Marc's Messages

Theology of everyday life

Two fresh thoughts from Reinhold in the Swiss mountains:

"We tend to seek God in the Grand, Spectacular and the Special. But 90% of our lives is just routine, repeating tasks and unspectacular things - yet God is always there. We need something like a 'theology of everyday life' to see and hear him in our mostly very 'normal' lives."

"I am in the process of seeing the church more and more under the Kingdom aspect rather than vice versa. Ecclesiocentrism is one of the diseases that the current clerical crisis is bringing to the surface. The Church yesterday understood this very well. When you talk Kingdom, you talk action, power, and challenge. When you talk church as an end in itself, most people (except from a few pastors) get easily bored. I guess it all boils down to Q-S-Q (Simson) again: quality (the Kingdom) needs the right structures (forms of Church) to become quantity (to multiply and disciple). This formula is irreversible."

Lord of the aisles

About 70 of Asda's 259 UK stores have chaplains. There seems no end to what a modern-day supermarket can offer its customers. As well as the weekly groceries, you can bag the latest fashions, widescreen televisions, motor insurance and fine wines. But now one-stop-shopping has reached heavenly heights with an Asda initiative to introduce chaplains to all of its 259 UK stores. This BBC report is already a year old, but still intriguing.

Churchless faith

Several weeks ago Alan Jamieson's book 'Churchless Faith' arrived from Amazon. I haven't read it yet, but came across a list of his findings. Seven things people leaving church wished their church had done/been to help them stay involved:

1. Provide places to explore, question and doubt.
2. Include a theology of journey.
3. Understand the leaving process.
4. Offer assistance in our faith struggles.
5. Model other theological understandings.
6. Focus on realities rather than 'shoulds'.
7. Have more room for emotions, feelings and intuitions.

Alan also wrote an article titled 'Ten myths about church leaving', a 'must-read' for church leaders. I believe churches could greatly improve in this area if they would only have honest 'exit interviews' with the people who leave.

Another Kiwi who published about the 'out-of-church' fenomenon is Andrew Strom. He says:

"The surprising thing is that church leavers are often the most committed kind of Christians - praying, insightful, deep-thinking. Yet they have grown tired of 'playing the game' inside our church system and have opted out. Often their involvement goes back many years. In fact, they had commonly been leaders of various kinds. But the LACK OF GOD is what gets to them - even in our most 'Spirit-filled' churches. And so quietly, sometimes without anyone even noticing, they slowly slip out the doors - never to return. Some have even told me that they felt God 'calling them out'. Others simply felt they couldn't stay there anymore. The state of the church weighed upon them more than words could say.

"Most of these people have not given up on Christianity at all. It is today's church system that they have given up on. Some of them have started up home-fellowships. Or they meet with other couples on a casual basis. But many meet with nobody at all, and they consider themselves in a 'wilderness' place - alone with God. I was asked several weeks ago by a pastor whether I agreed that what is happening could be a 'move of God'. That is a pretty radical thought. Many leaders would think the opposite. Because anything that leads people out of 'their church' can't be of God, can it? Hmmmm. All I know is this: The concept of going through a 'wilderness' just before entering the 'Promised Land' is totally Scriptural. In fact, it is right through the Bible. Even Jesus went through such a wilderness time."

Emerging church talk (2)

I'm catching up with the discussion on 'emerging church' that is going on in the blogging community. Andrew Jones posted some excellent contributions that might help to get some grip on the 'emerging church'. I summarized them, so for the full story you should click on the titles.

1. How would you define emerging church?

Andrew: "No one has succeeded in defining it. Maybe that is OK. People in the emerging culture do not really want or need such a definition, because behind the practices and models of emerging church, lies a radically different mindset, value system and worldview. People coming from a modern mindset always want to know what is new or next, so they can upgrade or replace what they have. This sequential, diachronic replacement way of thinking is light-years away from the emerging way of thinking, where the new thing finds its place by nesting, linking or layering vertically into the whole thing. New things compliment and enhance rather than replace. For this reason emerging church is not the same as 'youth church', because it's intergenerational, and can't be labeled 'postmodern' either because it's not reactionary. It's about understanding the way of Jesus in our own culture."

2. What examples have you seen which you think deserve the phrase 'emerging'?

Andrew: "Parties that happen in a home, with lots of food, a DJ, and discussion on spiritual things. As people decide to follow Jesus, the group gradually becomes a church, but it keeps its party format. House churches are also becoming increasingly popular, and in some countries represent the bulk of new churches. It's a relational place to share life together. Monastic models of church are now a viable option for young people in urban centers who want a higher level of commitment. The practice of pilgrimage is increasingly popular, as are yearly festivals. The internet (and especially blogging) is adding a significant slice of church life to the layers. It is providing a place for greater visibility, storytelling, self-publishing, accountability, witness, and networking. Style-culture churches and traditional churches will also find new ways of engaging with the culture.

"Believers who do not belong to an institutional church are no longer seen as unchurched or backslidden. They are a large part of Christ’s body [a majority, some argue] and they may become the most important players in developing organic and relational church forms. The real difference lies in a new way of understanding church. When emerging people zoom out to see the whole church, the invisible church, they see church in modular form, as discrete but connected elements working together in a harmonious system. Church life then has more to do with the combination of many activities, projects and events than with participation in any single event or commitment that tries to define the church experience."

3. Why do you think the idea of an emerging church has gained such popularity over the last few years - why do so many want a part of it?

Andrew: "I believe the commitment to emerging church has to do with a deep love for God’s church as the beautiful Body of Christ, and the dissonance in knowing that the church in its present form is not living up to our expectations, is not attractive to outsiders, and is not adequately reflecting Kingdom culture in the world we live. A great body, stuck in a frumpy dress.

"There is also the new sense of empowerment. Not long ago, young people were encouraged to join a church but they were not allowed to start them – that was considered rebellious or reserved for the professionals. In the last two decades, partly as a result of the church growth movement, church has been somewhat demystified of its priestly elitism, defragged of its excess baggage and deconstructed of its abusive power claims. We are now seeing more streamlined, simple, organic churches that ordinary people can start in their favourite coffee shops or their own homes. Add to this the sense of empowerment and immediate access to resources that the internet has provided, and you can see why being a player and developer in the emerging church is more appealing than joining the struggle to preserve an incumbent church. People in the emerging culture are generally creative, entrepreneurial, innovative, empowered. They don’t want to join somebody else’s program. They don’t want to become somebody’s number. They don’t want to warm up somebody’s empty room. But they do want to be a part of starting something that will make a difference."

4. How far do you think the church has to go before it will really start to reach the emerging generation in large numbers?

Andrew: "As far as Jesus went, which is all the way, incarnating, fleshing out Kingdom realities in the culture God has planted us. It will take courage, risk and sacrifice. There will be a change of vocabulary to reflect a new mindset. There will be more unbelievers joining our communities earlier in their journey than they did previously and with more honesty. They will request more honesty from us too. More vulnerability. There will be misunderstandings. And the greatest persecution may come from the existing church. There is an approach to truth that is more relational, narrative, participatory and experiential. One of the challenges for the existing church is to recognize and support this."

Additional 1: Emerging church definition

Andrew: "This morning i walked through the Walthamstow market and saw famers selling the organic produce they have been growing themselves. There is something freeing and simple, even rebellious, in buying produce directly from the people who grew it. I feel good buying it. He feels good selling it. Our transaction bypasses quite a few levels of marketing people and middlemen, and it is quite deconstructive in displacing those heirarchies. But it is also empowering to us, and it just feels good. I get the same feeling when I experience church - real church - and I have also felt it in homeschooling, unschooling, downloading info from the web, the immediate self-publishing of blogging, punk music, shopping at Home Depot to fix my own house. It feels empowering, never complex, bare and naked, totally human, focused, and God's pleasure is one of those feelings mixed into it."

Additional 2: Urban poor and girls

Andrew: "Two important groups for the emerging church are the urban poor and girls. 1/4 of the world are 'urban poor' and the amount of foreign workers that ever make it out to incarnational lifestyle among them is pathetically small. And yet movements of God traditionally start among the poor, often involving the elite at the same time, since both groups deal with justice - one needs it and one has justice to give. People who start movements among the poor end up working also with the elite (Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa). A really interesting thing is how the middle class is either bypassed during the intial stages of a God-movement, or brought in much later when the action is all over or settling down.

"About girls (or young women): the movement in China would not be the same without teenage girls. A friend from China told me recently that a teenager started a church in China that has since become hundreds of churches involving tens of thousands of people. God has been using girls from the beginning. Mary was young. Esther was young. It should not surprise us."

Winter pictures

I'm back in town, and just created a photo album with Winter pictures from Switzerland.

EPL's paradigm shift

Guess what? God is saying the same kind of things to EPL as to Connect Europe. The themes are: transition, storm, refuge with Jesus, being stripped, new foundations, a sense of urgency, giving birth, eagles, the river of God, leading by lifestyle.

Ueli Haldemann shared about the tension he experiences in Switzerland between what Australian prophet David Orton calls 'networking the old' and 'anointing the new'. The two don't go very well together. It's like putting Saul's armor on young David, it's a non-fit. The season we live in requests a new level of working together. What worked fine in the past is simply not sufficient for today or tomorrow. The key to connect people these days is not consensus, but the cross of Christ. We have to humble ourselves, throw down our crowns, die to our own agendas, in order to be raised into a new level of anointing.

In case you're wondering what the picture below is about: it's the fun/joy part of hanging out together. I took it a year ago when we met in Vienna. Ian had just told us that he carries a special anointing to release money for the Kingdom, and as you can see we were all too eager to receive it. :-)

Yesterday evening I gave an interactive presentation on the paradigm shift God is taking us through: from an old-style comprehensive organisation approach to a new organic network approach. I introduced some biotic and sociological principles that helped us to define a new style of working:

1. Intimacy with Christ, hearing from God, prophetic revelation.
2. Strong relationships and DNA ('loving each other deeply', 1 Peter).
3. God's word by God's people at God's designated time and place, with God's power. This sums up what we mean with the word 'kairos'. It's not about just doing good things, but doing what we see the Father do.
4. Flexible hub-type structures (organic vs. control, specific vs. comprehensive).

We decided to make a two-fold investment in the prayer movement in Europe: 'eagle's nest' meetings for key people in the prayer movement to help 'birth' the new moves of God, and a basic structure that helps us to respond pro-actively to 'kairos' opportunities.

Meeting with Roger

A bright sunny day again. We finished the Connect Europe team meeting around lunch time. In the afternoon Warren and I had a long talk with Roger Mitchell who had come over from England to meet with us. The main subjects were: how do EPL and Target Europe perceive each other, what are the friction points, is there a 'protocol' for working in nations, and laying apostolic foundations. Our talk clarified a lot, but also raised a few new questions to pursue.

Connect Europe team

The house of prayer in Amden is a peaceful place, with good beds, good food, snow, a clear sky and a great view on the Swiss Alps. A wonderful place to hang out with the Connect Europe team.

Yesterday we shared what God has been doing in our lives over the past three months and we were encouraged to see so many similarities, especially related to 'transition', a new season, a different level of revelation and ministry. In a way this is an expression of the 'corporate prophetic': we seem to hear the same kind of things from God, and as we journey together, God is laying a new foundation for community, worship and mission.

Talking about foundations, Tim Fellows said something that I believe is important: the revelation of Jesus shapes the Gospel, the Gospel shapes the Kingdom, and the Kingdom the Church. If we do it the other way around, we get a distorted church that doesn’t know how to bring the Kingdom, and so creates a powerless gospel, and - sadly - blocks the revelation of Christ.

In one of our prayer times the Lord showed us that storms will come suddenly over the church in Europe, and that we have to find and develop our rest and refuge in Jesus. Like Psalm 91,9 says: "Because You, O LORD, are My refuge; if you have made the Most High Your dwelling-place." And Is. 25,4: "For You are a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the fearful ones is like a storm against the wall." The storms are sent/allowed by God to shake our false securities. Also churches and ministries will be shaken. Man-made religion will be judged, so that the new life that really finds it's source in God will break through.

What I found intriguing are the parallels between the Netherlands and Switzerland that have to do with God leading us into a season of restoration of the prophetic and apostolic ministries. It would take too much space to go into all the details, but it's quite amazing.

The rest of our time we used to talk about different aspects of the Connect Europe network and team roles. We want to develop a new way forward, a rhythm of life and ministry that is in tune with the rhythm of God, rather than a goal and task oriented business-style. Later this year we hope to visit Wales with the core team, and in August we plan to have our main Connect Europe event in Switzerland.

Trip to Switzerland

I'm on my way to Switzerland for leadership team meetings of Connect Europe and EPL. We will stay in the house of prayer in Amden. Not sure if I will be able to blog - houses of prayer are often not too well equipped for that.

Throw down your crowns

Just finished a one-and-a-half day retreat with Chris Daza for prophets and prophetic intercessors in the Netherlands. We spent a good time in God's presence and shared words and impressions. In small groups we talked in-depth about three questions, that helped us to get a better understanding of our corporate responsibility:

1. What happens to a nation if the level of the prophetic is low?
2. What is the role of prophets in a nation?
3. What is the relationship between prophets and apostles?

Many good things came up. But the most significant moment was when God led us to throw down our crowns at the cross. Humility and the heart of God are key for any ministry, but especially the prophetic, and form a protection against presumpteousness.

Time of transition

This morning I met up with my 'city friends' Jan Bernard Struik and Ed van Setten for a cappucino in La Place. Jan Bernard drew a little picture of how a transition period looks like, and I recognize it in my own life in relation to 'church' and ministry. It's like Abraham who left his homeland (church-as-we-know-it) to head for a land yet unknown (church-as-God-intends-it). The only thing he had was Gods promise. There was no route description, he just had to trust that God would lead him step by step, day by day.

It's a road many prophetic people go these days. God takes them out of their comfort zone (an existing church or ministry setting), into a transition process. Sometimes it feels like a desert, a dry place where dying to self seems to be the main thing. At other times it's like crossing a river, with a company of friends. A lot of fun and everyone helps his mates to cross over. Prophets are see-ers and way-makers. They go where no-one has gone before, prophesying things into being and leading by lifestyle. Why? Because the glory of the present house will be greater than the glory of the former house (Haggai 2,9).

Emerging church talk

An interesting topic in the blogging community these days is the definition and values of 'emerging (or emergent) church'. Jason Clark of Emergent in the UK suggests there are twelve emerging values, though not all emergent churches have grasped all these:

1. Women in leadership, with role of pastor, elder, deacon, evangelist, apostle, etc.
2. Multi-cultural (ethnic and generational) representation in leadership and congregation (dependent on culture of context).
3. Salvation as a process: progressive, continual, ongoing vs. sinners prayer salvation.
4. Evangelism through community: relational, worship, communal.
5. A recognition of unclear absolutes in regard to moral truth (i.e. sex before marriage, cohabitation before marriage, drinking alcohol, homosexuality, stewardship of money).
6. Theological openness, discovery.
7. Value placed on creatively worshiping God via arts and other alternative means. Music, writing, painting, screaming, mud baths, etc. (got ya thinking).
8. New metaphors of teaching: moderation, facilitator, conversation, dialogue.
9. Redemption of everyday life: vocation, recreation, friendship, family, neighborhood, etc.
10. Social action as a way of life.
11. Decentralized leadership, pluralistic leadership, whatever you want to call it.
12. Discipleship and mentoring as a priority.

Brian McLaren of Emergent Village in the USA holds the view that there are no postmodern churches, and quotes his friend Ed Chinn when he says:

"The primary reason I ever attend a church service (or frankly, even have serious or long conversations with Christians) is the hope that I will hear something proclaimed out of heaven, something that carries the majesty, the revelation, the heart and breath of God. I am not interested in a 3-point guide for living or more apologetics and theology. We all know that the more traditional churches live in a ghetto of unreality; they speak only to themselves, write books for themselves, and make music for themselves. No one else has any clue what they're saying. That's why serious people have been ignoring them for a couple of decades. While I appreciate the freshness and youthfulness of 'the emergent church' (or 'postmodern church movement' as some call it), sometimes I think they have simply become better conversationalists. They've learned the language and the concepts of the natives and are very good about engaging them in real conversations. I greatly admire and enjoy that. But, very honestly, I've not heard very much in that world that really testifies of anything seen in Heaven. Like most other church worlds, they speak from a distinct 'earthview' and in a distinct earth-language."

Brian comments: "Ed is telling us something humbling, something we need to hear. The emergent movement has a wonderful promise, but it could just become another marketing gimmick to sell books, build egos, and bolster sagging spirits with a new invisible wardrobe for a pudgy, pasty old emperor. No doubt, in some quarters it will squander its potential, but if you care about the possibilities being actualized... please... let's aim deep and high."

Corporate evangelism

Many people responded to the Dutch edition of Joel News, in which I addressed the issue of evangelism. Too many churches still think in terms of campaigns and other forms of 'organised outreach'. But isn't it more natural and effective to help Christians develop a simple lifestyle of prayer, evangelism and making disciples in their own network? We all know that most people discover Jesus through personal relationships.

Darren Rowse from Melbourne, posted an excellent contribution on 'corporate evangelism'. He says: "Evangelism is not just something for individuals to engage in in isolation from each other. Rather I believe it is something that we're called to do together.

"Now I'm not talking about going door knocking or handing out tracts 'together' - but instead am talking about building relationships with those outside our community as a group. Jesus called his disciples to become 'fishers of men'. What does it mean to fish for people? When Jesus first said this, people fished with nets, not single fishing lines. What might a net symbolize? The net is like the relationships we have between one another. Its about creating an environment for building genuine connections, sharing life and building community."

Also see Darren's posting on 'redemptive parties', how to develop the 'spiritual DNA' (core values) of a community, and a missiology that shapes our ecclesiology.

Development maps

Yesterday I prepared two 'development maps', one for Connect Europe (below) and another for the European Prayer Link. It will help us keep track of the development of national prayer networks in Europe. The legenda reads as follows:

Red = national team in place that pursues CE vision
Orange = friends that are connected with the CE vision
Yellow = initial contacts, not yet pursued
White = no contact at all with emerging leaders

If you are interested in making something like this for your own area, it's quite simple. Go to the image search function of Google, then type map "your own area" blank. Select the blank map with the best quality and cut and paste it to a simple paint program. In the paint program you can fill the subareas with a colour, dependent on your legenda. Then save the file as a bitmap or gif.

Spiritual authority

Interacted with some friends on the issue of spiritual authority. Who or what gives people spiritual authority? I believe it's linked to five things: mandate, character, anointing, maturity and ability.

Mandate: do we have a mandate (calling) from God? If so, what is it specifically in terms of geography, people group and/or sphere of influence?
Character: do we have the character of Christ? Love, humility, discipline, etc.
Anointing: do we carry God's hand/anointing? If so, in what area?
Maturity: are we spiritually mature? Being called into one of the Eph. 4 ministries doesn't mean we are already mature.
Ability: do we have the ability to lead people? Not everyone who has spiritual gifts has (developed) the ability to lead.

This five-fold way of looking at ministries might also solve some problems in relation to prophets, apostles and the like. It's not sufficient to know that we are called by God into a specific ministry, this ministry also has be to recognized by the people we serve. If they don't recognize it, we don't have authority in their lives. For me people who label themselves as prophets and apostles rather show their lack of authority, because true authority is recognized without the labels. Jesus didn't promote himself als being the Messiah (He didn't deny it either), but he taught and acted with authority, and this was recognized.

The Jewish issue

Met up with several prophetic friends today, and it looks like God is bringing up something important: our relationship to the Jewish people.

With Bram Flippo I discussed the rediscovery of biblical (Hebrew) thinking, which - in contrast to the Greek thinking that shaped our Western and modern culture - is holistic, dynamic and very much a way-of-life, expressed in the sabbath, the feasts and the various rituals. Although Christians don't have to live like Jews (see Paul versus Peter), the prophesied and much-needed reformation of the Church has a lot to do with a paradigm shift from Greek to Hebrew thinking. And this is quickened even more by the cultural shift from modernity to postmodernity.

In the evening I had a meal in the house of prayer in Utrecht, as we prepared for the upcoming retreat with Chris Daza (13-14 Feb). Caroline and Margreet shared about their visit to the Jewish synagogue in Utrecht and how it had blessed them and given them more insight in the relationship between Jews and Christians. If Christians start blessing the Jewish people in their city and nation, and the Jews in turn bless the Christians, then both groups will be able to enter their destiny in God.

In Utrecht there are still some unresolved issues from the past. Throughout the centuries the Jews have been discriminated against, and during the nazi occupation 75% of the Jewish population of Utrecht was deported and died in the gas chambers. Utrecht is key for several reasons: it has been the spiritual centre of the Netherlands (root issues between Jews and the Church have to be dealt with here), it has been the headquarters of Dutch Railways (who facilitated the deportations and up to now hasn't been willing to face this black chapter in their history), as well as the headquarters of the NSB (the Dutch party that collaborated with the nazis and whose affiliates were known as fervent 'jew hunters'). I believe that when the time is right the Church in the city will have to deal with this issue.

Political weblogs

More and more politicians are keeping a weblog to give people a view in their lives and political activities. It's part of the trend towards more openness, and the reality that the public tends to vote on people rather than programs. So it's quite important to position yourself as a political personality, and the weblog seems to be the ideal vehicle for that. More than 80 local and national politicians in the Netherlands now keep a weblog, and their number is growing fast.

One of the first Dutch politicians to start a weblog was Gerrit Zalm, the Liberal Conservative leader and Finance Minister. His weblog was launched in Autumn 2002 and is updated daily. With 5,000 visitors a day it's quite popular and sometimes hard-to-load. Of course it's not-so-sexy that he writes his weblogs on paper (with a ballpoint, can you imagine?), and then hands it over to his PR officer to put it online.

A relatively new kid on the block is Jan Marijnissen (insert), the Socialist leader, who thinks he is a 'real blogger' because people can post uncensored comments on his site.

Christian politicians André Rouvoet and Arie Slob also entered the wonderful world of blogging, but only post 2-4 times a month. I guess as real Calvinists they simply work too hard to be able to post daily.

One of the latest additions is Peter Rehwinkel, the new Social-Democratic mayor of Naarden, who claims to answer all the e-mails he gets from the public. Hm... how is he doing that?

Breeding a family culture

Once a week Karolien and I discuss Stephen Covey's 'The 7 habits of highly effective families', a family-focused varation of his top management book 'The 7 habits of highly effective people'. It's less 'American' than the title suggests, and actually it's quite good if you are interested in breeding a healthy and inspiring family culture.

Last week we talked about family life as a journey with a company of friends - it's about fellowship, learning & discovering, and ministry to others. Living inside-out, based on values instead of circumstance.

Tonight we talked about the areas in which we could/should be more proactive, instead of reactive, which was edifying and painful at the same time. On the one had we want to grow, on the other hand we don't like to face our weaknesses and change our patterns of behavior. But it's like the 'minimum factor' in Christian Schwarz's 'Natural Church Growth': you have to work on the area's where you are weak in onder to continue growing in the areas where you are strong.

Fellowship of church planters

Chinese food, chocolates and a lot of creative interaction. Ronald van der Molen, Theo Visser and myself gathered around 20 church planting facilitators (most of them also practitioners) from different denominations and networks for a first 'fellowship of church planters' meeting in Driebergen. Two years ago the Dutch DAWN Committee dissolved itself and also the iQB churchplanters café closed its doors. We felt it was time for something new and fresh. Ronald did an excellent job in moderating the meeting and everyone was excited.

Apart from this informal network for church planters and facilitators I see the need for a more strategic missionary approach to saturate our nation with new churches. It's encouraging to see that the Salvation Army, the United Pentecostal and Evangelical churches (VPE), Foursquare (Rafael), CAMA-Parousia, the Baptist Union, the Nazarine Church, the Christian Reformed Church, the Free Baptist Church, the House Church network and Christian Associates already have church planting on their agenda. The Dutch Reformed Church (PKN) and the Roman Catholic Church (the two big ones in the Netherlands, who are also loosing most members), are more and more opening up for the vision. It's a matter of timing, but I hope that at some point in the near future a new national coalition can be formed that will take the mission of 'discipling a whole nation' to a new level.