URBANarmy

Joe Noland a Salvation Army Officer with a wealth of experience writes a provocative blog called slightly irregular -I pop into now and then. I missed his little series called Doing Church in the 21st Century: Rediscovering the Mission. Seems to me that his thoughts are helpful to anyone thinking through mission and future direction for their church! (Thanks GR for the tip off). Following is an outline of “mission distinctives” from my POV, preceded by their “institutional distinctive” counterparts (in italics): 1. Slumber------Awaken: An obvious precursor to relevant mission . 2. Status quo---Attack: “GO!” Aggressive. “…wherever people were to be got at.” 3. Exclusive----Attach: Embrace the culture inclusively – “bind emotionally” (Encarta). 4. Traditional--Adapt: “pas de deux with the culture”- “The law of adaptation.” 5. Irrelevant---Attract: “…convey it by such mediums, as will arouse their attention and interest their minds.” I think several books have influenced Joe - in particu...

Another bit of Warren (Robert not Rick!) from a little book called Building Missionary Congregations. Published in 1995 so a little dated but nevertheless a helpful pointer for those talking about vision. "The following is a list of the marks of a missionary congregation. However, it is important to note that this is based largely on theoretical work. Another list needs urgently to be constructed out of observation of what actually happens on the ground. The two need then to be in dialogue. Either list has the potential to 'convert' the other list; both stand to gain and be enriched. 1. Celebration. This is taken in its widest sense and refers to the ability and desire to enjoy life and the gifts that God has given, and to participate in celebrating the new humanity modelled for us in Christ, opened up to humanity by his death and resurrection. 2. Whole life Christianity. Expressing faith in God in the whole of life. The focus of church life would shift from 'church o...

Here's the last of the much maligned Strategic Framework's focus on fragmentation, in the original it was under two separate headings. Fragmented Community and Society · Due to the way in which housing is organised many of our towns and cities have fragmented into communities of the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. This can lead to a marked difference in the quality and quantity of the facilities available in these communities. · Physical fragmentation can lead to a lack of mutual understanding and sympathy. (Strategic Framework UKT (2002) Opportunities exist in… · How can we ensure The Salvation Army maintains a presence in a wide variety of communities and has a socially diverse membership? Fragmentation... 1/3 Fragmentation... 2/3

through such knowledge positives can be affirmed and negatives can be addressed as the personality of the church can be matured so that it becomes a richer reflection of Jesus. Robert Warren ( here ) makes an interesting application of Walter Wink's work on church essence. In terms of identifying vision for church, Warren reflects on the story of Moses, to encourage churches to discover that 'what is in your hand' is where courage can be found for the task ahead. Warren explains what it is to discover the 'Angel of the church'; the letters in Revelation 2 and 3 he notes are addressed mysteriously to the Angel of the Church. This points, he suggest, to the letters being written to the essence or character, the corporate identity or personality of the church. "The Angel of the Church is the coincidence of what the church is - its personality - and what it is called to become - its vocation" Walter Wink In other words the angel of the church is about seein...

Continuing to looking at the Strategic Framework shows how rather than being a prescriptive little red book, it actually could help in the articulation of vision. The second area of questions aiming at stimulating a local response looked at the issue of family. Fragmented Families Families of all shapes and sizes form an essential building block in society but many families fragment under the pressure of 21st century living. There is a gap in culture and understanding between the generations that can lead to mistrust and fear. (Strategic Framework UKT (2002) Opportunities exist in… Can we make our churches more family-friendly places where people of all ages can worship God and discover more about his plan for their lives? What more can we do to reconnect fragmented families? How can we improve our work with young people and enhance our ability to bridge the generation gap? (Strategic Framework UKT (2002) Fragmentation... 1/3

Vision is quite a loaded word in church circles; I wonder whether sometimes it can be totally misused by leaders who want to do their thing. "This is God's vision for this place or area ... God has told me blah blah blah... God's will is that we...." is the ultimate in top trump cards; unbeatable like the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 the card to beat all cards. I wonder if there is a balance between waiting to zapped divinely with the winning formulae and going all corporate 5 year plan - certainly there is a responsibility for us to not drift into vision while not being too prescriptive. When we as church start talking about vision, care needs to be taken, agendas need to be teased out and tested. Nunhead SA where we worship corporately, has started a process of 'vision casting' and here's the difference there is a sense of a shared accountability, journey and responsibility. Self-preoccupied agendas struggle in such a healthy environment. Stuart Murray-Williams...

...officers were sent into areas of brokenness not to work the area over with the expectation of establishing a structured all singing and dancing church, but to love and serve the area... Several years ago and in the arrogance of a fast disappearing youth I emailed the Territorial Leader of TSA and asked what was TSA's strategy for inner city and communities of deprivation. It went something along the lines that nothing has really intentionally replaced the 'Goodwill' centre system, where officers were sent into areas of brokenness not to work the area over with the expectation of establishing a structured all singing and dancing church, but to love and serve the area. The inner cities of the UK were littered with such centres all working close with established Salvation Army corps. Somehow the 'Goodwill' lost it's focus; centres were closed as TSA seemingly retreated from inner city Britain. I got a gracious answer and was asked to be part of an initial dis...