New Wine Leadership Harrogate 2014

Just back from the  New Wine Leaders Conference 2014  in   Harrogate

It was the second time I had been to this conference and like the first I came back grateful for the opportunity to be there

There were things that I struggled with and things that I was blessed by and this post is about those things

                                                                                                   

7 great things about New Wine 2014

1. .      There is a passion for Jesus that is evident everywhere from the worship to the teaching they really do desire to put Jesus front and centre of everything
2. 2     The teaching of John Tyson from New York, I had never heard of him before but he was a very clear expositor of the Bible text and also applied it to our context
3. .      The seminar programme  was very helpful and stimulated lots of ideas as we think about our next steps as a church in Shrewsbury .There was also an excellent seminar on the impact of Fresh Expressions
4. .      The chance to chat together with other church leaders in a relaxed environment including and indeed especially those from our own church
5.       The encouragement and affirmation  of the ministry of women
6.       The worship band were again wonderful and introduced some beautiful songs
7. .      The missional focus of  many of the speakers. I am not sure New Wine were first to the missional party but they have certainly arrived

Things I struggled with (note I am not saying these are wrong just that I did not find them helpful personally)

The endless appeals to go to the front for a whole myriad of reasons –I don’t ever get the impression that quiet reflection is a New Wine value ! At one session I personally felt the need to leave before the message was appealed out of me  Sometimes it is enough just to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work

·        The  fact that after a healing meeting when scores of people claimed they had been healed ,there was no follow up or mention of individual cases in the following days that I heard It would have been good to hear those stories

·        I don’t think New Wine has yet decided finally whether it is the charismatic wing of the Anglican church or a trans- denominational movement. It claims to be the latter but behaves like the former nearly all the time.

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Are you a trader?

I am very grateful to Philip and Christina for not only pointing out this great  video to me but for inspiring me by the way they are seeking to live it out.

It really is all about relationships

Everything I am reading at the moment tells me that it really is all about relationships !

Hague's biography of William Wilberforce makes it clear that Wilberforce was inspired,encouraged and helped in his desire to abolish slavery by the Clapham sect (though it was not a sect!)Out of this group of like minded Christians came charity schools in Ireland,relief of the poor in London,education initiatives in Africa,the Church Missionary Society ,the Sunday School union,the British and Foreign bible society .They founded a cancer hospital,2 eye hospitals ,sent Christan missionaries to India,and, of course ,the abolition of slavery, among many other things.
Here were a group of people who shared their lives together with the express intention of making a difference and they certainly made a difference!
It is powerful when Christians act like that and my desire for the church that I help lead is that we would have strong,intentional,accountable relationships among leaders (and indeed everyone) which seek to build the Kingdom of God among the places God has given us to serve in.

Our calling from God is to be disciples and make disciples and as Alan Hirsch reminds us in Forgotten Ways " For the follower of Jesus ,discipleship is not the first step in a promising career,but the fulfillment of their destiny to be conformed to the image of Christ" (Romans 8 v29)

It is often true in church life that we can get caught up with the petty and the insignificant but if we are called to be a disciple and make disciples what do we practically give our time to?

That's a key question that I am pondering at the moment. I am about to read a book on Christian mentoring) but the short( and all embracing answer!) is "to God and to people" How ? well the post below this one gives the answer in relationship to God. I quote
"Maintaining a healthy spiritual life that includes a deep, authentic relationship with God—one marked by prayer, humility, godliness, and the fruits of the Spirit"

Often we can try and meet other peoples expectations "go to this meeting ,represent the church there, support that church ministry,"but if we are called to be disciples some of this will have to go. In chapter 5 of his book Missional Renaissance Reggie McNeal spells out some of the adjustments leaders need to make, not least in terms of time, and I commend the chapter and the book to you
He concludes by emphasising the importance of intentional relationships- A church that ceases to be about people has become an institution. We must give our time to developing people ,to making disciples of Jesus.

Buildings,constitutions,committees have a place but they are not the key thing .It really is all about relationships! "Love God & Love your neighbour" Be a disciple ,make disciples
Sounds simple but there is a lifetimes service and ministry in there !

God give us strenghth to make the changes we need to make,in order to be the people we need to be!

leading and following!

Shown this before but this time with an excellent commentary!