The Newforms Taster Day was held at the Corringham Safety Centre on Saturday 16 March 2013.
Some 22 people attended from across Thurrock, Farnham in Surrey, and Colchester.
Why ‘Newforms’? Because we were gathering to explore new forms of church and new ways of mission. Newforms is the resourcing and training wing of Mission Britain, a growing movement seeking to disciple disciples into discipleship and discipling…
The event was facilitated by Ben Taylor from Somerton in Somerset, with the help of his friend Dave from Glastonbury and David Beales from Colchester.
This is the gist of what was said, discussed and learnt in the afternoon session, as taken from Tim Harrold’s notes.
Afternoon Session
We began by watching two videos… Making Disciples – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxQKG_GKktA and Spiritual Multiplication – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uRCf6hXHjY&feature=em-share_video_user, which contains the amazing statistic that if each disciple made two more disciples, and so on, then the entire planet would discipled in just 37 years!
Ben asked two questions:
- “Are we currently with ‘cul-de-sac’ believers?”
- “What system do we put in place to find good soil?”
Using Matthew 10:5-15, Ben then went through the literal principles of this passage.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 8 Heal those who are ill, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 ‘Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts – 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
1. Prayer
Go prayer-walking around our towns and streets, seeing what resonates with earlier prayers in those locations. As we pray, people will spring up (see Luke 10:2), who will have missional passion for certain people-groups.
House of Prayer – this is not a physical house, but a ‘house’ in the sense of a family or group who identify together, dedicated to strategic praying over a particular area or areas.
Pray like Jesus – all night, early morning, on mountains, by the sea, etc.
2. People / Places
The sons of the kingdom are like seeds, planted intentionally to spread the kingdom where wherever they are – so, we have a responsibility wherever we are placed by God.
Jesus gives clear instruction out of the prayer about who to go to, who to reach out to.
The issue isn’t do we shut our churches, but how do we make disciples out of the people I already have?
3. Preach
This is “communicating through the scriptures”.
4. Power
Miracles are expected: heal the ill, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.
Turn problems in prayers, because we’ve received for free from Christ, and so we can give for free.
5. Person of Peace
Find (through prayer) someone who is a ‘network hub’, someone who people follow (like Cornelius in Acts) – these key people are the good soil. Identifying these could be by looking for social groups, as they will contain the people of peace.
6. Planting
3 questions to ask the person of peace:
- “Do you want to more about Jesus?”
- “Where can we meet you?”
- “Are there other people we can meet with too?”
Use the ‘Seven Signs of John’ (Jesus’ miracles in John’s Gospel) as steps into deeper faith in Christ. Ask:
- “What does this mean?”
- “What do we need to do?”
- “Who else are you going to share this with?”
and maybe
- “What does this tell us about God?”
- “What does this tell us about human beings?”
God (not us) teaches those whom he is drawing to himself. John 6:45 “(Jesus said) It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.”
“Disciples discover stuff, but consumers chatter.” So intentionally spend a short time with lots of people, telling them like it is, rather than investing time in ‘fruitless pursuits’.
7. Persecution
Things will try to prevent you from doing all the above points from 1 to 6.
In the UK, Christians are so conditioned to do nothing, we won’t get the same kind of persecution as in other countries.
Ben then showed us a Carlsberg advert with a profound meaning and to illustrate the idea of Crossing Cultures –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_mQVwbrhYw&feature=em-share_video_user
Then this video from the Mr Benn series, illustrating bridge-building through body ministry – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAPB8o1U5EA (specific section between 4:40 and 8:27).
John 13:17 says, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
So, what next?
- Pray
- Do something
- Do the Newforms Level 1 Training in May (see link)
- Go to the Newforms National Gathering in November/December feat. Steve Addison
- Read
- Pioneer Mission by Peter Farmer (of MIssion Britain) & Tim Nash
- Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens by Neil Cole
- Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church by Neil Cole
- The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch
- Movements That Change The World and What Jesus Started by Steve Addison
- You See Bones – I See an Army: Changing the Way We Do Church by Floyd McClung
- An Army of Ordinary People by Felicity Dale
- The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small Is the New Big for Today’s Church aka Small Is Big!: Unleashing the Big Impact of Intentionally Small Churches by Tony Dale, Felicity Dale and George Barna
- Houses That Change The World by Wolfgang Simson
- The Luke 10 Manual: Mission as Mandated and Modelled by Jesus by Steve & Marilyn Hill
- Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale
- Look at
- www.newformsresources.com
- www.missionbritain.com
- www.housesofprayer.co.uk
- www.simplestories.co.uk
- www.simplechurch.co.uk