Off the Beaten Track

1
Off the Beaten Track

• Youth work, Church and mission in a post
  Christian society

2
My Journey

• In working with young people do not try to call
  back to where they were and do not call them to
  where you are as beautiful a place as that may
  seem to you. You must have the courage to go with
  them to a place that neither you nor they have
  ever been before.
• Vincent Donovan Christianity Rediscovered

3
Motivating Theologies

• Contextualisation v Imperialism
• Incarnation v Distance
• Relational v Presenational
• Caught v Taught
• Good news v The Good News
• Mission v Evangelism
• Journey v Decision
• Evangelical v Liberal
• Protestant v Catholic
• Literal v Figurative

4
Motivating Theologies

• My Motivating Theology
• Vincent Donovan In working with..
• Full relationship restoration
• Incarnation
• John 10 v10
• Amos 5 v 21 24
• Generous Orthodoxy
• Process Ecclesiology

Whats Yours?
5
Sub culture and fortress church

• Culture is Shifting
• Enlightenment Postmodernity
• Globalisation
• Truth is less fixed
• Decades of rapid social change
• Paradigm Shift

6
Shifting Sands

• Apocalyptic paradigm of primitive Christianity
  (New Testament)
• Hellenistic paradigm of the Patristic era (to
  approx. 600)
• The medieval Roman Catholic paradigm (to approx.
  1500)
• The Protestant Reformation paradigm (to approx.
  1750)
• The modern Enlightenment paradigm (to approx.
  1950)
• The emerging post modern and post Christian
  paradigm (now emerging)

• Patristic John 316
• Medieval Catholic Luke 1423
• Protestant Reformation Romans 116
• Modern Enlightenment Acts 169, Matt 2414

7
Four ways the Church responds to change in
culture.

• The Garden - keep the same message and methods
• The Park - keep the message but change the
  methods
• The Glen - change the message, but not the
  methods
• The Meadow - change the message and the methods.
• Sweet, Leonard et al
• The Church in Emerging Culture Five perspectives
  Zondervan 2003

8
Mission and Community

• Christian Mission is in a time of transition
• God is a missionary God who crosses frontiers
  towards the world. (Bosch)
• The word became flesh and blood and moved into
  the neighbourhood. (Jn 1 - The Message)

9
What is Church?

• Church is Mystery (Eph 5 v 31and 32)
• Described analogically e.g. body, vine, etc
• Images suggest attitude and a course of action
• John 10 v10

10
What is Youth work and Mission?

• Process and Outcome
• Kingdom Centred
• New place
• Ontological Imperative

11
Two sides of the same coin

• Church
• - Church is Mystery (Eph 5 v 31and 32)
• - Described analogically e.g. body, vine, etc
• - Images suggest attitude and a course of
  action
• - John 10 v10

• Youth work and mission
• - New place
• - Kingdom Centred
• - Process and Outcome
• - Ontological Imperative

12
Blended Approach

• attitude and a course of action

Process and Outcome
Ontological Imperative
13
A New Analogy of church for a post-Christian
Society
The City on the Hill
The Journey to the City On the Hill
You may have life in All its fullness
14
Tacking towards the City

• Tacking a zigzagging process to enable a
  sailing vessel to progress forward into the wind
• Tacking - helping young people and society
  become more fully human, by a process of
  purposeful, deliberate and informal interactions

15
Tacking towards the city

• The city on the hill is lit by the ethics of
  Christ
• The journey helps you recognise the light
• You may loose sight of the city from time to time
  and can only see the distant glow
• You are always moving even when alone but at some
  point you will need to travel with others

16
Tacking Everyday
Conversation
Experiences
The Local Adverts
The Council
Yourself
Others
The Media
The News
Environment
The litter in the area
The Past
17
Jesus and Tacking
Conversations whilst walking
Being Alone
Feeding of the 5000
Calling the Disciples
Zak the taxman
Who do you say I am?
Water into Wine
Challenging the Pharisees
Marys Anointing
Woman at the well
18
Tacking into the Wind

• Personal Development - The growth of the
  individual, moving towards becoming more
  Christ-like and fully human. Becoming okay with
  questions and doubts, accepting different
  viewpoints but still maintaining relationships
  with people.
• Group Development - The growth of the group,
  becoming friends and community, developing
  openness and acceptance of one another, and a
  willingness to stay part of the group even though
  you may disagree.
• Societal Development - Being prepared to
  challenge the accepted, working towards a more
  equal and fair society. In order for this area to
  be effective conscientisation must take place in
  the personal development area.
• Spiritual Development - developing an awareness
  of Christ in others and the world around you.
  Perhaps pointing this out and using the awareness
  to facilitate the developmental areas above.

19
Youth Work and Tacking
20
To be an active agent of the kingdom is our
highest calling. The kingdom generates new forces
of righteousness, justice and peace through the
means of servanthood and self-giving love We
begin to test things by a biblical judgement and
the church is slowly led from conformity to
community and change Jim Wallis