The Broadcast

Been away for a few days so posts have been minimal.  Spent yesterday in london at a Tim Keller conference (awesome). Then sped back home to teach 2 hours of Old Testament History. … needless to say my brain is fried…

here is a good post over at the simple pastor to keep you going…….

will blog about the Keller conference later.

http://www.qideas.org/talks/default.aspx?id=5

Over the past few months I have received a lot of really encouraging e-mails and blog posts about the Newfrontiers Belfast Church Plant.The vast majority of correspondence has come from people living in Northern Ireland, offering their prayers, support and encouragement.  Thank you all so much, it really means a lot to us, we all feel a really warm welcome and cant wait to get going out there working with all the other churches who are already doing so many amazing things.  

As well as the encouraging e-mails I have also had some contact and seen some blog posts from people questioning the need for church planting in Belfast. It’s a great question and I would like to thank all of those people for taking the time to ask it.  Its also a question that I think needs a response.  So hear goes……

So why plant churches? 

Firstly hear are some of the common objections to church planting followed by a number of reasons to plant churches.  I have taken these from an article by Tim Keller which can be found here.

Common objections to church planting

A. ‘We already have plenty of churches that have lots and lots of room for all the new people who have come to the area. Let’s get them filled before we go off building any new ones.” 

B. ‘Every church in this community used to be more full than it is now. The churchgoing public is a ’shrinking pie’. A new church here will just take people from churches already hurting and weaken everyone.’ 

C. ‘Help the churches that are struggling first. A new church doesn’t help the ones we have that are just keeping their nose above water. We need better churches, not more churches.’ 

Why Plant Churches?

A. We want to be true to THE BIBLICAL MANDATE 

1. Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches. 

2. Paul’s whole strategy was to plant urban churches. 

B. We want to be true to THE GREAT COMMISSION. 

1. New churches best reach a) new generations, b) new residents, and c) new people groups.

2. New churches best reach the unchurched–period.  

C. We want to continually RENEW THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST. 

1. First, the new churches bring new ideas to the whole Body. 

2. Second, new churches are one of the best ways to surface creative, strong leaders for the whole Body. 

3. Third, the new churches challenge other churches to self-examination. 

4. Fourth, the new church may be an ‘evangelistic feeder’ for a whole community. 

D. As an exercise in KINGDOM-MINDEDNESS 

New church planting is the only way that we can be sure we are going to increase the number of believers in a city and one of the best ways to renew the whole Body of Christ. The evidence for this statement is strong–Biblically, sociologically, and historically. In the end, a lack of kingdom-mindedness may simply blind us to all this evidence. We must beware of that. 

Why plant a church in Belfast?

As well as the reasons above the simple fact that only 45% of the population in Northern Ireland attend church.  Remember that these are just people who go to church and may or may not profess any sort of commitment.  In real figures that is around 935000 people who do not attend church.  That is nearly 1 million people who are currently not being reached by existing churches and potentially do not know Jesus.

That being said statistics dont really justify anything - personally if there was only 5% of the population not attending church in NI I would still see that as enough unchurched people to warrant a new church.  

I think Leslie Newbigin in his book The Gospel in a pluralistic Society sums up the importance of the church when he says;

The Church is an entity which has outlasted many state, nations and empires, and it will outlast those that exist today.  The Church is nothing other than that movement launched into the public life of the world by its sovereign Lord to continue that which he came to do until it is finished in his return in glory.  It has his promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  In spite of the crimes, blunders, compromises, and errors by which its story has been stained and is stained to this day, the Church is the great reality in comparison with which nations and empires and civilizations are a passing phenomena.  The Church can never settle down to being a voluntary society concerned merely with private and domestic affairs.  It is bound to challenge in the name of one Lord all powers, ideologies, myths, assumptions, and world views which do not acknowledge him as lord.  If that involves conflict, trouble, and rejection, then we have the example of Jesus before us and his reminder that a servant is not greater than his master.

I love the church, warts and all.  What an opportunity we have as we come alongside all of those amazing churches across NI already working to spread the Gospel.  We really cant wait to come and serve with you as we seek to see many people come to know Jesus Christ throughout NI and beyond.

Excellent and challenging post from Dave Bish over at The Blue Fish Project.

‘There is a need to create plausibility for what we believe. …….We have a need to shape thinking so that Christian thinking is no longer seen as evil and instead as beneficial… shaping thinking so that what seems like common sense to us might also be so for others. To demonstrate through our warm words and lives that the gospel of Jesus is such good news that people would wish it were true - and then might be persuaded that it is.’

As millions in the Congo suffer, earthquakes hit Pakistan and explosions rock India our headlines are filed with news of two comedians committing a gaff. For any out there who live in a cave this is the story of Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross leaving an inappropriate message on the actor Andrew Sachs’s  answer-phone.  The comedians claimed that Brand had sex with Sachs Granddaughter a member of the burlesque group called the Satanic Sluts.

The Daily Express was outraged, the red tops tasted blood, the Telegraph wanted answers while even the Guardian joined the fight to ‘clean up the airwaves’. My guess is that most of ukchristendom has quickly queued up behind the newspapers and commentators calling for heads to roll and sanctions to be put in place.  

Am I condoning what was said by Brand and Ross?  No not really, you only have to go to the book of James to understand a little of how damaging the tongue can be.  

 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.  How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

However something has been bothering me in all of this.  We are often quick to raise our pitch forks aloft and join the crowd calling for censorship, tighter legislation and stricter rules.  We are quick to write letters, send complaints and wish that Points Of View was on TV everyday.  But what happens when we are the ones on the receiving end?  What happens when we are the ones being censored?  What happens when our message is seen as too offensive?  What happens when our message is seen as too exclusive?  What happens when the cross is seen as ‘just a step too far’?

We need to be wise in what we protest against because we could be setting a precedent that one day will come back to bite us.

Part I can be found here

I would love to have been one of the disciples when Jesus gave them an impromptu OT theology lecture.  The fact that Jesus had to tell them leads us to assume that they didn’t already know!  Some of the disciples would have had a very good grasp of the Pentateuch and other OT writings so imagine how the whole thing would have just completely blown up for them.  Suddenly the whole story goes from black and white to digital HD widescreen.  Christopher Wright in his excellent book Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament says this.

…..all promises of God are ‘yes in Christ’.  He was the singular seed of Abraham, through whom that seed would become universal and multi-national.  He was the one in whom all nations would be blessed.  To be ‘In christ’ was to be ‘in Abraham’, and therefore to share in the inheritance of God’s people.  And that inheritance now far transcended the national territory, and included rather all the blessings and responsibilities of the fellowship of God’s people.  He was the passover lamb protecting Gods people from his wrath.  His death and resurrection had achieved a new exodus.  He was the mediator of a new covenant.  His sacrificial death and risen life fulfilled and surpassed all that were signified in the tabernacle, the sacrifices and the priesthood.  He was the temple not made with hands, indeed he was Mount Zion itself, as the focus of the name and presence of God.  He was the Son of David, but his Messianic Kingship was concealed behind the basin and towel of servant-hood and the necessity of obedience unto death.

Wright also explains in his book how the OT sheds light on the new, while the NT sheds light on the OT. To discard the OT as nothing more than a bunch of great stories that teach us how to be better people is unfortunately quite common.  If we reduce the scope of the OT to just ‘nice stories’ our understanding of Jesus will not be complete.  However there is a danger in reducing the scope of the OT to being only about Jesus.  This is an unfortunately common problem.  We must never lose sight of the very real and human element to the OT.

Abraham and Sarah were not just pieces in God’s grand plan for the nations.  They were real people, living a real existence working through the painful process of barrenness in marriage.  The Exodus story was not just a forerunner to the great final redemptive act through Christ.  It was also a real human experience with a nation enslaved by an oppressive regime.  Its a story of struggle, pain and death, experienced by real families in a real context.  The Ruth story is not just a picture of redemption that would one day be fulfilled and completed in Christ.  It is a story of a real family desperate to escape famine, caught up in an extraordinary set of circumstances needing a way out.

tbc……..

In a few weeks time I will be teaching 4 lectures on old testament history.  I love teaching through the OT.  I love seeing people getting the grand story of God working in creation, working out his redemptive plan and writing His:Story.

Enter Led Zeppelin. I hear you say what can a bunch of 1970’s blues rockers with big hair, illegally tight trousers and more drugs than a major high street pharmaceutical chain have to do with the old testament!? Something quite important actually.  Led Zeppelin’s music was based around some simple principles; loud, simple, repetitive, catchy riffs.  Listen to nearly every Zep song, behind which is the chugging guitar of Jimmy Page reminding you that no matter what the rest of the music sounded like the basic blues riff was where it all started.

The OT is full of riffs repeating their way through every book from Genesis to Malachi.  Here are some of them:

• Land
• Sacrifice
• Redemption
• Atonement
• Blessing
• Salvation 
• Grace

A great way to study the OT is to read it from start to finish using the above riffs as lenses through which to view the stories.  One of my favorites is grace.  Its all over the OT, which believe it or not often comes as a surprise to people!  Grace is often seen as a new testament thing, with the OT showing Gods angrier side.  Grace is right there at the beginning of the OT. Its there in Gen chapter 3 when God allows Adam and Eve to live after the fall.  Its there before the flood when God spares Noah and his family and uses them as part of his plan to restore the earth.  Its there throughout the book of Ruth.  Not to forget the shepherd boy David who’s first military involvement on route to becoming King was as a cheese sandwich delivery boy to the front line!

One of my favorite verses that I use when teaching old testament history is actually found in the new testament, Luke 24:27.  

…beginning with(AI) Moses and(AJ) all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

I also love getting people to read Matthew chapter 1, yes all of it! Not just the bit you hear at Christmas carol services.  Why are these verses so significant?  Because they show us the most important riff in the OT, Jesus.

to be cont….

A useful resource for preachers can be found here in this essay by Sinclair Ferguson

It was a pleasure to be able to interview Michael Gough, artist and one of the founder members of Sparks.

Thanks so much Mike for taking the time out to chat to me……

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Born in Forest Gate, London into a christian family, I have a sister. Went to Art School in Norwich in 1992, studied fine art painting. 

Married for 10 years to the daughter of UK Missionaries to Japan, have a 19 month year old daughter, expecting a second child in 2009.

Have lived in Hackney in East London since 1999. I worked for UCCF, as a support worker with christian arts students for 5 years from 1995 and then went on to complete a Masters in fine art painting.

Tell us a bit about your testimony.

My faith became real to me at a summer youth camp in my early teens, I was a regular CofE church-goer. Being around a peer group who were deeply committed to a personal friendship with the Author of life brought a new perspective to what it meant for me to call myself  a Christian, and I took the decision to pursue that level of relationship myself. I stayed involved in those camps for years; they were the most informative christian experience I had during my teenage years. My home church was a quiet, unassuming community that was introspective and built around strong social bonds, but I’m not sure many where there to celebrate the new distinct community that Christ was forming in that part of outer London. 

College life in Norwich was significant time too, in that it was the time I took proper ownership for what I believed. Being away from my family home gave me space to think and wrestle with what it meant to be a believer. During my second year, on my undergraduate, I made a conscious decision to integrate what I believed. I owe a huge debt to the Lord for bringing me into contact with Greenbelt, UCCF and also, most significantly, L’Abri, the Francis Schaeffer community in Hampshire, one of the few places I felt the most integrated as a christian and a creative person.

What church do you go to, what is it like?

I’m part of  a small, free evangelical church in Bethnal Green. It has a congregation of around 80-100. It was born in the early 80’s out of a prayer group that meet to support the work of an open youth project being run in the same building.  We have real mix of characters with different social backgrounds. My wife and I got involved principally through the strength of welcome we received when we first attended. The quality of teaching was also a great incentive to stay around.

What is on your i-pod?

• A whole mix of stuff,  current high lights include;
• Cinematic Orchestra
• Radiohead
• Portishead
• Nick Cave & the bad seeds
• Arvo Part
• Steve Reich
• Nina Simone
• Laura Veirs
• Sufjan Stevens
• Tord Gustavsen Trio
• Soul & Pimp Sessions
• Keith Jarret
• Pat Metheny
• Esbjörn Svensson Trio
• I could go on….
• plus since its a video ipod
• Terrence Malick’s Badlands
• Michael Mann’s Heat
• Flight of the concords, series 1
• oh and a healthy dose of Dr Timothy Keller

What books are by your bed?

right now?

a very old copy of the observer newspaper,

Wayne Grudem’s Systematic theology (seriously!!)

Mark Noll’s Turning Points

to be honest though I’m a hopeless, hopeless reader, full of good intentions

What is your favorite artist/exhibition at the moment?

I will usually go out of my way to look at the work of

• Tacita Dean
• Andreas Gurskey
• Jeff Wall
• Luc Tymans
• Ian Kiear
• Ed Ruscha
• Was recently impressed by a show by Christopher Orr  

I remember sitting in a room with a bunch of artists and designers some 8 or so years ago at what I guess was the very beginning of Sparks - It seems like a lot has happened since then……..

Now was that the first incarnation? That group imploded regrettably for a range of reasons. Then in 1999 I started with a new bunch of final year graduates, whilst I was on Staff with UCCF. 

This is a potted history; The ambition was to meet think, talk, read about what significance could be placed on being a Christian and involved in the arts. We did this one Saturday a month for a couple of years. Then we had a few chances to work together on a couple of visual arts exhibitions. The group was founded out of reading an essay by a christian dutchman living in Canada called Calvin Seerveld called ‘The freedom and responsibility of the artist’ published in his book Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bearing-Fresh-Olive-Leaves-Understanding/dp/095357573X - buy it, read it, then read it again). The essay became a bit of a mini manifesto for us as we sought to work out how we could or should engage with culture with our creativity. Frankly its an essay that anyone involved in the arts, who is a believer, should read. He had this metaphor that as creative people we should make work with such professional integrity and substance that it emits sparks that warm or burn those who absorb it. So that’s what we met up to talk over.

Then, through a number of reasons, a couple of us decided to go full time in running projects, then over time this has evolved over 3/4 years into a commercial art and design studio. At our core is an ongoing interest in collaborating. Its the idea that collective input make for a greater, stronger product. When we were engaged in more exhibitions we were into the idea that we didn’t want to venerate any of us involved in the making of the work so we liked the presenting everything simply as sparks, which felt quite liberating at the time.

What is Sparks working on at the moment?

A publicly funded project of two 1.5 x 2.5m, text based, watercolour painting for a new hospital in Northern Ireland. 

A corporate website for marketing company. 

A set of publicity materials based on a brand identity we developed for a festival to mark the life and work of William Blake.

A special edition box set for a new album for the artist Duke Special.

Where do you see sparks in 5 years time?

Financially stable, greater profitability, with not more that 5/6 staff working with a smaller list of regular clients on interesting bespoke projects. 

I guess a few years ago I would  have talked more about the interface between art, culture and the gospel, but pragmatics and life circumstances mean my focus is on building a sustainable business. I don’t think that means we’ve lost our initial ambition. With a properly considered theology of the Lordship of Christ over all of life, I think that being an employer, growing a business, handling clients all fit within the gospel imperative. I think its too simplistic to see overt evangelistic campaigns and engaging with church activities as the sole means of defining christian witness. The gospel is to govern all of life so that needs rigorous reflection upon and application to every aspect of my day to day existence and I think that means more than starting each day with a ‘quiet time’.

Having worked in Architecture I know a bit about the pressures that Christians working in creative Industries face.  What advice would you have about surviving as a Christian in the Arts?

It really depends on the industry but I would say broadly speaking, 

Go to L’Abri at least once a year for a week. They do an annual film festival that is worth a visit.

We’re called to be faithful not successful.

Don’t distrust the church and marginalise yourself from her. She may not know how to relate to you but Ephesians tells us she should represent the broad spectrum of society, and serve as a community that is an example to all societies, so it can’t be done away with.

Work is important but there are often more important things to be doing, don’t let it be all consuming.

Be honest and open about professional jealousy.

Know your vices and your limits and don’t bow to peer pressure.

When someone tells you they don’t like the work, remember they aren’t saying that about you- so try not to take the criticism personally.

Don’t settle for professional mediocrity, aim to be better.

Don’t rely on the church community  to sustain your work, get out and engage with the great unwashed.

Avoid the using the word ‘calling’ when talking about what you do as an artist/creative, loads up too much expectation and pressure

If it really ain’t working out, walking away to do something else is not a sign of failure.

What is your vision for Christians involved in the arts?

Do it properly, don’t settle for the christian community as your primary audience/customer, engage with the real industry coal-face, 

(God really has got enough guitar-based worship albums)

Through Sparks you have a platform to get your work seen.  What advice would you give to Christians in the arts who are struggling to get there voice heard?

 Firstly properly; Properly work out who you want to hear your voice. There is an enormous range of audiences out there and what you’re doing will not appeal to all.

Art for the masses appeals to the lowest common denominator and so is usually bland and dull. The best creativity generally works in a niche.

Then work out the game you need to play to get your stuff in front of the decision makers. The game usually works to the same rules as  ‘kiss-chase’.

Work out, through some honest, scrutiny if what you’re making/doing is actually up to scratch by the respective industry standard. Being a christian and an artist does not mean God has automatically given you a right to be critically acclaimed or internationally recognised, so be prepared to work out if your output needs improvement.

Anyone can have personal preferences for why they like or don’t like something,  so you need to be able to measure how much reaction is a personal preference or a fundamental problem with the work. 

Failure and knock backs come with the territory, so get used to the regularity of rejection.

In the past ‘Christian’ art has had a bit of a reputation for rainbows and patchwork quilts - your work is clearly not that - tell us a bit about your work?

In terms of what I do for sparks 9 times of out 10 I’m working to a brief and we don’t do a huge amount of work with haberdasheries!!  Our stuff starts with listening to what a client is expecting to achieve through the product we’re designing, so we spend a lot of time making sure we’ve understood their requirements. We take time to research and think about the context that work will be seen in and profile the likely recipients and users, then we’ll work on what we think will address the expectations. We don’t always get it right we’ve been sacked by a number of clients who thought our work missed the brief by a country mile.  We seek to immerse ourselves in what’s going on in our industry so we’re reading magazines, looking at shows and other studios to get a feel for what’s influencing the the visual style. We tend to watch a lot of films to.

Do you think that the church does enough to embrace and serve those involved in the arts?

Hard question to answer beyond generalities it depends on what level, I’ve never been in a situation when my creativity prevented me from being embraced by a church.

Can church movements like Newfrontiers become better at using the talents of the creatives in their ranks?

If there is any earnest desire to engage with the local community then there maybe scope for developing professionally produced resources. Pay the going rate though, doing stuff ‘for love’ doesn’t put bread on the table or a roof over your head. 

Its easy to find a role for a youth worker or an accountant in a church, but what advice would you give churches about finding roles for artists?

Staff roles, i guess, would be different to being part of a congregation, I guess a thorough job description would need to fleshed out if a staff arts position was being created. Creative’s shouldn’t be on church staff, they need to be immersed in their industry and shaping their small sphere of influence through what the make.

What would you say to church leaders who have creatives on their team but find it difficult to manage them?

We often like to be perceived as mavericks, we’re the cool kids that make the church seem hip and glamourous, DON’T BELIEVE US. We need Christ like everyone and need to be reminded that the challenge is to be moulded into his image. But here is the challenge, work out how much your expectations for moulding us is genuinely Christological and not culturally of personally driven.

Is there a place for using those involved with the Arts in church worship services?beyond musicians? 

I think there probably is for using video, vox pops etc, Not every really been convinced about spontaneous painting, drawing mural stuff. I was involved for time with church services/events that were meant to be more youth orientated and friendly, stuff that was thought more ‘culturally relevant’. These days I think I’m more ambivalent towards these kinds of events, principally because I think that most young people value decent quality relationships which take their views seriously rather than hip christian events- I maybe wrong though. That said I’ve been teaching our church 11-14 years old how to make short films and they’re loving it.

Do you think that artists get enough ‘air time’ in churches?

To what end? I think the chance to let people know about exhibitions, events and gigs is always welcome.

I guess you must be pretty busy - How do you balance your work, church, family life?

This is where running my own studio has its biggest benefits, I can shape my working week around my family and church commitments. I currently work form home one day a week to help look after my daughter. Plus our studio is in a building which has a lock down policy at 6.30pm so we’re all kicked out then- so no all nighters allowed!

You’ve got a soapbox and 100 words- preach to us about the Arts.

When was the last time you had a study or talk on the creative work of the Old testament prophets? I often wonder if there is work in thinking about how the likes of Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were used by the Lord to engage with their audience. Reading about the symbolic ‘performances’ of Ezekiel seem fairly comparable to some of the performance art I’ve watched in my time. I found chapter 10 of Fee and Stuart ’s book ‘How to read the bible for all its worth really helpful on this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Read-Bible-All-Worth/dp/0310246040). They look at the way God through OT prophets took his mosaic covenant message to different generations in different forms, but in a way that stayed faithful to the text.

Adrian Warnock has posted a piece on his blog about the Newfrontiers Belfast Church plant.

Thanks Adrian!

You may remember my post titled Grand Theft Narrative, if not here is the link http://thebroadcast.org.uk/2008/08/19/grand-theft-narrative/ . 

In that post I used the following analogy to help describe the importance of understanding our salvation within the context of Gods great story.   

‘You go to your local book shop to spend your hard earned cash on the latest novel by your favorite author.  You get home and sit down to read your new purchase, but instead of starting at the beginning of the book you start reading at the last chapter. In doing so you completely miss the plot of the story. The narrative makes no sense, the characters don’t fit in and the ending seems confusing.’

As we place our personal salvation in the wider context of scriptures grand narrative there is something vital that we should be careful not to overlook: We are not just products of Gods great redemption story, but we are also integral to its fullfillment. 

In Genesis chapter 1 when God began his sovereign plan to redeem the whole of creation a story began.  Its a story that begins like all good stories ‘in the beginning’.  Its not a story that finished with Christ on the cross but is something that we are all part of.  We are part of Gods great, redemptive, sovereign salvation story.  If you are ‘in Him’ then He, in his sovereign divine grace called you to play a part in His story.  A redemptive plan that is being worked out today, in you and through you, wherever you are. 

All pretty humbling when you consider that YOU are part of His story.  The greatest story ever told.