot recently about what I need to prioritise in my life and what our church should be doing to be effective in Aspley.

I even though the visibility maybe poor, the vision is not. The vision of a community connected in Jesus, with each other and for each other is very much alive. Our vision sustains us, it bring hope and passion to keep on going. It breathes life in to our being to get on and do what is required for the kingdom. The vision demands us to surrender to God's plan and let him loose on our lives.

This post may not make much sense to you but its where I find myself and where God finds me too.

Matt

Why do we do it!!

2009-03-26T18:41:00.005Z

In the Salvation Army weekly paper "The Salvationist" was a small review from "The Times" newspaper regarding the bus adverts in London by the Christian Party. They put posters on buses saying "There is a God" in response to the British Humanist Associations poster that read "There is probably no God." The Christian Party's advert got 1045 complaints, the forth highest received by the Advertising Standards Authority. Two things popped into my mind;

Firstly, this is a reflection of peoples lack of interest in religion or desire to seek a relationship with God. It could be a sign that Christianity is (or has been for a while) on the back foot and people are fed up of the church. It also highlights to us that people want to be left alone o make up the mind about whether or not there is a God.

Secondly, I was left feeling that if we have to resort to putting adverts on buses, we really have lost the plot. I believe that news like this does nothing but harm to the church at all levels. People will look at us and think that we lack confidence in our faith and in our claims on the power of the God we worship. Our mission, if done effectively, should never need a publicity stunt or packaging.

My hope is that I can be confident in my faith and in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for His people.

Matt

Rhythm or Retreat

2009-03-22T14:43:00.008Z

I have been on our SA leaders retreat for the East Midlands this week. It is was nice to get away, have time to read, catch up with a few friends and have some teach on Servant Leadership. The teaching was good with stuff for me to take away and think about.

However, I was prompted to think about the retreats purpose and value via a line in a song we used. The 4 words were "rhythm of His grace". I wonder how many of the leaders present were there to get away because they are worn out, burned out, spiritually low or just far to busy and don't get time to stop. Without trying to sound like I have it sorted, retreat for me is not necessary or vital for my well being yet nor is it a thorn in my week.

My experience is that you need a good rhythm to your week, whether an Officer, centre manager, office worker, at school etc. Having a rhythm allows you to have free time to read, think, time to do the house work and have leisure time in your week. As I look at Jesus life there is always times of rest, time for friends, teaching, others and doing His Fathers work. When He is arrested, charged and crucified He is ready for it, He know God's grace is what will sustain Him for what was to come.

Matt

Taking to the streets

2009-03-17T21:46:00.005Z

I have given up my car for driving to the church for lent in an attempt for me to do more walking and save some money. One of the things that has also been good is having some time to myself either silently or with my ipod with the occasional hello to those people who stole by.
On Monday evening as I was walked home, I walked past the local C of E church where they were in full swing with bell ringing practice. I took of my ipod to listen and I have to say they were pretty good. As I popped my ear phone back in Matt Redman's "take it to the streets" came on.
What a contrast between the bells calling people to come and worship and a song challenging us to GO and worship on the streets.

Matt

Thanks is not always easy!

2009-03-15T21:04:00.002Z

The last 10 days has been a tough one in our house. It has been a time of hurt and pain for us as a couple as Lizzy miscarried at 7 weeks. It has at times been surreal and at others desperately sad. Some of the times I haven't really thought about it but the all of a sudden the emotion and feelings have crept up on me.

I emailed my best mate Mark (who is in South Africa) to let him know and to ask him to pray for us. We exchanged a few emails and in on of them was this comment; "Thanksgiving is not circumstance dependant". Which may seem a little insensitive but that's what good friends are about. It really made me think about our circumstances, others who may have experienced the same thing. Even in times of pain and loss can I still praise God, can I still thank Him for who He is and His presence in my life?

It still isn't easy, I think about what could have been, dates and stuff like that but I am also grateful to God for a wife to share my pain with and someone who I can rely on. I give thanks to God for the last week because He has been in it in many different ways, like friends, family and our church community.

This sentence popped up on a PowerPoint slide this week: "Gods answers are always better than our prayers!"

Thanks

Matt

Is this Church?

2009-03-15T20:28:00.007Z

Is this church?

Of course I know the answer to my question. This picture is from the Saturday Party of our Children's Weekend in Aspley. It was amazing to have about 70 people playing games, singing songs, eating food and chatting to each other. I can imagine heaven to be quite similar! Probably 80% of the people do not have a faith yet they were all worshipping. Dose it matter that they don't realise it or even that they can express it the way we think they should?

So what now, we had a great party and a great Sunday morning meeting but it doesn't stop there. What's next, how do we deepen the relationships and give opportunity for conversations to take place? We need to keep thinking about how we relate and the way's in which we can serve those families in our community. Also, we must seek ways to get out into our community to show that we are willing to get out of the confines of our church and onto "their patch".

We have an awesome opportunity to make a difference, to provide a place of love and care. I pray we get it right!

Matt

Tragets, priorities, projects and people

2009-03-11T14:53:00.009Z

I was at a meeting yesterday with local partner organisations from the West area of Nottingham. It was really helpful for me to get a extended view of what is going in the area and meet a few local workers and show that the church is interested in community. Yet as the meeting went on, I grew very aware that allow a lot of "good stuff" was going on, they were all targeted at certain groups or priorities and actually could be quite harmful to communities. All the projects had strings attached, funding stipulations or a certain percentage for certain groups. People were spoke of as commodities rather than as human beings who exist in community.

It has really got me thinking again about how we do mission, how we do effective mission in Aspley as a church. Projects and events are all well and good but are pointless if they are not firstly grounded in the gospel and secondly built on a foundation of relationships. Whats the point of mission without being intentional about our reasons? Are we scared that we won't get funding from people if we tell them we are Christians? Should we just do our own thing in isolation anyway?

I believe that the church needs to be more positive about it's intentions and be willing to be bold in it's mission. Yet, we need to make sure we do not alienate ourselves from reality, from other organisations, those who make decisions and of course our communities.

Matt

No second generation!

2009-03-08T15:37:00.013Z

Whilst watching the cricket (which England look unlikly to win) I was reading my current book "Total Church" by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. It very interesting and challenging my thoughts about church. One such sentance has stopped me in my tracks and I had to blog about it.

They said "There need be no second-generation churches if the church is constantly re-configuring itself through church planting."

The Salvation Army has in the past been successful at growing its congregations by keeping families in the SA and their children "coming through the ranks." Yet our numbers are in decline, churches are struggling to survive and attract people to its fellowship. Have we been guilty of seeking to maintain the SA/church fellowship rather than be confident to growing and dreaming of what the SA could be. Being a forth generation Salvationist maybe I am to blame.

How do established churches break out and seek to focus on community and mission without losing faith, committed people from its fellowships who are use to the way things are. But is that a good enough reason not to investigate planting? Surely a church plant in essence is a second-generation church!

All I know is that we need to look at all the options and be ready to change.

Matt

Big Church Little Church

2009-03-03T13:07:00.008Z

So what is it to be? Small Church or Big Church? What is the future for the church in our country? Will people find large professional places of worship inviting or small intimate settings! What abouts cells, interest groups or house churches? Is every church suppose to grow numerically and look for bigger premises or is planting the future?

I so feel so confused as to what is "the best thing to do" for a church to grow and develop. Currently I find myself in a Salvation Army church in Nottingham that has been here for many years with committed members. I am really enjoying the challenge, the community and hope that comes through lead a group of followers forward. I want to be in Aspley for as long as possible. One day, I would love to plant a new church one day. Go into a community where there is no expression of the church and believe that God can raise up a community willing and ready to worship and serve.

But I keep coming back to the question "what is best?"

I am learning that every church/worshipping community can grow, can be what God desires it to be and that there is not one perfect model of church. We have tried to do that in the past and it only worked for so long. We need to be prepared to re-think, re-shape and re-imagine what the church should be and what it can be.

Matt

Conversion or Conversations??

2009-02-25T13:12:00.004Z

I read this last night.

In a post modern world we should count conversations rather than conversions. In other words the church should not be driven by numbers of new people, converts or members but by the conversations that occur within the community regarding the Kingdom of God.

So are "Kingdom conversations" equal to seeing people make a decision to follow Christ? I guess there is a wider debate to be had about the place on conversion in the 21st century. My head as a Salvationist says that providing opportunity for people to make a decision is part of who we are, our history and a tool for spreading the good news.

But my heart says that we do not live in a world where people can make such a clear cut choice (for various reasons i.e unable to live up to the standard, commitment is to much etc) and sign on a dotted line to say that they are a Christian. Certainly in my time in Aspley it has been the conversations that have led to decisions, changes, opportunities and deepen faith. I don't need to record them but store them as encouragement for me and the church.

By it's very nature the good news of Christ will also stir peoples hearts to change but is that how we measure the effectiveness of a church in sharing the story of God.

Matt

What have I been thinking about lately?

2009-02-23T21:37:00.010Z

Thanks to Brian Mclaren's book "A New Kind of Christian", I have had loads of stuff running through my head lately and just wanted to get it out of my head as it started to hurt!!!

I have been mulling over what the challenge of the church is in the 21st century, what should the church look like, focus on and do to show the heart of God. Is every church suppose to grow numerically and look for bigger premises or is planting the future? Is the church to be poor or rich? How important is Sunday as part of the churches weekly life? Is Post-modernity something to be embraced or is it an enemy of the church?

Not really sure what I think at the moment but that's OK. I believe that as part of a healthy christian journey we must wrestle with these questions and seek God's inspiration to discover the future of the church other wise we will have none.

Over the next few blogs, I will look at a few of the issues.

Matt

Getting away

2009-02-18T15:50:00.000Z

Being away with Lizzy is great. We are in st ives with friends just chilling out and eating far too much. It has great to get away, too take stock of whats going on at church, read and get lots of fresh air. Cant wait too get back and see what God has in store for us in the coming months. Matt

Patience

2009-02-10T13:13:00.005Z

Lizzy and I went to see "Strictly Come Dancing - Live" last night. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The evening's only down point was getting out of the car park afterwards.

We were on the level 9 of the car park with most of the audience fulfilling the spaces. There were large lines of people getting their tickets with only one visible attendant, which didn't help. Once we had our ticket and got back to the car we had to sit for 20 mins before we moved anywhere. within a few moments of getting back to our car the beeping started of impatient drivers waiting in line. Not only that car inched forward every so often to gain that extra few inches in the line. I sat there relaxed and content with my lot and spending time with Lizzy. Yes it was frustrating but really not worth getting wound up about.

It seems that we have become a society where we are unwilling to wait, impatience to get on with our own life no matter what is going on around us. Sadly, I am sure that there will be people who would have got all worked up, maybe even writing complaints when they got home but for me, I got home safely, went to bed and forgot all about it (apart from writing this blog).

How often do we treat God like this, expecting Him to sort out all our problems and issues instantly and for our benefit and not His. This week why don't you stop what your doing and wait.....................................

Matt

P.S - As I was writing this, the story below was being played on News 24.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7490776.stm

A note from a piece by a US composer is to be played this weekend in a German town in what has been called the world's slowest and longest concert.
The church organ in Halberstadt will play the next - sixth - chord of John Cage's As Slow As Possible work.
The performance began in 2000 and is scheduled to last a total of 639 years.
The idea of taking so long to get through the composer's piece is to find a musical way of countering the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Will Obama’s inauguration be an opportunity for the world’s poor?

2009-01-22T17:22:00.004Z

Got this email from the Micah Challenge: Will Obama’s inauguration be an opportunity for the world’s poor?

The short answer is No! But I really do believe it can have an impact upon the way that our world can refocus it's priorities and values. With Obama in office there are reasons to be hopeful, he is high intelligent, motivated and also passionate about peoples freedom but not forgetting the communal responsibilities we have. The reason why I don't think that his inauguration will be an opportunity for the poor is because he is just one man (even if he is the President!!).

We all have the opportunity to serve and support the poor, even in this difficult economic climate. We can't pin our hopes on one man and leave him to it. He is going to need some help.
Whether in the US, UK or Africa each of us can do something. Our church has raised £225 to buy a cow and goats for families in Africa and we run a Breakfast and After School club for children in a deprived area of Nottingham.

We have loads of opportunities within our local community to serve the poor. Obama is more than welcome to join us but I am sure we will manage without him.

Matt

There is no God!

2009-01-08T22:04:00.006Z

'No God' campaign draws complaint

Scientist and atheist Richard Dawkins backed the campaign
An atheist campaign claiming "There's probably no God" has been reported to the advertising regulator.
Posters with the slogan appear on 800 buses in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on the London Underground.
But organisation Christian Voice has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority saying they break rules on substantiation and truthfulness.
The British Humanist Association, which backed the campaign, said it was not taking the complaint seriously. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7818980.stm

I can't help feeling a little embarrassed that the Christian Voice have lodged this complaint. The God I believe in isn't worried about what people think of Him, he's worried if people know Him.

So maybe we should let the athesit waste thier money on expensive ads and we should concentrate on the people in our community who don't yet know Him.

Matt

New Year

2009-01-05T18:02:00.004Z

For someone who has a lot to say, I have been very quiet on the blogging front. I have being thinking about it lots but have not mustered up the will to do it. Not only that I have not being running since we moved to Aspley and I am feeling very unfit!!
So my new years resolution is to blog three times a week and run twice a week. So here is my blog entry and tomorrow morning I will be out running!!!!

On Saturday in the Pub after football I had a fairly random conversation with a guy called John. I had never me him before then but hopefully will again. We got chatting about my "Salvation Army hoddie." what he said has stuck with me over the past few days. He said "I thought you lot had gone, where are you!" A good question for us a church to answer. That is the second time I have heard that question in a few months - Jimmy Carr that asks that question at his gig.

So where are we? What are we doing? Who knows who and where we are? These are the questions we both locally and nationally we need to answer......and quickly.

What are we going to do about it?

Matt

Carolling or Football

2008-11-29T18:40:00.007Z

Today was the first carolling gig for the Aspley band indoors at Homebase. It was good fun and a few people were around but it didn't seem that busy. A few people stopped and listened and a few people chatted to our collectors. We raised some money for our corps work which is obvious one of the main reasons why we go out over the festive period.

At 1pm, I had leave early to go off to play football for my pub team. I hadn't played for a few weeks so was looking forward to seeing the guys and maybe get to play. It was a cold afternoon and I was sub so happily took the flag to keep warm on the line. I didn't get on but it was a close game which we came away 3-2 winners.

So which is more important? Do I have to put my role as Corps Officer over playing football? Should I not play football because I should support the band? Or, is my passion to play football and build relationships with guys in the team a good enough reason for leaving early?

Where would Jesus be?

Matt

Is God extinct?

2008-11-19T08:29:00.006Z

Found this article very interesting, two scientists talking about the whether science has "buried God."

It was really helpful in trying to look at something that I don't doubt (the existence of God) from a hard line scientific point of view. Sometimes it is hard to be subjective about such things because the significant part faith plays in my experience and belief of God.

http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf/vw-issue/B2EEA54CB5882BE2802575040053CDF2?opendocument&id=2235A1F2C9E5E225802575040052259C

The "God Delusion" has been sitting on my book shelf for a while maybe I need to dust it down and see exactly what Richard Dawkins has to say.

Matt

P.S - have just recieved the new Rob Bell book - "Jesus wants to save Christians". Thanks Chris and Lib.

Strictly Moaning

2008-11-17T08:01:00.005Z

I can admit that I watch Strictly Come Dancing. It's good fun watching the trials and tribulations of celebrities leaning to dance. This series how every has started to annoy me. Here's why:

John Sergeant has come under a barrage of abuse and moaning from the judges for still be in. They continue to complain that he has not been voted out by the public. Each week I get more and more annoyed with them because, by now, they should know the premise of the show; to entertain. This is exactly what JS is doing, and personally I love it. The judges can't seem to grasp that the public have the right to vote for who they want, it has been like that for 6 series!! If they wanted a dance show then pick 16 people that can dance to start with. The BBC purposefully get people like JS in because they can't dance to make people watch in the early stages.

The great thing is by the judges moaning only makes people vote for JS even more. I will be voting for him next week!!

I do realise that my street cred(what I had of it) has now disappeared.

Come on John!!!!

Matt

It's not all about money!

2008-11-01T09:20:00.005Z

Tomorrow is the Stanford 20/20 between England and an All Star team who will play one game of cricket for $2o million, winning team takes all! If England win each player will get about £600,000 for about 3 hours work. It is the richest sporting single game ever.

I love cricket and think that 20/20 is a great asset to the sport that can encourage people to watch and/or play it but it is obscene to think that single game can be worth that much. Kevin Pietersen (England Captain) came out this week and said that "it wasn't about the money only pride in playing for England." I am sure the money helps though. If it was really about pride they would either not have gone of offered the money to charity.

Matt

Unlikely conversations in unlikely places

2008-10-28T17:27:00.006Z

Since moving to Aspley (Nottingham) I have joined a local football team, The Beacon. I have only started one game so far and came on as sub in the others. Saturday I should have started but because we had a water leak in our dining room so had to hang about whilst a friend sorted out for us (I am not safe to be doing plumbing). As a result I was late and couldn't start the match so was on the side lines as sub.

I was a little annoyed but it was one of those things. Yet, I was soon to find out as to why I was on the bench. During the first half I got chatting to one of the girl friends of our team. She told me that they are expecting a baby in April 09. She knew that I was a minister at the SA and so asked me if I would dedicate their baby next year. I said I would and that it would be an honour to do so. Not only that her boy friends mum comes to our parents and toddlers each week and her brother is the teams manager.

You never know when an opportunity might arise. Kepping looking for them.

Matt

Thinking Global, Acting Local

2008-10-06T09:03:00.005+01:00

Yesterday we had our Harvest Celebration which was a lot of fun (even though I did it). I realised that being ethical can actually be a lot of fun. The church really took to what was put to them, so much so that they now want a church goat!!! Bearing in mind we are in urban Nottingham with a side allay for it to live, it didn't seem like the most appropriate idea. Other idea (slightly more realistic) included Solar Panels, energy saving light bulbs, turning down the heating, fair trade tea and coffee and even a church allotment.

However from that we have decided to buy a cow with the money we would spend at Christmas! This may not seem an awful lot or will make a huge difference but it is the beginnings of our church to "think global, act local." What we do locally has an effect on our world globally, so anything we seek to do for the common good must be worth while. There are obvious dangers that buy a cow and not fully realise the impact it can have, it could be a one off and our lifestyles don't change as a result. As a small, urban, relatively well off church we have a responsibility to look different from what our society demands from us. It's part of our mission as Gods people to care for the world and seek to restore it to the state he gave it to us in.

Matt