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We’ve just finished our first team meeting. There are 35-40 full time
attenders for the four days of mission plus about the same number again
of part timers. The team time is a key time for establishing the values
of mission – and flowing from mission, the next year for church.
Andrew taught the Bible, we sang and reported, organised and prayed. Here are some of the issues we addressed in the news and prayer time.
Where you sit in church
Ed asked people to move forward to the front rows - which at the time were empty. I was able to then speak about how on Sundays we are unable to deconstruct and think about the 'why' behind what we do. (This is because there are usually outsiders present at our Sunday meetings). But in the mission context we can. I spoke about how we have problems with people not sitting in the front rows – and how this is going to be a big problem this weekend – when we are expecting the building to be full. The team members are then able to choose to be on the side of the staff team and sit in an other person centred place. (To put it bluntly, on mission, people often move to being 'part of the solution.')
Analysis
We analysed last night's event. Excitingly some did pray to accept Christ. Others have put their hands up for Introducing God. There was even more progress in the gospel than was indicated by the comment cards.
Prayer
Co-ordinating and leading Prayer is the one thing that I don’t delegate. I want to be the leader in prayer.
Mission is where we learn to be a church of prayer. We establish the pattern that at every meal (ie three times a day) we gather to pray about every significant event and conversation that has happened since we last met – and all the things that will happen till we next meet.
As people report on various things I make sure that I ask different individuals to lead in prayer.
This means that overall during the mission our team members could spend an hour a day in prayer. This is revolutionary for many of our members. Many have written on their feedback forms at the end of mission: ‘I have had a revolutionary new understanding of the power of prayer. I have discovered that it works.’
In the first prayer session this morning we had about 15 people each lead in prayer – thanking God and asking God. I spoke about how we as a team/church want to have short prayers, no long gaps.
I think it’s that we teach how to do these prayer sessions on mission that impact the way that prayer happens the rest of the year in church.
Who to talk to?
We said today that all team members should aim to have a significant conversation with the other team members over the four days of mission. We are a church where many people are new – and so people can feel much more settled in our church family as a result of having been on mission.
Being Stretched
A key philosophy of mission is not that we would get the tasks done that we have set for these four days, but rather that every team member would grow in their understanding of Christ, of what we are doing in mission, and their ability to minister Christ.
This means we want everyone to be stretched outside their comfort zone. Not so stretched that they are freaked out but stretched so that they grow. For some the stretch is just coming and cooking, for others it will be giving a presentation in year nine scripture (that’s the scariest thing that I could imagine!).
The real aim of mission is that people are better equipped and enthused to proclaim Christ when they go back to the office.
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