VC_Assets Originally uploaded by aaronklinefelter.

This past weekend we gathered some folks to talk through VCs Future in light of some outside advice we got from Bart Campolo. We looked hard at our past and our future (not to mention present) and came up with these assets.

Jesus-Centered. (this emerged as primary)

Innovative.
creative. flexible. risk-taking. fluid. smart. resilance. smart-assed. st. e's.

Holistic.
like good food. good web. authentic. living transparently. genuine. sincere. can laugh at ourselves. bigger is not always better. varying levels of commitment available.

Relational.
can share lives. communally with each other. justice-minded. tech ability to communicate. hospitality. regionally-nationally-globally-relationally-connected. core group whos lives intersect more than usual. open to family. value children. campus=Norwood. relationally-oriented.

Kingdom-oriented.
ecumenical. openess to different backgrounds. value spiritual formation. eclectic. worship-orientation.

Ancient-Future.
contemplative. mysticism. sense of discernment. Spirit-led. liturgy.

Or download the PDF (of Julie's wonderful visual rendering and Elizabeth's colorful sorting)

New downloadable (read: free) resources available from Simplechurch.co.uk - go get 'em.

Some of the titles are as follows:

• Building Effective Church Planting Teams
• Leadership Development Guide
• Planting House Churches in Networks
• Handbook for House Churches
• Church Planting Movements
• Houses that Change the World
• The church in the house

Lots at Dawn Ministries too - go here.

"As an ongoing process the "U" is more of a "W" or even a wave.  As we move up the "realizing" side of the "U" the natural and necessary process is that the new reality which is being realized becomes embodied, and over time reified and institutionalized.  At some point the process invites us to, once again, seek more than what we have realized and we begin the downward "Sensing" all over again."

Later in the post he talks about what happens when there are multiple persons "waving" together.  Good construct for community.  And probably helpful for where we are in discerning leadership. 

As we "U" together we discern the arc of our communal presence/ethos and where leadership functions in this regard.  Added to this, of course, is the leaders arc and it gets more complicated.  Though perhaps not necessarily so.  Perhaps it is a leaders role to be slightly ahead of the community (as a whole) to lead into whatever phase-shifting is in process.  This reminds me of Roxburgh's "arrow" diagram in Missional Church where he talks about leading from the front into the Kingdom.

Great post from Dwight Friesen.  VC is very much in the Presencing arch of this conception.  We must embrace and not rush (see my comments on his post). Posted by Aaron on 4/15/05; 2:32:35 PM
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Ok, well not really....

Remember a couple weeks back when we had those conversations around worship, mission, and art. Well we ended the weekend with brunch and some living room worship time led by Eric Herron and Matt Murray.

Download the mp3 here (35mb, 38 minutes, very rough, but sounds pretty good)

(oh and if you like the songs and want chord charts or "real" recordings go here or email me about getting chords or mp3s for VC songs that Matt leads. i need to get these posted on the internet again)

(double oh - i just saw on Eric's site that Supreme High God (which he does first) is available for mp3 download - here and chord chart - here.) Posted by Aaron on 3/7/05; 4:29:33 PM
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Check out Elizabeth Herron's post - last night's dream

And her blog in general - http://elizabethherron.blogspot.com

I woke up last night "composing" this in my head.... I was going to post it normal-like, but John Barrow and I were talking it through and well, I figured the IM conversation conveyed it real well. Here you go:

Aaron Klinefelter: i went to bed (and woke up in the middle of the night) thinking about VC and our structure/leadership.... i think I'm going to blog about it today. I'll let you knwo if i do so you can read
Aaron Klinefelter: i think it ties in with all this and our last PC meeting
John Barrow: so what is the general jist of your blogger thoughts?
Aaron Klinefelter: we need a long-term, sustainable, stable rhythm to our life together as VC (that includes but is not limited to leadership.... our monthly allgroups play into this i think)
Aaron Klinefelter: i don't know what that rhythm for our corporate life is... but i'm compelled by a few things:
Aaron Klinefelter: 1) that if we are going to continue to not have paid staff (which i think we should continue, btw). then we need to not try to be like a church with paid staff (this is a mindset change for people - myself included) ... in other words our strucuture of how we live together should not be based on a traditional (paid) church leadership/life-together model....
John Barrow: oooh now you are talking my language.
Aaron Klinefelter: 2) sandie gave me a notebook last night from 1997 - a training notebook for VC leaders when we had "bands" the only poeple still around from the list of leaders are dave n, dave b, kevin, matt m.
Aaron Klinefelter: if one of our values stability (which it is and should be, i think) then we should look back on our leaders now in 5 years and see lots of similar faces .... or atleast they still be part of our fellowship.
John Barrow: I see it as a pew mindset
Aaron Klinefelter: 3) in the notebook were survey results from a ChurchSmart survey that VC did in 97 or 99.... (btw, looked good and would be good to do again - per our previous discussion)
John Barrow: I see a great connection between 1 & 3
Aaron Klinefelter: on the survey the weakest area was lay leadership empowerment and one of the pages of the notebook was about how to recruit, empower Interns
Aaron Klinefelter: the very same stuff we talked about at LeTreat
Aaron Klinefelter: we need (i think) to "change the game" as it were - or this will ALWAYS be the issue
John Barrow: you can't really say lay leadership in our model
John Barrow: I think the idea "lay leadership" is really part of the problem
Aaron Klinefelter: right - exactly
John Barrow: "lay leadership" implys pew sitter. Implies one leader focus
Aaron Klinefelter: we HAVE to move from traditional leadership assumptions to a more sustainable/stable life-together thing
Aaron Klinefelter: IF we make that move.... then the training and empowering emerging leaders will happen like we wish it would. and we'll move away from PC are the Pastors they just don't get paid (but we still expect them to do the same stuff)
Aaron Klinefelter: I think ALL this ties directly in to D.Willard's article/interview about the "crisis of followership" in churches
John Barrow: I have a lot of ideas on this issue because it is just about all I have been thinking about RE: leadership and HC for the last 9 months
Aaron Klinefelter: cool
John Barrow: yes, yes, yes
John Barrow: we are to make disciples of Christ
John Barrow: we are [currently] making discipes of each other
Aaron Klinefelter: seems like paul said something about that
Aaron Klinefelter: actually....
John Barrow: some follow paul some apollos?
Aaron Klinefelter: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 - is the Epistle Lectionary reading for the week
Aaron Klinefelter: "For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ." Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
John Barrow: exactly
John Barrow: also see 1st cor. 12 7-11
John Barrow: 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
John Barrow: notice the word EACH as you read this
John Barrow: I think this is the model for leadership that we should be following
John Barrow: so it isn't even the mature or the "lay leadership" that manifest the spirit but each
John Barrow: the cart must be pulled by all
Aaron Klinefelter: amen brutha
Aaron Klinefelter: amen
Aaron Klinefelter: right.
John Barrow: This works into an idea I have for worship in the HC
John Barrow: another area were we have major pew issues
John Barrow: where Paul talks about singing and making melody in your heart and each (notice that word again) should bring a psalm a hymn or a spiritual song
John Barrow: I want to have a worship time where each has prepared ahead at least one of the above and is enjoined to share it in the worship time.
Aaron Klinefelter: that would be really cool
John Barrow: awkward at first I'm sure but with a little HS mixed in I think it could foster the mindset we are aiming at
John Barrow: maybe the next pc we can try it
John Barrow: also, making the "Each" language a part of our "creed" would also help us I think
John Barrow: Priesthood of all believers type of thing
Aaron Klinefelter: i like it
Aaron Klinefelter: i gotta go
Aaron Klinefelter: i may edit our conversation together for my post... if you're cool with that
John Barrow: aok with it
Aaron Klinefelter: sweet
Aaron Klinefelter: lata Session Close: Fri Jan 28 10:42:52 2005

Kim Nixon sent this to her Mom.  Posted here for your praying pleasure:

"I got back from a small concert tonight by a Russian band. They're from Belarus, but tour as musicians/missionaries throughout Eastern Europe.  Their band actually had so many fans dedicate their lives to Christ that they had to start a church for all of them in Belarus. They've been doing this for 15 years now. I was impacted very much by their music, but even more by their story. Belarus is the only European country that still has a dictator. His two major role models are Hitler and Stalin. Christians there experience a whole lot of persecution. It's not unusual for pastors and believers to "disappear" suddenly. This group of musicians has been through a lot, interrogations by the KGB, threats to be thrown in prison, threats that their wives will be raped, etc. Things have been getting worse, recently their was just a law passed that the KGB can enter any home for any reason at any time. Drugs are planted in homes while Christians are gone, and then when they come home the police are waiting to take these "drug trafficers" away for a long time... The band got a call tonight that their church back home, of about 800 members, has just been told that they are no longer allowed to meet as usual on Sundays. The band and pastor are flying back home tomorrow to be with the church, which plans to meet on Sunday as usual. The police will most definitely be waiting for them. PLEASE pray for these guys, their families, and the church in Belarus. It's a very dangerous situation and they need our prayers. These are good guys who have a pretty incredible ministry. Please pray for their protection tomorrow as they go back to the country, and for the upcoming week."

So this weekend we had our Regional AllSaints Gathering down in Lex.  Alan and Liz Creech and the fine folks of VBCC hosted a wonderful time of fun, conversation, worship, and a good bit of frivality (is that a word?).

See Alan's blog (here, here, and here) for a recap of the weekend and the asundry activities.  But here is a text file of an IM Chat, combined with meeting notes, from Sat. morning leaders gathering.  Kevin Rains, Bill Bean, and Glenn Johnson (and a guest appearance by Beth Keck)could not be physically present in Lex, so we included them via IM.  Alan, Chris, and myself gave something resembling notes/play-by-play/color commentary during the meeting.  I editted out some of the sarcasm (not because it was bad... well ... but I didn't think it would come through very well out of context... i.e. peopel wouldn't get it or would be offended!), but tried to keep the rest of it as raw as possible

Click here to read.

Guy who has been IN THE HOUSE and also plans to make a documentary of Vineyard Central.

There are a couple of things I could address as the point of my posting here. One is that the toner cartridge is out at the Brown House and if we want this mag to continue, it will need to be replaced. Sorry to be bearer of this news, but it seemed right important to post. Someone reading this may even have one they’re not using, it’s not impossible. The other thing I could use as the point of this posting is that my new webs site www.ericfalstrom.com is live for anyone to investigate.

But guess what. NEITHER are the point of this posting by me here on November 15, 2004. Here's what's on my mind:

Some folks have heard me say how lately I've been most intrigued by "Ishmael", being the father of the Arabs and all. The roots of the Palestinian conflict have been a fixation of mine as of late, and though my ignorance provides only a limited application for me to find answers, I was struck all over again at the ones right under everyone’s nose.

(Reference Genesis chapters 16 and 21 as you read this.) God promised Ishmael’s mother Hagar that Ishmael, too, would be the father of a nation of people. I think it bears out pretty clearly in the text that God LOVED Hagar and that God LOVED Ishmael. Hagar gave Ishmael his name, which means "God has heard my cry". (If you ask me, that sounds even a little more to the point than "Israel", which means "one who wrestles with God". But I'm not implying anything.)

The symmetry between the names is interesting to me, too, especially in how they were named separately, and yet that lingual congruity happened. You might say the symmetry was a numinous or supernatural coincidence, rather than the result of some scribe's manipulation, which I wouldn't believe unless you proved it.

But my real point lies in the fact that right there in the HEBREW bible it is shown that God loved Ishmael and also that Abraham's overly-reputed wife Sarah --- whom many a child is named after --- behaved wickedly and was cruel to Hagar and Ishmael. And this was even after SHE started the whole thing. (One of the first hypocrites in history?) You know the story. If you don't, better late than never.

Sarah gets archetype status, Ishmael becomes father of dogs. I'm not challenging God's word at all, don't get me wrong. But let's face it, the Bible is rampant with tales of esteemed souls --- often believers and so-called righteous people --- who behave in terrible ways.

When God said Ishmael and his descendents would be "wild as donkeys", well go figure. With a mean and nasty control-freak like Sarah at home wearing the pants and beating up on old man Abraham --- a guy humble and loyal enough to sacrifice his own son --- the kid didn't exactly have a happy childhood.

For the heinous crime of playing outside, Sarah tossed Ishmael out into the desert to be eaten of buzzards with his poor mother, who was none other than a slave to begin with, who maybe burned the roast once or twice.

What is our current foreign policy here in the U.S.? Don’t we support this kind of thing right in the face of Christ’s mercy on us?

Jews and Arabs need Christ as bad as everyone else, and there's also a good case that "everybody else" are likely descendents of Ishmael and Israel, too. I mention the latter only if anyone want to get all "blood-proper" or something. We all have two fundamental things in common: We all have the SAME FATHER and we all NEED HIM.

Jews and Arabs both claim Abraham as a patriarch. I've heard a common suspicion exists among Muslims that the Jews switched the names in the ancient texts --- that ISHMAEL was actually Israel and that ISAAC was father to Ishmael. This sounds way out, of course, and there's no way to work it. So it's a wash. But so is what’s written and commonly believed by us about the time before Christ came, which is all that matters now. Those accounts of works in the Old Testament could probably stand some scrutiny they don’t receive just any old day, if you ask me.

Love is the "trump card", as my dear friend Dave Barr once put it. Christ ended that game and made all who believe in him winners. Now, take a look at John 10:16 (after you’ve read the chapters in Genesis) and think about out what you and I and everyone else needs to realize if our heart is open to God and we desire his will in our lives.

No man can come to the Father but through Christ and we ALL need him. For years, we’ve taught our children to sing "He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands" and "He’s Able". He still DOES and He still IS now and forever. Amen. And:perfect love casteth out fear. (1 John 4:18)

Thanks for reading.

Love,
Eric