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Location: Blogs Vienna Team Blog |
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| Posted by: Team Member |
3/11/2006 |
My life pretty much consists of work, church and Vienna-related preparations. As part of our preparations, the team has developed a strategy to reach the lost in Vienna. Brian has been working on documenting our strategy and I’ve been helping him with charts and graphs and such stuff. I think that we have a pretty good strategy. But it’s so easy to get wrapped up in strategy and planning and forget that it is God who is guiding us and God who is preparing the hearts of the people we will meet.
I’ve recently started rereading a book called Red Moon Rising (by Pete Greig and Dave Roberts) that tells the story of how the 24-7 prayer movement began. I will probably share more about this book as I continue to read it, but what I read today really struck me. It’s a little long, but worth the read.
I think there’s a danger spiritually, for many of us, that if God packed up and left town today we might not notice until tomorrow, or worse. We have strategies and structures that can easily bypass the Holy Spirit, strategies for funding, strategic ways of prioritizing time and advancing the kingdom which were ignored completely by Jesus… He never established a Bible school and never even thought of a name for His ministry. He prioritized people without influence, offended those with power, and apparently missed major ministry opportunities in order to picnic and pray.
I’m not saying that it’s wrong to be organized. God gave us common sense and calls us to be good stewards of our resources. But if our techniques for time management, people management, and money management become automatic, we may well lose the dynamic leadership of the Spirit who is like fire and wind, a bird in flight, or a quiet whisper in the wake of calamities (30).
I don’t know what to say about this. I like strategy. I put a lot of stock into it. But as I think back over the past two years of preparations, I realize that every good thing that has happened has been by the hand of God and not by any planning on my part. It's exciting to see God at work.
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Re: Strategery--Alisha |
By Ty on
3/12/2006 |
| I'm the same way. I live in the future, always planning and hoping. Plan hard and dream big, but make the ability to adapt, to do the work of God when ever God sends it to you, your signature. |
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Re: Strategery--Alisha |
By Brian on
3/13/2006 |
| Strategies hold a lot of value, but if the heart of a strategy isn't missio dei, then the strategy holds the potentional to serve itself rather than the will of God. I also think strategies are often rooted in church growth studies rather than listening to what God is saying. I think our mission team is pretty good about this. We don't claim to have all the answers, but we are listening to the questions God is asking. I think that's important for a mission team. I think that's important for a strategy. |
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Re: Strategery--Alisha |
By Ben on
3/14/2006 |
Let's face it, elderships and mission committees like to see 'mission strategies based on church growth studies'. It's a partial assurance to them of a return on their investment. If you choose to go the route of congregational support, there are certain hoops, right? It's nice to see that, while you have to jump the hoops to get your support, you're still listening for and hearing a higher voice than the hoopmasters'. One of the greatest skills is the ability to change your perspective on command.
AND it's nice to see something about Team Vienna on the blog! Thanks, Alisha!! |
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Re: Strategery--Alisha |
By alisha on
3/14/2006 |
I don't think strategy is just a hoop we have to jump through, though there is bound to be a little hoop-jumping in any job. There is validity to preparing a strategy. The problem occurs when we rely on the strategy instead of the Spirit. It's not that strategy is contrary to the Spirit, but we must allow our strategy to come from the Spirit and make sure that the strategies we create do not prohibit the Spirit.
I also think there's merit to church growth studies -- as long as they are studies of what works today, not 50 years ago. I'm a real facts-and-figures kind of gal, so I like to see what has moved people to turn to the Lord in other places. The problem here is when we focus on the method rather than the Message.
Brian pointed me to an article by Gailyn Van Rheenen that relates to this thread. The article is a comparison of the missional versus church growth perspective. It's worth checking out -- http://www.missiology.com/mmr/mmr34.htm |
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Re: Strategery--Alisha |
By Josh Marcum on
4/2/2006 |
Glad to see other teams struggling with the strategy vs. spirit-lead tension. We (Cochabamba Bolivia team) finished our strategy document in November of last year. It has given us some direction. At least it has served as a reference to to go back and see what we all agreed to. I've tried to compare how many examples we have within the Biblical narrative of messengers for God with their strategy document in hand vs. those being lead by the spirit. Alisha, I believe that nagging voice inside you perhaps shouldn't be quieted so quickly. Praise God he is patient with us.
I lift your plans and mission up before our Lord. He who goes before you is faithful. |
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Re: Strategery--Alisha |
By alisha on
4/29/2006 |
| Thanks for the encouragement Josh. I enjoy reading your family's blog and seeing some of the things Brian and I have in store for us next year. I'm sure it will be quite different moving to Europe, but we'll have to do all of the "settling in" stuff just the same. Hopefully we'll have more interesting things to write once we're there! |
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