Had an amazing time with Sid from Newquay.. a genuinely brilliant guy working in Cornwall in Youth Work and Schools Stuff around Drug, Alcohol, Relationships...
We have many similarities apart from the hair!!! I have none - he has lots ! and I have big eyes too (and so does my son) and he doesn't !
But (being more grown up now) in a Costa in Truro, we actually chatted deeply about a 'church-growth' movement called G12 (Government of 12). In some senses it's the exact opposite of the kind of things I'm wanting to sing about here in the SW - it's hierarchical (not freeing), it's fundamentalist (not open), it's non-flexible and top-down driven (not indigenous and local), it's very big-leader'ish with well-known personalities (not unknown wandering catalysts and nomads) , it's mega large with over 100,000 people part of the local church in Bogata, Columbia (not small is beautiful). That's perhaps the Bad; the Ugly can happen when abusive leaders get hold of the hierarchical thing and can potentially cause quite some damage in terms of spiritual and emotional abuse.
Both Sid and I had been involved in G12 churches in our pasts and were sharing the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I think we both felt there were some interesting and potentially massive principles within the G12 thing to re-capture and remold even though most of me just wants to run from that kind of thing. So what is the Good?
1. They had a seriously passionate vision to change the world - the individuals I met were consumed by the vision. I find in myself sometimes and in others a rather British niceness that is scared of 'big dreams'- I've got something to learn from these Columbians...
2. They focused on a few by developing a group of twelve - heard that before somewhere. I am starting to spend my time helping a maximum of about 12 guys become all that God has created them to be... are you in a '12' ? It' just following the Ways of Jesus. Get in touch if the idea grabs you...
3. They appreciated the power of both the small (thousands of small 'cell' groups across the city) and the big (massive stadium celebrations every week !!) . Now we may not express our small and big in such ways (for example... Simply is looking to develop small Simple Churches and large Festivals) but I think most of us need the intimacy of the Small and the encouragement of the Big in our lives somewhere.
