Anglican 1000 Summit - Post #1

The Summit is off to a remarkable start with field reports and a plenary session with Tim Keller. Over three hundred people are here; all sharing a passion/interest in church planting. Lots of energy. Great balance of gray-hairs and twenty-somethings. 


Here are several common themes from the field reports (from Denver, CO, Charleston, SC, and Dallas, TX). 
1. A kingdom focus that highlights cooperative (i.e. trans-denominational) ministry that transforms individuals and cities.
2. Relational discipleship within social networks.
3. Clear focus on and cultural/world-view understanding of the group the congregation is trying to reach.
4. Commitment to expressing Anglican tradition in healthy and effective way. I think that this requires clear thinking about what is essential in the tradition, what is useful and what is valued because it is familiar.
5. Desire to have worship that will stir up white-hot faith.
6. High level of commitment and expectation for involvement.


What are the implications of those themes for us as a diocese?


Notes from Tim Keller's address:
1. "Movement" terminology has become very popular recently. Often, implicit is a denigration of "institutionalism." But the fear of institutionalism can lead us to avoid healthy structures that can keep the movement alive. Even Paul in the book of Acts (the consummate movement manual!) appoints elders.
2. The 19th century missionary movement produced indigenous churches that had the marks of the Church without an ability to reproduce, to be self-propagating. The external props of the Western agencies restricted rather than enhanced the "spontaneous expansion" of the Church (cf. Roland Allen). 
3. Healthy congregations/networks/denominations live in the tension between movement and institution. This is similar to the point that Salter and Smay make in their book, AND. Keller presented 4 areas of where this continuum/tension expresses itself.
- Compelling vision (movement) vs. rules and procedures (institution).
- Culture of sacrifice and celebration vs. rights, obligations, inward-focus.
- Innovation, risk, flexibility vs. predictability
- Leaders identified by results vs. leaders appointed through connections, tenure, etc.
4. Ways of maintaining movement dynamics in congregations/networks
- Constant spiritual renewal.
- Distinct, clear/simple, compelling vision.
- Culture of innovation. Receive ideas from within and invite perspective from other perspectives. It is important to respond to ideas generated from within.
- Organic systems for producing leaders. What is the leadership pipeline? How are leaders trained?
- Church planting. New churches are the best R&D department possible. They produce lots of energy and motivation.
- Seasons of "covenant renewal." Building programs, opportunities to re-capture vision, times of prayer, creative missional innovations, etc. A renewed call for self-sacrifice energizes.


I encourage you to check out the Anglican 1000 website (www.anglican1000.org).


More to come.