I have just contributed to a presentation for the Diocese of Ripon & Leeds Diocesan Synod on Pioneer Ministry. In my presentation I was giving a simple introduction to what we are trying to do - I went over just a few of our values - some memorable phrases that are influential

• A Community of Communities - MSCs & Services - Gathering & Scattering
• Low Control High Accountability - releasing & the taking of responsibility
• Mission as the organising principle - MISSION shaped communities
• You can belong at different levels - MSC isn't about delivering people to central gatherings where 'the proper Christians are'!
• There are many opportunities but fewer callings - revelation and response, hearers of the word and doers of the word, inspiration & perspiration

It was good to go over these things again - I find that I need to regularly revisit vision and values - its kind of a missional discipline to reconnect with such things regularly. If God has given revelation in such areas we must respond. 

Shared Values & Shared Hearts

I was talking to someone the other day who is thinking about joining one of the MSCs. Our discussion centred around shared values and a shared heart. You have to share values - for instance the Wanderers group demonstrates a high value on getting out amongst other people, Outnumbered highly value family life - it seems to me that there is an hierarchy of values - some are higher than others.... and you need to agree to walk in these values with others. The Wanderers value family life of course - but it just isn't their defining value. But shared values aren't everything.... you need to share a heart as well. This is much harder to quantify - maybe the person of peace teaching of Jesus helps... if someone is open to us, welcomes us, if we feel a similar welcome and openness in our lives - if we are able to think 'I can do and want to do business with that person' then probably we share the same heart as well as values. But eventually we have to do it to see it - the more time we spend UP & IN & OUT together the more we'll clarify whether indeed we share values and share a heart.

Values 1 At the Lord's Command

We are using the meeting room at our church centre more and more as a meeting with God room. A kind of 'chapel' is developing and we are now praying in there 5 mornings a week.

One of our readings the other day was from Numbers - Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in the Old testament show the movement of God's people from fleeing slavery to fighting and winning through to the promised land. Numbers 9:15-end is an absolutely crucial passage to remember and seek to live by. The verse that summarises what the whole passage is about is verse 23:

"At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out."

So above the Communion table we have imported into the meeting room we now have these words reminding us that this is one of the key values for SMC. We seek to function at the Lord's command and to do so we need a constant state of readiness. Are we able to simply go when the Lord call us to go? Are we living simple enough lives, are our lives gummed up with things that may be good but aren't God?

In January 2007 Penny and I felt the Lord was calling for us to de-clutter. We cleared out loads of our stuff, the kid's stuff, the things in the loft and the things under the stairs - we tried to follow the Lord's command. Little did we know that during the Summer we would be moving and that this action of de-cluttering would help us make what turned out to be a swift move much more easily.

As I prepared to begin my time leading here I felt the Lord reminding time after time of the need for simplicity and a tent-mentality - being able to move and ready to move. Leading a simple and de-cluttered movement of God's people.

At times this seems a distant hope... but still we say that we will live at the Lord's command.

Investing in Influence

I woke up this morning thinking about the importance of investing in the right things. This line of thought was probably based on recognising that for a significant proportion of this week I have worked without investing adequately in times of rest. As a result I am overtired and feeling a bit run down.

But as I lead a church and reflect on how to do it I realise that the areas we invest in are vital - where we put our energies and who and what we identify with are important.

There are lots of things of course that we can identify with, invest in etc. But it strikes me that many of them may be good but not God. I want to make Godly decisions according to his way and this may well put me at odds with others and lead to some hard times of discernment.

Jesus himself aligned himself very strongly with the repentance movement that John the Baptist started, indeed, his birth place and the circumstances surrounding his birth made very strong points of connection and alignment.

As I have looked at the lives of others I see the greatest leaders being unafraid to invest themselves and be identified clearly with some movements that others may frown upon. I have witnessed other leaders pay lip service to being open to the influence of the Spirit through another movement and then swiftly reject it or become judgemental later when the culture of the movement creates discomfort for them. I have seen too many people having their minds offended so their hearts can be revealed and then not being able to walk with the Spirit who leads us to a change of heart and mind. Sadly, I see how easy it is for me to be like this - rejecting the way of repentance.

Stepen Covey in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People writes about the circle of concern and the circle of influence - and our need to live in the circle of influence - doing that which we can do rather than seeking to take action in the area of our concerns which are largely to do with things we can do nothing about. Jesus clearly worked on this basis - there were things he was concerned for and about but he invested himself in the areas of his calling ('the lost sheep of Israel'). There were often crowds but we read stories of his individual intervention (doing what he saw his father doing). He taught his disciples (by implication - Us) to identify a person of peace - an individually tailored programme of mission to those the Spirit is preparing.

We are supposed to work on the basis of working within that which we can influence under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

There's loads here to reflect on - I have worked out that I am supposed to invest time and energy in certain areas. The churches I lead, the missional movement represented by the Order of Mission, the New Wine Network. I will continue to invest time and energy into my family and my relationship with God. These are the things I can influence and though there is much that concerns me many of those things are not areas I can do much about.

So - I'm just going to do what I can do - lead by exercising influence, not be afraid of being identified and aligned with certain things. I will seek to live the way of repentance so that my heart can be changed and my mind renewed. I won't seek the good - I will seek what is God.