Life in postmodern Europe

Der Problembär in uns

Letzten Sonntag im Enchilada, der spanischen Cocktailbar zu Münster: Der Problembär zu Gast bei EPIC.

Scheinbar erlebt Deutschland jedes Jahr ein Bären-Drama. Diese Jahr steht der süße Eisbär Kurt aus dem Berliner Zoo im Mittelpunkt. Letztets Jahr war es "der Problembär": Der wilde Bär Bruno wanderte von Österreich nach Bayern, und dank Schengen-Abkommen ganz ohne Grenzkontrolle. So streunte er dort für einige Wochen durch die Gegend, wilderte hier und da, und riß schon mal eine Ziege oder ein Huhn. Das machte ihn zum Problem-Bären. Er wurde unvorhersehbar, unkontrollierbar. Die Gefahr für noch größeren Schaden war einfach zu groß, so die Politiker. Er musste weg.

Die Wahrheit ist: Bei jedem von hat sich solchen ein Problembär eingenistet. Es sind die negativen Charaktereigenschaften, mit denen wir selbst, und Menschen um uns herum, so unsere Probleme haben. Es ist das Tier in uns. Eigentlich ganz süß, wird er manchmal doch unkontrollierbar und bricht wildernd aus, wobei er ne Menge Schaden anrichtet. Für uns selbst wie für unsere Mitmenschen, meistens besonders für die, die uns am nächsten stehen.

Was ist Dein Problembär? Vielleicht eine dieser sieben, durch Cocktails charakterisierten Eigenschaften? Show der Problembären (man könnte auch sagen "Schweinehunde") durch Klick darauf starten:

Continue reading "Der Problembär in uns" »

May 09, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Christians repent!?

In an online learning community I am part of we currently interact about the need of us Christians to repent. The train of thought is, that the Christian church is in exile, like Israel was in exile in Babylon, and that we need to turn around, which is the movement in repenting.

I would be interested in your opinion: What is it we Christians need to repent from? To put it differently: What is it we Christians could, should or must apologize for?

I'll start the list and would love to see you add to it by commenting.

What we need to apologize for/repent from:
- a consumerist attitude towards God and church (expecting to be fed)
- building our own little sub-culture, rather then fully enculturating
- thinking superior about us in this little sub-culture
- not caring for the environment enough
- leaving issues of social justice to secular social institutions rather then leading the way
- ...

What else?

[picture from "matchstick" at sxc.hu]

Apr 29, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Rwanda - Les Enfants de Dieu (orphanage)

One big reason for me to travel to Rwanda was to check out opportunities to get involved in issues of social justice, reconciliation and sustainable social development. One project we visited was the orphanage named "Les Enfants de Dieu" (God's children), an association of street children in Kigali.

About the project
"Children of God", another Christian social project as many? Well, not quite. Describing themselves they state that "the organisation is secular, nevertheless it adopted God in its name to signify the protective qualities of all religions and spiritual movements." This self-description touches on an aspect that impressed me quite a bit: The freedom of choice and the opportunities to mature for each of the currently 94 kids: There is no particular religion preached, but the kids are free and encouraged to go to a faith community they like. They make up their own mind and can initiate any gathering themselves. If they do, they get every support possible.

This seems to be a foundational principle at Les Enfants de Dieu: Children are empowered. There are 7 departments, like "home affairs", "agriculture", or "sports and culture", each headed by one child called "minister of ..:", a "vice-minister" and 4 "technicians" - all of them being elected democratically. The ministers with their teams are responsible for making decisions concerning their departments. What kind of plants are planted in the garden, what sport events are organized or at which hour the TV has to be shut off at night - it is all self-governed by the kids themselves. Obviously, there is an adult "manager", whom the decisions are run by. However, he almost never changes decision but gives his input as requested by the kids.
I think highly of this approach, empowering the children to think and act responsibly. Les Enfants de Dieu is not a babysitting social project, but does rehabilitation and reintegration in a extraordinary way. Consequently, children are only there for 6 months to 3 years, coming from the life on the streets and leaving being fully integrated into society.

This is done in a three-step process: First comes POVERTY ALLEVIATION, where basic needs like food, shelter and health-care are provided. Next is REHABILITATION, which is the most transfomational stage and the key to creating future opportunities for the child. The rehabilitation program is based on three focus areas: Body (to live as healthily as they can through sport, nutrition and hygiene), mind (to relieve trauma, learn, grow, express themselves creatively and to develop talents) and spirit (to find their spiritual way regardless of beliefs). The last step then is REINTEGRATION with jobs to work and placed to live at.

Our visit and impressions
We were very warmly welcomed by the initiator of the orphanage (Faraz), the manager (Rafiki, left in picture) and the kid who currently is the "vice-minister of sports and culture" (central in the picture). The vice-minister received our gifts we brought (three soccer balls, see picture) with a happy smile - and immidiatly had another idea: The basketball court is quite muddy in the rain season. It needs pavement. His question was if we would consider helping them with this. I enjoyed it to converse with an about 12 year old kid thinking independent and straight-forward like he did.
After this chat we were shown the 4 acre land, which is arranged quite nicely but has also lots of room for further development. On the pictures you see the entrance gate, the dormitory, the kitchen, the fish farm and the sports field with the basketball field that needs major improvements - as you can see.

Les Enfant de Dieu really impressed me. What we saw left a mark on my heart. In my eyes it is very exemplary and has enormous effects on the lives of many children, changing their situation from a devastated, depressed and traumatized life on the streets to a state of maturity, health and integration in society. And all of this is only possible because of many helpers and supporters.

How to help Les Enfants de Dieu
You and me, we can help Les Enfants de Dieu in different ways and, when it comes to money, a small contribution makes alread a big difference. If you want to know more about how to support, e.g. the paving of the basketball court, click here:

Continue reading "Rwanda - Les Enfants de Dieu (orphanage)" »

Apr 18, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

New friends - the case for missionaries to Europe

Already some weeks ago, before I went to Rwanda, a group of 7 church interns from the US visited us in Münster. They came to get to know what we in EPIC and Christian Associates are doing in Europe, some of them considering joining us. We had a great time together and some great new friendships got established.

Europe has seen almost 2000 years of Christian influence. One can very well argue that Europe is what it is largely because of this Christian influence in the past - the good (like education, civil service, equal rights, rich culture and art, etc.) and the bad (like the crusades, anti-cultural and fundamental attitudes, self-centered dualistic thinking, etc.). Today, however, Christianity as we've known it for several hundreds of years is declining in Europe, despite the enormous interest in matters of spirituality as such. It is clear that what started as a movement long time ago became a disappearing culture these days. Most churches are a vivid reminder of the rich history but are barely more then museums, or, at best, own little sub-cultures these days. It is of utmost importance to the Christian faith in Europe to regain it's movement ethos around the person of Jesus, ending a 1700 year long period of institutionalized Christendom, as authors like Alan Hirsch or Stuart Murray argue convincingly.

Though some - good friends of mine among them - see it different, I am very glad about non-Europeans like this group of American Christians coming to Europe in order to help us regain the core of our faith. We need their outside perspective and the values they bring, like for example the entrepreneurial mindset and emphasis on healthy leadership. These people invest their lives so that, in the end, others might live. What a gift. In case you are one of those I described here: THANKS for coming to Europe!

Apr 17, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Rwanda - church experiences

The Lord is risen! Peace with you! Happy Easter!

Ýesterday, Easter Sunday, we had our first church experiences in Rwanda. In the morning we walked past a church on our very pagan way to the shopping center - we ran out of drinking water the night before ;-). The dusty roads to the church were unusually crowded, and when we turned around the corner we saw why. You can see on the picture to your right: The church was packed! A church that, I would guess, fits at least 2000 people seeted, had so many people visiting that there was a huge overflow on the streets. Quite a stark contrast to the picture of German churches. But could be that this is only because it is Easter, right!?

In the later afternoon a new friend of ours, Christin, who is a Rwandan, took us to church. I was not sure what to expect. Yet it turned out to be a great experience of simple but passionate and devoute Christian faith. The independent but fairly charismatic church is only 8 years old but has already more then 2000 attenders in a fairly modern building with quite modern technical equippment. But could be that this is only because it is Easter, right!?

Well, as we learned from Christin later, the numbers are not only because of Easter. She shared with us that the genocide, that took place about 13 years ago, drew people even closer to God. There were some bad experiences about churches too, though: Some priests took refugees (so called "Tutsis") into their churches whith the promise to hide and protect them - and then went to get the Hutus to kill everybody. You can only cry about those incidents. I can so understand why some are done with church, hearing and reading these stories, some of them well documented in a Genocide Memorial Center.

Despite and because of these bad past experiences, Christin said, Rwanda people are more drawn to new churches then old ones. Here is a reason for church planting in Rwanda!

I feel I have to touch on the choir before ending this post: It was excellent and as you imagine African worship: Very lively, involving, rythmic, passionate. I look forward to the heavenly choir and hope that there are lots of Africans in it ... ;-)

Apr 09, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

ECPN - in Barcelona

As said, the first European Church Planters Network (ECPN) gathered for the last three days in Barcelona. It was my first time in Barcelona and I must admit: I fell in love with this city! It is of extravagant beauty, filled with amazing architecture and sparkled with so many nice plazas. Here are some pictures:

Mar 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

ECPN - St Thomas, Sheffield, UK

The last three days I have been in Barcelona at the first gathering of the ECPN, the "European Church Planters Network". This learning community is initiated by "Leadership Network", an US-based organization that tries to gather innovative church planters in providing an environment where exchange of thought and learning from each other can happen in intense ways. It is good so far, though I miss some people who, IMHO, should be here, cause of what they bring to the table.

A church that captured my attention is St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia, Sheffield, UK. As I learned from Paul Maconochie, one of the leaders, they are organized decentral and function on different levels. Individuals meet in small group. Small groups +individuals meet in clusters. Clusters +individuals meet in several celebrations accross the city. You choose your thing or to be involved in all of these opportunities.

Hearing this and seeing their chart (see picture with Paul explaining the model; picture taken by Rogier Bos) I was reminded about Joseph Myers book "The Search to Belong", in which he quite convincingly argues for community on at least three, if not four levels. It is simply how we humans are wired, namely, to have community on different levels: 2-3 - 12 - 144 - unlimited. There is much more to community and doing church than only simple, small, life-transforming, organic small groups.

In addition to this meeting structure St.Thomas has loose groups being engaged in new missional endeavors all the time (R&D groups). Also I need to point out the so called "huddles", being leadership development and accountability groups. Though there is a Staff group facilitating much of this, there seems to be a fluidity and bottom-up spirit to it. What I appreciate most, though, is there  now discovered focus  on multiplying, starting  missional communities elsewhere.

I like the freedom people have in this quite big church (1200 people). Community on different levels. Decentralized and organic, as well as structured and shaped. Missional but also attractive. Sounds good to me.

Mar 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

God is with the poor. And he is with us if we are with them.

Bono, prophet of postmodern days, recently got awarded by NAACP - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP has been crucial in changing the course of history in the US and beyond, standing for civil rights for almost 100 years now.

Some pieces from Bono's acceptance speach:

"Well today the world looks again to NAACP. We need the community that tought the world about civil rights to teach it something about human rights. We are talking about the right to live like a human. The right to live period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

"This is not about charity. This is about justice. It's about justice and equality."

"This is true religion: True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. 'Love thy neighbor' is not a piece of advise. It is a command. And that means that in the global village we got to start loving a whole lot more people."

"Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die."

"Whatever thought we have about God, who he is or even if God exists, most will agree: Got has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the card board boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are chattered. God is with the mother who has affected her child with a virus, ... God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during war time. God, my friends, is with the poor. And God is with us if we are with them!
This is not a burden. This is an adventure. Don't let anyone tell you it can not be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty. Thank you."

I think I start to get it.

Watch the full speach:

Mar 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

The starfish and the spider -- book recommendation

Here is an interesting book about how organizations (my interest reading it has been on church) can function without centralized leadership.
There is much talking about church as an organic entity these days. And though I dislike how some argue for the pure extremes of it, as if this would be the solution and by that almost raising it up as a new model (THE Organic Chuch with a big letter "O"), I indeed am convinced that over the past hundreds of years church sadly has become more an institution then an (organic) body, as described in the Bible. Though I think the church robbed itself from some key characteristic by becoming modern and with that central structured, I do not see it entirely negative. Modernity forced and requested the church to adapt. We call this contextualization! However, with a rapidly changing world, becoming more fluent and decentralized, church needs to find a decentralized way to be the church again.

Brafman's and Beckstrom's book helps a great deal in this endeavor. Basically, from the first till the last page their book is  a description of examples of centralized and decentralized organizations in our times. Among others they look at organizsations like Napster, Kazaa, and emule and how these more or less open, decentralized players revolutionized the music industry with the big, centralized music labels. With many more examples they show the difference of a starfish and a spider:

In short: The spider is centralized (it has a head), while the starfish is decentralized: Each arm carries everything needed to survive. Thus, a starfish would survive if you cut it in half. Actually, each half would survive and could very well grow new arms. A starfish is not depending on one central part of the body, as the spider is depending on the central head.

Building on this basic assumption Brafman and Beckstrom identify 8 major principles   of decentralization:
1) When attacked, a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized.
2) It is easy to mistake starfish for spiders.
3) An open system doesn't have central intelligence; the intelligence is spread throughout the system.
4) Open systems cab easily mutate.
5) The decentralized organization sneaks up on you.
6) as industries become decentralized, overall profit decrease.
7) Put people into an open system and they'll automatically want to contribute.
8) When attacked, centralized organizations tend to become even more centralized.

More then with principles or rational arguments, the authors argue their case with many stories of how decentralized, more organic kind of organizations indeed thrive in our world of today. This is the real benefit of the book: It displays the power of leaderless organizations.

This is especially encouraging for the church as there have been discussions (and sometime critique) that organic systems can not grow big. Others intentionally argue  for smallness. With "The Starfish and the Spider" we are shown many examples of more organic but enormously big organizations with much  impact. It is not the size that matters. Small is not beautiful in itself.

I like this balancing tone in the book. In the first chapters one thinks that this book, as so many, sets out to argue for one direction and this philosophy to be 100% put in practice. Not with this one. Somewhat surprisingly Brafman and Beckstrom at the end encourage "the combo special: the hybrid organization", combining centralized features with decentralized. They see it more important to identify the "sweet spot", a place and mixture of both ends.

Though the book is at times quite lengthy because one story follows another, it is always interesting. For all who are interested in how church (any organization, for this matter) can become more decentralized and thrive, this is a good and inspiring read.

* * * *
(four stars out of five)

Feb 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

TREK - Theological Resourcing for an Emerging Kultur

"Good theology is measured by healthy mission; healthy mission is empowered by good theology"

This is one of the core believes of TREK, a brand new, small-scale initiative to help churches and other communities of faith in Europe reflect theologically on their life and mission as community. I think this is very high on the list what the innovative church communities in Europe need.

Often you have either good (theological) thinking but it is happening in a non-practical sphere or even some form of an ivory tower. Actually, this is one thing that bothers me quite often: Many awesome gifted thinkers in the Christian scene - among them several quite widely read bloggers - are barely involved in the dirty, messy reality of a long-term ministry situation.
Or you find amazingly creative new expressions of mission, but it is put in practice only because of reasons of practicality. Many awesome gifted practitioners in the Christian scene - among them several quite widely read bloggers - are barely involved in the sweaty, long-lasting endeavor of digging deeper in order to excavate clear models.
To combine both, the thorough theological reflection and the hands-on practical application in real life, that is something very rich and powerful. Though I push hard towards that goal, I wish I would be able to say I do a good job in balancing the two. I often feel I don't.

So, this initiative called TREK is here to help all of us to do a better job in this. As I know the people behind TREK quite well, I am totally convinced that this initiative will be of enormous help to many of the emerging innovative church communities. Take a look at the TREK website.

Jan 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

vor »

In an online learning community I am part of we currently interact about the need of us Christians to repent. The train of thought is, that the Christian church is in exile, like Israel was in exile in Babylon, and that we need to turn around, which is the movement in repenting.

I would be interested in your opinion: What is it we Christians need to repent from? To put it differently: What is it we Christians could, should or must apologize for?

I'll start the list and would love to see you add to it by commenting.

What we need to apologize for/repent from:
- a consumerist attitude towards God and church (expecting to be fed)
- building our own little sub-culture, rather then fully enculturating
- thinking superior about us in this little sub-culture
- not caring for the environment enough
- leaving issues of social justice to secular social institutions rather then leading the way
- ...

What else?

[picture from "matchstick" at sxc.hu]

One big reason for me to travel to Rwanda was to check out opportunities to get involved in issues of social justice, reconciliation and sustainable social development. One project we visited was the orphanage named "Les Enfants de Dieu" (God's children), an association of street children in Kigali.

About the project
"Children of God", another Christian social project as many? Well, not quite. Describing themselves they state that "the organisation is secular, nevertheless it adopted God in its name to signify the protective qualities of all religions and spiritual movements." This self-description touches on an aspect that impressed me quite a bit: The freedom of choice and the opportunities to mature for each of the currently 94 kids: There is no particular religion preached, but the kids are free and encouraged to go to a faith community they like. They make up their own mind and can initiate any gathering themselves. If they do, they get every support possible.

This seems to be a foundational principle at Les Enfants de Dieu: Children are empowered. There are 7 departments, like "home affairs", "agriculture", or "sports and culture", each headed by one child called "minister of ..:", a "vice-minister" and 4 "technicians" - all of them being elected democratically. The ministers with their teams are responsible for making decisions concerning their departments. What kind of plants are planted in the garden, what sport events are organized or at which hour the TV has to be shut off at night - it is all self-governed by the kids themselves. Obviously, there is an adult "manager", whom the decisions are run by. However, he almost never changes decision but gives his input as requested by the kids.
I think highly of this approach, empowering the children to think and act responsibly. Les Enfants de Dieu is not a babysitting social project, but does rehabilitation and reintegration in a extraordinary way. Consequently, children are only there for 6 months to 3 years, coming from the life on the streets and leaving being fully integrated into society.

This is done in a three-step process: First comes POVERTY ALLEVIATION, where basic needs like food, shelter and health-care are provided. Next is REHABILITATION, which is the most transfomational stage and the key to creating future opportunities for the child. The rehabilitation program is based on three focus areas: Body (to live as healthily as they can through sport, nutrition and hygiene), mind (to relieve trauma, learn, grow, express themselves creatively and to develop talents) and spirit (to find their spiritual way regardless of beliefs). The last step then is REINTEGRATION with jobs to work and placed to live at.

Our visit and impressions
We were very warmly welcomed by the initiator of the orphanage (Faraz), the manager (Rafiki, left in picture) and the kid who currently is the "vice-minister of sports and culture" (central in the picture). The vice-minister received our gifts we brought (three soccer balls, see picture) with a happy smile - and immidiatly had another idea: The basketball court is quite muddy in the rain season. It needs pavement. His question was if we would consider helping them with this. I enjoyed it to converse with an about 12 year old kid thinking independent and straight-forward like he did.
After this chat we were shown the 4 acre land, which is arranged quite nicely but has also lots of room for further development. On the pictures you see the entrance gate, the dormitory, the kitchen, the fish farm and the sports field with the basketball field that needs major improvements - as you can see.

Les Enfant de Dieu really impressed me. What we saw left a mark on my heart. In my eyes it is very exemplary and has enormous effects on the lives of many children, changing their situation from a devastated, depressed and traumatized life on the streets to a state of maturity, health and integration in society. And all of this is only possible because of many helpers and supporters.

How to help Les Enfants de Dieu
You and me, we can help Les Enfants de Dieu in different ways and, when it comes to money, a small contribution makes alread a big difference. If you want to know more about how to support, e.g. the paving of the basketball court, click here:

Already some weeks ago, before I went to Rwanda, a group of 7 church interns from the US visited us in Münster. They came to get to know what we in EPIC and Christian Associates are doing in Europe, some of them considering joining us. We had a great time together and some great new friendships got established.

Europe has seen almost 2000 years of Christian influence. One can very well argue that Europe is what it is largely because of this Christian influence in the past - the good (like education, civil service, equal rights, rich culture and art, etc.) and the bad (like the crusades, anti-cultural and fundamental attitudes, self-centered dualistic thinking, etc.). Today, however, Christianity as we've known it for several hundreds of years is declining in Europe, despite the enormous interest in matters of spirituality as such. It is clear that what started as a movement long time ago became a disappearing culture these days. Most churches are a vivid reminder of the rich history but are barely more then museums, or, at best, own little sub-cultures these days. It is of utmost importance to the Christian faith in Europe to regain it's movement ethos around the person of Jesus, ending a 1700 year long period of institutionalized Christendom, as authors like Alan Hirsch or Stuart Murray argue convincingly.

Though some - good friends of mine among them - see it different, I am very glad about non-Europeans like this group of American Christians coming to Europe in order to help us regain the core of our faith. We need their outside perspective and the values they bring, like for example the entrepreneurial mindset and emphasis on healthy leadership. These people invest their lives so that, in the end, others might live. What a gift. In case you are one of those I described here: THANKS for coming to Europe!

The Lord is risen! Peace with you! Happy Easter!

Ýesterday, Easter Sunday, we had our first church experiences in Rwanda. In the morning we walked past a church on our very pagan way to the shopping center - we ran out of drinking water the night before ;-). The dusty roads to the church were unusually crowded, and when we turned around the corner we saw why. You can see on the picture to your right: The church was packed! A church that, I would guess, fits at least 2000 people seeted, had so many people visiting that there was a huge overflow on the streets. Quite a stark contrast to the picture of German churches. But could be that this is only because it is Easter, right!?

In the later afternoon a new friend of ours, Christin, who is a Rwandan, took us to church. I was not sure what to expect. Yet it turned out to be a great experience of simple but passionate and devoute Christian faith. The independent but fairly charismatic church is only 8 years old but has already more then 2000 attenders in a fairly modern building with quite modern technical equippment. But could be that this is only because it is Easter, right!?

Well, as we learned from Christin later, the numbers are not only because of Easter. She shared with us that the genocide, that took place about 13 years ago, drew people even closer to God. There were some bad experiences about churches too, though: Some priests took refugees (so called "Tutsis") into their churches whith the promise to hide and protect them - and then went to get the Hutus to kill everybody. You can only cry about those incidents. I can so understand why some are done with church, hearing and reading these stories, some of them well documented in a Genocide Memorial Center.

Despite and because of these bad past experiences, Christin said, Rwanda people are more drawn to new churches then old ones. Here is a reason for church planting in Rwanda!

I feel I have to touch on the choir before ending this post: It was excellent and as you imagine African worship: Very lively, involving, rythmic, passionate. I look forward to the heavenly choir and hope that there are lots of Africans in it ... ;-)

As said, the first European Church Planters Network (ECPN) gathered for the last three days in Barcelona. It was my first time in Barcelona and I must admit: I fell in love with this city! It is of extravagant beauty, filled with amazing architecture and sparkled with so many nice plazas. Here are some pictures:

The last three days I have been in Barcelona at the first gathering of the ECPN, the "European Church Planters Network". This learning community is initiated by "Leadership Network", an US-based organization that tries to gather innovative church planters in providing an environment where exchange of thought and learning from each other can happen in intense ways. It is good so far, though I miss some people who, IMHO, should be here, cause of what they bring to the table.

A church that captured my attention is St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia, Sheffield, UK. As I learned from Paul Maconochie, one of the leaders, they are organized decentral and function on different levels. Individuals meet in small group. Small groups +individuals meet in clusters. Clusters +individuals meet in several celebrations accross the city. You choose your thing or to be involved in all of these opportunities.

Hearing this and seeing their chart (see picture with Paul explaining the model; picture taken by Rogier Bos) I was reminded about Joseph Myers book "The Search to Belong", in which he quite convincingly argues for community on at least three, if not four levels. It is simply how we humans are wired, namely, to have community on different levels: 2-3 - 12 - 144 - unlimited. There is much more to community and doing church than only simple, small, life-transforming, organic small groups.

In addition to this meeting structure St.Thomas has loose groups being engaged in new missional endeavors all the time (R&D groups). Also I need to point out the so called "huddles", being leadership development and accountability groups. Though there is a Staff group facilitating much of this, there seems to be a fluidity and bottom-up spirit to it. What I appreciate most, though, is there  now discovered focus  on multiplying, starting  missional communities elsewhere.

I like the freedom people have in this quite big church (1200 people). Community on different levels. Decentralized and organic, as well as structured and shaped. Missional but also attractive. Sounds good to me.

Bono, prophet of postmodern days, recently got awarded by NAACP - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP has been crucial in changing the course of history in the US and beyond, standing for civil rights for almost 100 years now.

Some pieces from Bono's acceptance speach:

"Well today the world looks again to NAACP. We need the community that tought the world about civil rights to teach it something about human rights. We are talking about the right to live like a human. The right to live period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

"This is not about charity. This is about justice. It's about justice and equality."

"This is true religion: True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. 'Love thy neighbor' is not a piece of advise. It is a command. And that means that in the global village we got to start loving a whole lot more people."

"Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die."

"Whatever thought we have about God, who he is or even if God exists, most will agree: Got has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the card board boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are chattered. God is with the mother who has affected her child with a virus, ... God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during war time. God, my friends, is with the poor. And God is with us if we are with them!
This is not a burden. This is an adventure. Don't let anyone tell you it can not be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty. Thank you."

I think I start to get it.

Watch the full speach:

Here is an interesting book about how organizations (my interest reading it has been on church) can function without centralized leadership.
There is much talking about church as an organic entity these days. And though I dislike how some argue for the pure extremes of it, as if this would be the solution and by that almost raising it up as a new model (THE Organic Chuch with a big letter "O"), I indeed am convinced that over the past hundreds of years church sadly has become more an institution then an (organic) body, as described in the Bible. Though I think the church robbed itself from some key characteristic by becoming modern and with that central structured, I do not see it entirely negative. Modernity forced and requested the church to adapt. We call this contextualization! However, with a rapidly changing world, becoming more fluent and decentralized, church needs to find a decentralized way to be the church again.

Brafman's and Beckstrom's book helps a great deal in this endeavor. Basically, from the first till the last page their book is  a description of examples of centralized and decentralized organizations in our times. Among others they look at organizsations like Napster, Kazaa, and emule and how these more or less open, decentralized players revolutionized the music industry with the big, centralized music labels. With many more examples they show the difference of a starfish and a spider:

In short: The spider is centralized (it has a head), while the starfish is decentralized: Each arm carries everything needed to survive. Thus, a starfish would survive if you cut it in half. Actually, each half would survive and could very well grow new arms. A starfish is not depending on one central part of the body, as the spider is depending on the central head.

Building on this basic assumption Brafman and Beckstrom identify 8 major principles   of decentralization:
1) When attacked, a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized.
2) It is easy to mistake starfish for spiders.
3) An open system doesn't have central intelligence; the intelligence is spread throughout the system.
4) Open systems cab easily mutate.
5) The decentralized organization sneaks up on you.
6) as industries become decentralized, overall profit decrease.
7) Put people into an open system and they'll automatically want to contribute.
8) When attacked, centralized organizations tend to become even more centralized.

More then with principles or rational arguments, the authors argue their case with many stories of how decentralized, more organic kind of organizations indeed thrive in our world of today. This is the real benefit of the book: It displays the power of leaderless organizations.

This is especially encouraging for the church as there have been discussions (and sometime critique) that organic systems can not grow big. Others intentionally argue  for smallness. With "The Starfish and the Spider" we are shown many examples of more organic but enormously big organizations with much  impact. It is not the size that matters. Small is not beautiful in itself.

I like this balancing tone in the book. In the first chapters one thinks that this book, as so many, sets out to argue for one direction and this philosophy to be 100% put in practice. Not with this one. Somewhat surprisingly Brafman and Beckstrom at the end encourage "the combo special: the hybrid organization", combining centralized features with decentralized. They see it more important to identify the "sweet spot", a place and mixture of both ends.

Though the book is at times quite lengthy because one story follows another, it is always interesting. For all who are interested in how church (any organization, for this matter) can become more decentralized and thrive, this is a good and inspiring read.

* * * *
(four stars out of five)

"Good theology is measured by healthy mission; healthy mission is empowered by good theology"

This is one of the core believes of TREK, a brand new, small-scale initiative to help churches and other communities of faith in Europe reflect theologically on their life and mission as community. I think this is very high on the list what the innovative church communities in Europe need.

Often you have either good (theological) thinking but it is happening in a non-practical sphere or even some form of an ivory tower. Actually, this is one thing that bothers me quite often: Many awesome gifted thinkers in the Christian scene - among them several quite widely read bloggers - are barely involved in the dirty, messy reality of a long-term ministry situation.
Or you find amazingly creative new expressions of mission, but it is put in practice only because of reasons of practicality. Many awesome gifted practitioners in the Christian scene - among them several quite widely read bloggers - are barely involved in the sweaty, long-lasting endeavor of digging deeper in order to excavate clear models.
To combine both, the thorough theological reflection and the hands-on practical application in real life, that is something very rich and powerful. Though I push hard towards that goal, I wish I would be able to say I do a good job in balancing the two. I often feel I don't.

So, this initiative called TREK is here to help all of us to do a better job in this. As I know the people behind TREK quite well, I am totally convinced that this initiative will be of enormous help to many of the emerging innovative church communities. Take a look at the TREK website.

Christians repent!?

In an online learning community I am part of we currently interact about the need of us Christians to repent. The train of thought is, that the Christian church is in exile, like Israel was in exile in Babylon, and that we need to turn around, which is the movement in repenting.

I would be interested in your opinion: What is it we Christians need to repent from? To put it differently: What is it we Christians could, should or must apologize for?

I'll start the list and would love to see you add to it by commenting.

What we need to apologize for/repent from:
- a consumerist attitude towards God and church (expecting to be fed)
- building our own little sub-culture, rather then fully enculturating
- thinking superior about us in this little sub-culture
- not caring for the environment enough
- leaving issues of social justice to secular social institutions rather then leading the way
- ...

What else?

[picture from "matchstick" at sxc.hu]

Rwanda - Les Enfants de Dieu (orphanage)

One big reason for me to travel to Rwanda was to check out opportunities to get involved in issues of social justice, reconciliation and sustainable social development. One project we visited was the orphanage named "Les Enfants de Dieu" (God's children), an association of street children in Kigali.

About the project
"Children of God", another Christian social project as many? Well, not quite. Describing themselves they state that "the organisation is secular, nevertheless it adopted God in its name to signify the protective qualities of all religions and spiritual movements." This self-description touches on an aspect that impressed me quite a bit: The freedom of choice and the opportunities to mature for each of the currently 94 kids: There is no particular religion preached, but the kids are free and encouraged to go to a faith community they like. They make up their own mind and can initiate any gathering themselves. If they do, they get every support possible.

This seems to be a foundational principle at Les Enfants de Dieu: Children are empowered. There are 7 departments, like "home affairs", "agriculture", or "sports and culture", each headed by one child called "minister of ..:", a "vice-minister" and 4 "technicians" - all of them being elected democratically. The ministers with their teams are responsible for making decisions concerning their departments. What kind of plants are planted in the garden, what sport events are organized or at which hour the TV has to be shut off at night - it is all self-governed by the kids themselves. Obviously, there is an adult "manager", whom the decisions are run by. However, he almost never changes decision but gives his input as requested by the kids.
I think highly of this approach, empowering the children to think and act responsibly. Les Enfants de Dieu is not a babysitting social project, but does rehabilitation and reintegration in a extraordinary way. Consequently, children are only there for 6 months to 3 years, coming from the life on the streets and leaving being fully integrated into society.

This is done in a three-step process: First comes POVERTY ALLEVIATION, where basic needs like food, shelter and health-care are provided. Next is REHABILITATION, which is the most transfomational stage and the key to creating future opportunities for the child. The rehabilitation program is based on three focus areas: Body (to live as healthily as they can through sport, nutrition and hygiene), mind (to relieve trauma, learn, grow, express themselves creatively and to develop talents) and spirit (to find their spiritual way regardless of beliefs). The last step then is REINTEGRATION with jobs to work and placed to live at.

Our visit and impressions
We were very warmly welcomed by the initiator of the orphanage (Faraz), the manager (Rafiki, left in picture) and the kid who currently is the "vice-minister of sports and culture" (central in the picture). The vice-minister received our gifts we brought (three soccer balls, see picture) with a happy smile - and immidiatly had another idea: The basketball court is quite muddy in the rain season. It needs pavement. His question was if we would consider helping them with this. I enjoyed it to converse with an about 12 year old kid thinking independent and straight-forward like he did.
After this chat we were shown the 4 acre land, which is arranged quite nicely but has also lots of room for further development. On the pictures you see the entrance gate, the dormitory, the kitchen, the fish farm and the sports field with the basketball field that needs major improvements - as you can see.

Les Enfant de Dieu really impressed me. What we saw left a mark on my heart. In my eyes it is very exemplary and has enormous effects on the lives of many children, changing their situation from a devastated, depressed and traumatized life on the streets to a state of maturity, health and integration in society. And all of this is only possible because of many helpers and supporters.

How to help Les Enfants de Dieu
You and me, we can help Les Enfants de Dieu in different ways and, when it comes to money, a small contribution makes alread a big difference. If you want to know more about how to support, e.g. the paving of the basketball court, click here:

New friends - the case for missionaries to Europe

Already some weeks ago, before I went to Rwanda, a group of 7 church interns from the US visited us in Münster. They came to get to know what we in EPIC and Christian Associates are doing in Europe, some of them considering joining us. We had a great time together and some great new friendships got established.

Europe has seen almost 2000 years of Christian influence. One can very well argue that Europe is what it is largely because of this Christian influence in the past - the good (like education, civil service, equal rights, rich culture and art, etc.) and the bad (like the crusades, anti-cultural and fundamental attitudes, self-centered dualistic thinking, etc.). Today, however, Christianity as we've known it for several hundreds of years is declining in Europe, despite the enormous interest in matters of spirituality as such. It is clear that what started as a movement long time ago became a disappearing culture these days. Most churches are a vivid reminder of the rich history but are barely more then museums, or, at best, own little sub-cultures these days. It is of utmost importance to the Christian faith in Europe to regain it's movement ethos around the person of Jesus, ending a 1700 year long period of institutionalized Christendom, as authors like Alan Hirsch or Stuart Murray argue convincingly.

Though some - good friends of mine among them - see it different, I am very glad about non-Europeans like this group of American Christians coming to Europe in order to help us regain the core of our faith. We need their outside perspective and the values they bring, like for example the entrepreneurial mindset and emphasis on healthy leadership. These people invest their lives so that, in the end, others might live. What a gift. In case you are one of those I described here: THANKS for coming to Europe!

Rwanda - church experiences

The Lord is risen! Peace with you! Happy Easter!

Ýesterday, Easter Sunday, we had our first church experiences in Rwanda. In the morning we walked past a church on our very pagan way to the shopping center - we ran out of drinking water the night before ;-). The dusty roads to the church were unusually crowded, and when we turned around the corner we saw why. You can see on the picture to your right: The church was packed! A church that, I would guess, fits at least 2000 people seeted, had so many people visiting that there was a huge overflow on the streets. Quite a stark contrast to the picture of German churches. But could be that this is only because it is Easter, right!?

In the later afternoon a new friend of ours, Christin, who is a Rwandan, took us to church. I was not sure what to expect. Yet it turned out to be a great experience of simple but passionate and devoute Christian faith. The independent but fairly charismatic church is only 8 years old but has already more then 2000 attenders in a fairly modern building with quite modern technical equippment. But could be that this is only because it is Easter, right!?

Well, as we learned from Christin later, the numbers are not only because of Easter. She shared with us that the genocide, that took place about 13 years ago, drew people even closer to God. There were some bad experiences about churches too, though: Some priests took refugees (so called "Tutsis") into their churches whith the promise to hide and protect them - and then went to get the Hutus to kill everybody. You can only cry about those incidents. I can so understand why some are done with church, hearing and reading these stories, some of them well documented in a Genocide Memorial Center.

Despite and because of these bad past experiences, Christin said, Rwanda people are more drawn to new churches then old ones. Here is a reason for church planting in Rwanda!

I feel I have to touch on the choir before ending this post: It was excellent and as you imagine African worship: Very lively, involving, rythmic, passionate. I look forward to the heavenly choir and hope that there are lots of Africans in it ... ;-)

ECPN - in Barcelona

As said, the first European Church Planters Network (ECPN) gathered for the last three days in Barcelona. It was my first time in Barcelona and I must admit: I fell in love with this city! It is of extravagant beauty, filled with amazing architecture and sparkled with so many nice plazas. Here are some pictures:

ECPN - St Thomas, Sheffield, UK

The last three days I have been in Barcelona at the first gathering of the ECPN, the "European Church Planters Network". This learning community is initiated by "Leadership Network", an US-based organization that tries to gather innovative church planters in providing an environment where exchange of thought and learning from each other can happen in intense ways. It is good so far, though I miss some people who, IMHO, should be here, cause of what they bring to the table.

A church that captured my attention is St. Thomas Church in Philadelphia, Sheffield, UK. As I learned from Paul Maconochie, one of the leaders, they are organized decentral and function on different levels. Individuals meet in small group. Small groups +individuals meet in clusters. Clusters +individuals meet in several celebrations accross the city. You choose your thing or to be involved in all of these opportunities.

Hearing this and seeing their chart (see picture with Paul explaining the model; picture taken by Rogier Bos) I was reminded about Joseph Myers book "The Search to Belong", in which he quite convincingly argues for community on at least three, if not four levels. It is simply how we humans are wired, namely, to have community on different levels: 2-3 - 12 - 144 - unlimited. There is much more to community and doing church than only simple, small, life-transforming, organic small groups.

In addition to this meeting structure St.Thomas has loose groups being engaged in new missional endeavors all the time (R&D groups). Also I need to point out the so called "huddles", being leadership development and accountability groups. Though there is a Staff group facilitating much of this, there seems to be a fluidity and bottom-up spirit to it. What I appreciate most, though, is there  now discovered focus  on multiplying, starting  missional communities elsewhere.

I like the freedom people have in this quite big church (1200 people). Community on different levels. Decentralized and organic, as well as structured and shaped. Missional but also attractive. Sounds good to me.

God is with the poor. And he is with us if we are with them.

Bono, prophet of postmodern days, recently got awarded by NAACP - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP has been crucial in changing the course of history in the US and beyond, standing for civil rights for almost 100 years now.

Some pieces from Bono's acceptance speach:

"Well today the world looks again to NAACP. We need the community that tought the world about civil rights to teach it something about human rights. We are talking about the right to live like a human. The right to live period. Those are the stakes in Africa right now."

"This is not about charity. This is about justice. It's about justice and equality."

"This is true religion: True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. 'Love thy neighbor' is not a piece of advise. It is a command. And that means that in the global village we got to start loving a whole lot more people."

"Where you live should not decide whether you live or whether you die."

"Whatever thought we have about God, who he is or even if God exists, most will agree: Got has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the card board boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are chattered. God is with the mother who has affected her child with a virus, ... God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during war time. God, my friends, is with the poor. And God is with us if we are with them!
This is not a burden. This is an adventure. Don't let anyone tell you it can not be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty. Thank you."

I think I start to get it.

Watch the full speach:

The starfish and the spider -- book recommendation

Here is an interesting book about how organizations (my interest reading it has been on church) can function without centralized leadership.
There is much talking about church as an organic entity these days. And though I dislike how some argue for the pure extremes of it, as if this would be the solution and by that almost raising it up as a new model (THE Organic Chuch with a big letter "O"), I indeed am convinced that over the past hundreds of years church sadly has become more an institution then an (organic) body, as described in the Bible. Though I think the church robbed itself from some key characteristic by becoming modern and with that central structured, I do not see it entirely negative. Modernity forced and requested the church to adapt. We call this contextualization! However, with a rapidly changing world, becoming more fluent and decentralized, church needs to find a decentralized way to be the church again.

Brafman's and Beckstrom's book helps a great deal in this endeavor. Basically, from the first till the last page their book is  a description of examples of centralized and decentralized organizations in our times. Among others they look at organizsations like Napster, Kazaa, and emule and how these more or less open, decentralized players revolutionized the music industry with the big, centralized music labels. With many more examples they show the difference of a starfish and a spider:

In short: The spider is centralized (it has a head), while the starfish is decentralized: Each arm carries everything needed to survive. Thus, a starfish would survive if you cut it in half. Actually, each half would survive and could very well grow new arms. A starfish is not depending on one central part of the body, as the spider is depending on the central head.

Building on this basic assumption Brafman and Beckstrom identify 8 major principles   of decentralization:
1) When attacked, a decentralized organization tends to become even more open and decentralized.
2) It is easy to mistake starfish for spiders.
3) An open system doesn't have central intelligence; the intelligence is spread throughout the system.
4) Open systems cab easily mutate.
5) The decentralized organization sneaks up on you.
6) as industries become decentralized, overall profit decrease.
7) Put people into an open system and they'll automatically want to contribute.
8) When attacked, centralized organizations tend to become even more centralized.

More then with principles or rational arguments, the authors argue their case with many stories of how decentralized, more organic kind of organizations indeed thrive in our world of today. This is the real benefit of the book: It displays the power of leaderless organizations.

This is especially encouraging for the church as there have been discussions (and sometime critique) that organic systems can not grow big. Others intentionally argue  for smallness. With "The Starfish and the Spider" we are shown many examples of more organic but enormously big organizations with much  impact. It is not the size that matters. Small is not beautiful in itself.

I like this balancing tone in the book. In the first chapters one thinks that this book, as so many, sets out to argue for one direction and this philosophy to be 100% put in practice. Not with this one. Somewhat surprisingly Brafman and Beckstrom at the end encourage "the combo special: the hybrid organization", combining centralized features with decentralized. They see it more important to identify the "sweet spot", a place and mixture of both ends.

Though the book is at times quite lengthy because one story follows another, it is always interesting. For all who are interested in how church (any organization, for this matter) can become more decentralized and thrive, this is a good and inspiring read.

* * * *
(four stars out of five)

TREK - Theological Resourcing for an Emerging Kultur

"Good theology is measured by healthy mission; healthy mission is empowered by good theology"

This is one of the core believes of TREK, a brand new, small-scale initiative to help churches and other communities of faith in Europe reflect theologically on their life and mission as community. I think this is very high on the list what the innovative church communities in Europe need.

Often you have either good (theological) thinking but it is happening in a non-practical sphere or even some form of an ivory tower. Actually, this is one thing that bothers me quite often: Many awesome gifted thinkers in the Christian scene - among them several quite widely read bloggers - are barely involved in the dirty, messy reality of a long-term ministry situation.
Or you find amazingly creative new expressions of mission, but it is put in practice only because of reasons of practicality. Many awesome gifted practitioners in the Christian scene - among them several quite widely read bloggers - are barely involved in the sweaty, long-lasting endeavor of digging deeper in order to excavate clear models.
To combine both, the thorough theological reflection and the hands-on practical application in real life, that is something very rich and powerful. Though I push hard towards that goal, I wish I would be able to say I do a good job in balancing the two. I often feel I don't.

So, this initiative called TREK is here to help all of us to do a better job in this. As I know the people behind TREK quite well, I am totally convinced that this initiative will be of enormous help to many of the emerging innovative church communities. Take a look at the TREK website.