TIP OVER EFFECT

Listening to personal stories of transformation on the missional journey at our recent cluster 9 meeting, I was amazed at the depth of the life change pastors and other task team members reported.

Until quite recently these very same people were struggling on the road, still integrating new knowledge and experience in a Christendom framework, envisioning de facto church-with-a-mission projects instead of a deep cultural shift towards being missional church.

Just the week before I attended the seventh cluster in another partnership, where we faced the reality of this struggle:

- how to make lists shorter;

- how not to be everything to everybody;

- how not to operate with existing “how-to” knowledge and approaches.

A few preliminary remarks:

Firstly, a huge hermeneutical shift occurred.

Story after story were told of the new found ability to see God at work in the world - in many ways, but mostly in little things. Whereas people expected God’s presence in big schemes and projects in which the whole congregation would be enthusiastically involved, now suddenly - on the road of missional practices - God was discovered in small beginnings, in the miracle of peace being shared on a personal level or in smaller settings.

God is often in the unexpected, in situations of extreme pain, displacement, rejection and disillusionment. Experiencing his presence, learning to accept his peace and healing in those situations, is good news. Previously, one person said, we were blindfolded, but now we start to see God.

Secondly, concrete missional practices made a huge difference.

The effect of staff covenanting and the implementation of adaptive change practices made being missional a new reality. Doing and reflecting, in an emergent fashion, created new learning experiences.

Thirdly, peer-to-peer mentoring between congregations and pastors went a long way to facilitate deep transformation.

Struggling and searching for new ways of being, the plot suddenly comes together.

- Different experiences and insights suddenly merge into a meaningful new framework as we tell our stories to one another.

- A-ha moments are created when we start to see God at work in the other’s struggle to find missional meaning.

That helps us to find focus on God’s work in our own setting, to recognize his call in our congregational life.