Alan Hirsch's Visit to Pretoria
So we had a great weekend at Neiu Communities, Pangani over this past weekend (1-3 September) with Alan and his wife, Debs.
Alan co-authored the book 'The Shaping of Things to Come' which examines where the church is now, where it could be and how it might get there.
It was a relaxed time together, where Alan talked to the 20-odd of us that were there around the most (or only?) growing church on the planet, which is the Chinese church. We looked at how a church that had no buildings, theologians, prominant leaders, big group gatherings, easily circulating Christian literature etc etc still had the fastest growing church.
Some ideas as to why this was the case included the tight communities that were formed, the focussing on core rather than peripheral issues, the success of the small group with one hundred percent buy-in and participation as opposed to big groups with a lot of pew warmers, and, most importantly, an absolute focus on Jesus as the centre and starting point of everything.
Apart from all the brain food, it was really great to sit around the dinner table, getting to know other 'missional-minded' people, and eating Pangani's AMAZING food (thank you aunt Kat and Elizabeth!). After communicating via the internet for months, it was quite the thing to actually encounter Jacques face-to-face :-)
There's a lot to say about some of the ideas we threw around over the weekend - it would be great if some of you who were there would write some comments on some of the things that stood out for you. (Roger, not the dessert on Friday night!).
Thanks to Alan and Debs for taking time out and sharing some of your thoughts with us!
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Community
The community part I believe is the key to growth. Growth not in quanity but in quality. Without a good community people will just hop to the next new hot church to pop up.
Great to meet you
Cori, it was great to meet you and the rest as well. Healing time for an old Saffie. I wish you all the best
The dessert WAS outstanding!
Yes, it was! This was a really significant weekend for me - not so much info that my head was spinning but my itch scratched in all the right places (and isn't THAT the dodgiest metaphor you've heard in a long, long time). Thanks also to Steve for the quote of the weekend: "Jesus is my boyfriend!" referring to some rather romantically intimate lyrics...we'll just give you a big hug!
I've got a stack of reflections etc etc which I need to post, so look out for those. Will there be any interest in me posting Alan's talks online as podcasts so others can listen to them?
Was it as good for you as it was for me...?
What a great priviledge to meet with other missional followers of Jesus over the weekend at Nieu Communities! It was great to connect with others who is on a similiar joureny of discovery into what it means to be a follower of Jesus in our context. It was a beautiful thing to see that this isn't only a privileged/white/english thing, that but we can truly learn from each other. What struck me more than Alan's insightful teachings, was how approacable he is, and his willingness to engage. I had a very intersting discussion with his wife, Debs, about homosexuals and the way we interact with them. Cori, hope it was a good "encounter" at least! Hope these sort of get-togethers happen more often. Isn't it really what emergentafrica really is all about? A portal into deeper discussions and connections to forge our way forward for the Kingdom of God in our context?
Wish I could have been there
It sounds like an amazing weekend you guys had - really sad I couldn't make it. Thanks for keeping us up to date with the happenings Cori, and Roger, I would love to get hold of Alan's talks. If you don't post them on the site could you e-mail them to me? Thanks.
Motivation!
Thanks Marius - I have all his stuff but it's quite a bit ...and my motivation for getting through it has been lacking! There are quite a few hours of recorded stuff but quality isn't great...so either I put them online in their entirety (quicker, but less people will listen to them) or edit them a bit for quality content (more people will listen - but waaaay slow for me)...
So - wisdom?
learning from your conversations
it's wonderful to read all of your thoughts. thank you. I am thankful that I have stumbled upon this blog as I love the people of South Africa and believe that as an American we have much to learn from you. I'm simple in nature, but emergent is going to look different all over the globe, as our national and personal histories and sufferings shape and effect how we chase after God and the timing in which that happens. Yes, I pray the Holy Spirit speeds up our chasing and fuels the our need to need Jesus...but we Americans are known to be comfortable, and not inclined to want to be uncomfortable, much less persecuted, even if the greater good was a deeper, more authentic knowing of God! I found many people I met in my 2 visits to South Africa to have a great deal more of the emergent conversation happening not only with their words, but with genuine lives seeking Jesus and loving people with actions...truly exhibiting a relationship in which they have died to self. Worship in spirit and Truth is not found in a culture that is more intent on approval seeking from man than our Creator. To me, emergent is just living out simple Gospel Truth in the context of your culture...in any culture that's loving well and doing so without hopes of being loved in return, being one who truly seeks first the Kingdom and has a passion for knowing Jesus. I wish I was there... :)
A prayer request...Last month when I was flying from Jo-berg to Malawi I had a conversation with a 27 year old guy who was very honest about his life. His vulnerability about being a soon to be unmarried dad while the mother of his child suffers from extreme depression has really laid heavy on my heart. I ask you all to pray for Patrick, as the depth of his concern for man and for the woman he loves, and his true kindness defined purity of heart. We exchanged emails with the hopes of my talking with L and encouraging her that she is not alone. My biggest prayer is that someone who loves Jesus would reach out to him and stand by him as he goes through this. He's a really precious soul. Their baby is due Christmas day! Thanks for praying for him... I prayed for people in his city to pray for him, and now I may have found a few! :) Bless you all for seeking Jesus to know Him and share His goodness and Hope with the world. John 17:3
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