Tending to Abide --Cultural Values in Greenhouse

Cultivating Life Together

“It was the Holy Spirit who came to them with the fire of divine love. It was His presence which made them missionaries. Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love. If I do not love a person I am not moved to help him by proofs that he is in need; if I do love him I wait for no proof of special need to urge me to help him. Knowledge of Christ is so rich a treasure that the spirit of love must necessarily desire to impart it.” -Roland Allen, The Ministry of the Spirit

Core Values—3 Authentic Distinctives

CORE VALUES are traits that are natural and have been apparent for a long time—often portrayed in “myths” or stories about our founding, our early days and milestones...

“Core” means we can credibly claim we are more committed to this value than 99% of comparable church-mission organizations

Ideally described in a non-traditional word or phrase with vivid and clear behavioral descriptions—what it looks like “in action.”

We Spontaneously Expand the Church in the Holy Spirit

We do Mission as the Church for the Church

You, Yes You (Everyone of You), are the Ministers

Spontaneous Expansion--Catalyzing Church “Varietals” in the Holy Spirit

Real Strengths of being a Church-Based Holy Spirit Movement

Catalyzing Creative Combinations—Connecting Contexts & Inspirational Movements through Prayer & Presence

Charismatic Stem-Cell-Level Creativity

Quick-Start Obedience

Seeing God’s Supreme Sovereignty in the Small

Combining New, Creative Contexts & Movements in Prayer & Presence—the combining of charismatic inspiration and practical need; of international ideas/resources and others from “across the street”; of ancient wisdom and novel insights.

The catalytic combinatorial creativity born of prayer and presence—producing new wine and new Church wine skins, new ministry platforms and ecclesial gatherings that are inspired from above and yet also indigenous to the place and people we meet “on the ground.”

A kind of “stem cell” level creativity, grown out of a gift of faith-- a conviction that He continues to want to foster the abundant life. A shift of perception, identity and missional action.

A willingness to partner and combine far and local resources, new and old ways, with an openness and expectancy that new patterns of evangelizing and expanding the Church will be revealed today, and we can discern them and cooperate with them.

A Charism for Stem-Cell-Level Creativity —

Mystical/Contemplative/Prayerful: Seeing Real Gifts, Real Needs--in the Spirit, with Spiritual Eyes-- and Calling people and their unique gifts into Life.

My first Sunday...

POSITIVITY/OPTIMISM--This is rooted in the experience of, a gratitude for, the goodness of God. He hasn’t changed and His goodness is still bringing about goodness, blessing, the joy of His presence and favor.

A Confidence in God that Anticipates & Moves with Hope: It is Curious and Expectant because it is Confident (non-anxious):

that God is at work (creatively, redemptively, DELIGHTFULLY), and

He is still speaking Good News and greater joy. We get to discover what that is in prayer and being so privy to the Council of God, to the Divine Council, we then get to tell of what we have seen and heard, in conversation with our friends (both old and new.)

We are His friends, with whom He sharing His plans if we will pray and listen, look and learn.

Hope that Names & Encourages: There is an uplifting Levity that edifies spiritually and then verbally. This uplifting “levity” sparks, catalyzes, the new realization--the new combination.

It’s a levity that is not anxious but at leisure, like the flowers in the field, or the water rolling off the duck’s back, because the Father is in charge, and He is trustworthy, the Son will never leave us on our own, and we have His Holy Spirit within us! We may live His interior, ongoing, thriving relationship with the Father, and all else seems less worrisome and troubling. He really has overcome the world, and death, and punishment, and His Spirit makes that real for us so that our prayers can rise, and our hearts can take courage.

It is a levity that enthusiastically sees into, from above, and speaks Good News in an opportune evangelistic moment, or at the inception of a new ministry combined from the unlikeliest of places, persons, resources, etc.

This hopeful levity comes from truly believing that Good News is still “incoming.” It’s a levity sustained by the flames of worship, by gratefully remembering the goodness of the Good News in Christ, in worship and prayer. It so savors that delightful food of the bread of heaven thankful remembrance that it cannot help but pray for and seek such “daily bread” from above, again and again.

“What is necessary is faith. What is needed is the kind of faith, which uniting a man to Christ, sets him on fire. Such a man can believe that others finding Christ will be set on fire also.” From Roland Allen’s “Way of Spontaneous Expansion” in Missionary Methods and Church Growth.

These are the flames that fly up in grateful praise, and which move us up and out, looking for more wood to kindle!

It Optimistically Looks Up and then expectantly inspects the present. It’s a levity that, with a sparkle in the eye, expects to Discover and Encounter the Most High God Today in You, and You and You-- in everyone you meet,— and in the new thing that God is weaving together, even as we speak!

Upon discovery, on first sighting, this hopeful optimism names the good that is being shown, calls it out, encourages it, and begins to call it out (ecclesia) and release it! When a new Christian is born, or a new charism is given and called-forth, or a new work is conceived and begun.

New and rare ministries can be born this way. Rare contexts, more diverse types of ministers and partnerships, can be perceived, identified, named and blessed and sent out. Unusual contexts can become ecosystems for unique ministries and people. New movements can be catalyzed and made tributary to the spontaneous expansions of the Spirit.

The blessing and releasing impulse can hardly be contained because realizing the hidden divine-like qualities of a sibling you’ve never met, or long-time brother or sister whose wonders had yet to be truly blessed is thrilling... God’s will is happening on earth just like heaven: brothers and sisters’ in their real identities, OR the “family business” embassy of the family of God, is spontaneously expanding in all of its glorious diversity and wonder! There is nothing like this!

Every day is potentially a family reunion of long-lost siblings, who need to be discovered, blessed, and invited into belonging and into the divine life they were made for.

Every day is potentially a building up of the household of God, in new living stones and new Upper Rooms of care and ministry artfully, creatively adorned and beautiful for God.

This is exciting/ it excites us to action.

The Mike N & Wm walk around Northwestern. William as inspirational and Mike as engineer, an unflappable doer of deeds. William paired up with Bezalel and Oholiab can instantiate all kinds of embassies of the Kingdom to Come. It has a few ingredients typically: a Potent seed of faith, a felt existential need, an insight from above, from the past, from across the globe or the street, recombining to catalyze a new church led by students on a campus. It was catalyzed partly by the international testimony of what William saw in Rwanda on the spontaneous expansion of the Church in an indigenous context—now in nursing homes, or in barns or bars! [Mike N alluding to an aspirational value of organizing for care.]

The beginning of WAS—Reciprocal Mission, Kenya & Austin.

Quick-Start Obedience—we have a bias for action, a willingness to try, to trial, to prototype. Sometimes prayer must become experimental or acted-out. Sometimes we have to move forward with only the slightest of promptings. Often we have to move out and adjust as we go—often we have to change our vantage point in trust, and after that trust has been relied upon as a basis for moving onto a new plane, we gain a visor of hope that helps us to perceive and home-in on what God’s really doing, what He’s really drawing us into. Sometimes we have to speak and interpret as we go.

Seeing God’s Supreme Sovereignty in the Small—God does not look as the world looks. He starts with a foolish and scandalous waste of a Life! It becomes a powerful victory and a wise eloquence that creates a new cosmos.

We do not despise small beginnings. We are willing to start “2 by 2 with lamps!” This involves a kind of humility, and even a willingness to see in people, or in community need contexts, possibilities that others often overlook. It may appear “rag tag,” it may seem eccentric, but it is willing and humble and active in love, trusting the Holy Spirit for inspiration and growth as we obey His spontaneous inspirations and expansions.

This is often very personal, connected to the discernment of a person’s calling and gifting. Enactment is often a person you say “yes,” to.

These may even be younger-than-usual leaders, or eccentrically gifted leaders. These may be college students, nursing home residents, under-served populations, from immigrant or multi-ethnic contexts, or women in leadership.

JENS: Mike N’s Hidden Potential. The Nursing Home’s hidden Church Power Nuclear Power… Jacob...

Holy Spirit is real. A person. Alive. Works through us, through body of Christ.

So when we go into a nursing home and people are speaking gibberish and throwing up on themselves, it’s still the church, maybe even moreso in raw reality of it (no trappings)

Honoring the Small beginnings

By and large, early GH was a very underwhelming enterprise

Mike and I often joke, just feels like us an 5 people in a room, thinking “Where the heck is everyone”

And yet we’re here

2 buildings, congregations all over the country, 30+ staff(!)

Because of this value, “the un-cared-for are cared for.” The un-reached are reached. The disconnected are connected. The Last, the Least, the Lost are the margins of the world that are the center of the Kingdom.

The eventual ability to resource the greater Church often comes from this willingness to start small.

St Paul’s House of Formation is one example of this evolution of resource capacity for the Church at large, beginning with the interests, gifts, charism and expertise of our Canon Theologian and Fr Alex Wilgus.

This value is the opposite of a fussy idealism or the pursuit of the “perfect liturgy.”

It is humble and service oriented, not “upward affiliating” or ambitious for office. It sees and values the more that is in the less. It is the opposite of our culture’s penchant for self-promotion and its idolatry of “success.” It requires an attitude of humble service towards, a listening to and learning from, the people, the moment, the underlying need, and especially the Holy Spirit who conceives these new ministries in love and in generative creativity.

This also implies a rejection of a “success mindset” that would deem the closing of a church congregation, or the lying fallow of a congregation, as a failure. Jesus began His ministry launch in earnest after dying, and with disciples who abandoned and denied Him. Hidden in these scraps of humanity were the seeds of a new Divine Council.

Francis Chan re: the small, the use of the gifts of everyone, the genuine nature of discipleship is not the performance of a few from the applause of many, but the real, loving, encouraging, relational work of a precious few who become the mighty men of the new David.

A Combined Summary: In the Spirit, expect the serendipitous combination of many things—even opposite poles: to Go big or go small (bi-directional); go international or go local. We go to Kenya to reach Chicago! Reciprocal Mission! This is also related to a self-understanding of being a "regional church." This is a shift of perception and identity.

GAFCON/WAS in Reciprocal Ministry. CJ and Local Multi-ethnic ministry. We lead by learning of God and our brothers and sisters, at all times and in all relationships. We reach by relating to God and all those He brings into our circle (our neighbors are here, there and everywhere.) In short, we are seeking, seeing, and serving a creative and spontaneous expansion of the Church in the Holy Spirit in a togetherness that is surprising and diverse, willing to cross denominational divides, racial and ethnic and class divides.

Strengths we’re Shoring-up

Spiritual Fruits Grow on Branches that are Secure in the Vine—The need for a life of rest and prayer, real belonging in a fellowship of forgiven and forgiving, beloved and loving siblings, who keep the flow of Christ’s fire going so that we are not consumed.

Spiritually Self-Sustaining

Strengths we’re Shoring-up

Spiritual Fruits Grow on Branches that are Secure (Abiding/Well-attached) in the Vine—the kind of creativity we are describing doesn’t happen when the Spirit is quenched in hate, or fear, or unforgiveness, or in some capitulation to demonic accusations or bitterness.

It needs the safety of the unhurried, non-anxious, life. It needs the safety and security of strong walls of salvation that only Jesus, the Master Builder, can build. The life that we can save is too shaky, too susceptible to tragedy or evil.

It needs the love that is so much stronger than death that it overcomes bitterness and casts out fear. That’s the kind of love that goes deep into the heart of life, and the problems that threaten life. It needs the Shalom of the Risen Lord breathing forgiveness, life, inspiration, and creative wisdom into His disciples.

We know that breakthroughs of insight happen when we are curious or compassionate, and fear and anger, fight or flight militate against that. Open hands and curiosity lead to connection and creativity. People who are afraid do not “orbit the giant hairball of creativity,” they bunker down in isolation. Secure children learn and playfully create. Traumatized children act out and withdraw. Only love and safety overcomes that, and the most secure version of that is the one that’s from God, from a place that is above the fray of our flimsy-ness and fear.

It’s deeply personal and participatory. It requires the exercise of that divine authority that He shared with His disciples in the Upper Room. He charges us first to participate in His life and THEN to share it with others. Our words and actions have to come out of this participation in Him, otherwise we quickly burn out. We need His fire, His oil, His breath to keep the living flame alive. That’s the how of the authority and authorization that he gives us for ministry—otherwise we run the risk of acting out of another, less-than-holy spirit.

It depends upon humility that is expressed in a regula of prayer and action and regular communion. There has to be a rhythm of rest and action, of nourishment and care—first received, then shared. Our relational circuits have to be open and flowing with the sap of the Holy Spirit, from Him who is our Life-Giving Spirit.

Real creativity needs rest and reverie, a non-anxious curiosity and delight. Exhaustion and anxiety work against curiosity, compassion, and creativity. Rest in receiving grace, being renewed in Christ and the family of God, begets the necessary joy-potential for reverie and inspiration in the Spirit.

Slow down and remember who you are, and who God is. This is to be rooted in a humility that knows it needs, along with a gratefulness of relished remembering that is the root of holy reverie. Humility and gratitude is how we are renewed in our knowing God, in experiencing His presence with us. His presence with us spills over into joy, which becomes strength, and contagious anticipation and love that forgives, and gives, and grows life. That is the well-secured, thriving, fruitful branch, abiding in the Vine.

Slow down to be with God, and with one another. That same spirit of “beholding” enables the seeing of another as a reflection of Him, a potential “Son of God,” a member of the divine council. [Paul knows this well as one who learned to his remorse that by persecuting the Church, He persecuted Christ.] With this comes the capacity to discern the moment and contexts that are conducive for communion and communication, a creative and new expression of God’s Kingdom and reign.

John Ortberg asked Dallas Willard what he needed to do to be spiritually healthy: “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” John said, “Okay, that sounds good, what else?” After a moment of silence Dallas replied simply, “There is nothing else.” This does not seem practical, but remember Jesus was not “practical.” He prayed, trusted, obeyed, loved, shared… He went slow and avoided the bread of the pharisees, which always leads to quiet desperation. He waited until after Lazurus died to show that God is presiding over all being. He is I AM. He is stronger than death and time! So live according to His ways and words! A Christian is someone who trusts Jesus more than himself.

The Regula of Prayer and Labor, or Contemplation in Action, is Spiritually Self-Sustaining—Resources are in the Harvest, when we do His works and speak His words. When we don’t quench the Spirit, He gives us food the world doesn’t know about. Lives, friends, homes, and cities are changed.

Our legacy of fruit creates another precondition. A confidence that can forge ahead because it has learned that much-needed resources are “in the harvest.”

Implication: our catalytic creativity requires a culture and discipline of prayer and relationship-- strong collaborative connections with the Holy Spirit and each other. The middle voice! We have to develop our participation in and our discernment of God’s works and words. Likewise, we have to develop our eye for those new brothers and sisters who do not yet know they are are part of His family.

TUESDAYS TOGETHER are critical. The regular maintenance of our life from above, our love for each other and our neighbors-- so that the good news is proclaimed in the world of Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth, till He is all in all. PARTICIPATE. YOUR LEAD PASTORS WILL PLAN AND PREPARE.

This presumes a commitment to follow the HS, creatively Adapt to your Context and Culture, which fosters this catalytic “optimism,” which is another way we can understand our GH-style of evangelism and discipleship as an extension of the Church’s ecosystem of worship and witness (GRATITUDE AND GOOD NEWS TESTIMONY) in the spontaneous growing fostered by the Holy Spirit —the daily anticipation of Christ at work in new life, new relationships, new births, new works. This happens not because of our flesh, our will, our desires or ideas, but because of the Love of God.

It is an Ecclesial Mission—The Church is Christ’s Helpmeet for Calling-out His People, Reconciling His Exiled Family, Mothering the Living

The arms of ministry are not, cannot be, disconnected from the Body of Christ! The words of Gospel ministry, the sacraments of the Gospel, and the gifts of the Spirit, are taken to the wells of Samaria, so that all the peoples who are not a people can become a people.

We can so easily get caught up in busy-ness and then we burnout. We can be like the disciples running into town to buy bread and we can miss the “real food and drink,” of Christ.

When we think of mission, we are convicted that family, that home, that belonging, is central to why the Gospel is good news. Jesus is making us His family and His friends, and He has prepared a place for us to receive from Him in the Upper Room, through regularly renewed baptisms (we remember and celebrate who we really are), in forgiveness and cleansed consciences, reconciled relationships--the washing of our feet—in a restored authority that shares His table of real food and drink, a true festival of remembrance and “insider” fellowship for blessing, wisdom and strength.

This is His plan for His family. Its what He wants to reclaim His other children TO—which presumes that we, too, are communed before we communicate. Otherwise, what are we communicating? We must open wide our mouths to receive before we open them to speak. We must open our arms in prayer before we lift them up in action.

This is how He involves us in His plan for reclaiming all of His lost siblings, who have been in a far country, captive to a harsh task master.

We are reconcilers, who themselves dwell in heavenlies and announce the Gospel victory in the heavenlies, so that all of the rebel thrones, dominions, and principalities will have to hand over their captives.

We are working with Jesus, from our true home base with Him, in Spirit and Truth, in order to re-conciliate the future elders of His governing council.

Implication in terms of a “Regula of Relationship”: the importance of mentoring, of spiritual direction, of a prayer-partner (“haveriim” 2/2, Torah Partner, a “co-cantillator.”) SPIRITUAL BATTLE DIMENSION...

You, Yes You, are the Primary Ministers/Missioners of the Church

The Chief Order of Ministry in the Church is the Lay Ministry. We are disciples to Him, learning of Him, and also helping others to come into the same. The Elders of the Church help to equip you, and to remind you, and feed you. They prepare places, contexts of care, and circles of ministry. Yours is the work of the liturgy, of serving Him in prayer and proclamation.

Aspirational Values:

We Creatively Catalyze for New Life; we Master Organize for Robust, Enduring Change!

We are a Cultivating Culture: We MasterPlan the Air Quality and Overall Climate of the Greenhouse Ecosystem

We care about the rare and the beautiful, so we design and curate sub-systems that are fitted to care for and grow them

We Raise up Hearty, Mature, Persevering, Anti-Fragile, Fruitful Sustainable Ministries and Elder Ministers

We Creatively Catalyze for New Life; we Master Organize for Robust, Enduring Change! (Ministry Maturity Development Post-Prototype, Leadership Maturity and Development for Anti-Fragile Relational Health.)

We MasterPlan the Air Quality and Overall Climate of the Greenhouse Ecosystem--Leadership Ecosystem and Stewardship Management for Health and Fruit—size, species, life cycle stage, etc.

Likewise, Developing Overall Greenhouse Ecosystem for Stewardship & Management (Right-sizing responsibilities and authority and accountability for clarity, coherence and execution; right-sizing our contexts of care and leadership, respecting the “Dunbar Limit” logic of 3/12/70/120/500/3000), and for greater support and accountability for fruit. (Commitment to Execution and Accountability.)

Tender, Open and Compassionate, AND Anti-Fragile, Persevering Ministers and Ministries: We Grow Mature, Hearty, Enduring Ministers and Ministries--Developing our Leadership Maturity for the Raising up of Elders Spiritually, Emotionally, Intellectually, and Relationally.

Clear SOPs for Grievances and Conflict Resolution and for reporting misconduct and caring for the wounded. (Under way with two major initiatives, with outside consulting support).

Communications of the overall arc of leadership direction is clear, failures and successes are transparently conveyed and/or celebrated, and our annual leadership agenda cultivates our vision, our strategy, according to our culture and its values.

Clear Leadership Communications out of Strong Strategic Focus and Planning, Pastoral Stability for Powerful Sending, Clear Stewardship Management (authority is tied to responsibility, trained to and held accountable to the same, and it is carefully resourced and managed for thriving ministers and ministries), Strong Cultivating Capabilities Tied to each New Species of Church, Strong Pastoral Surround-Sound, Grievance & Reconciliation & Repair SOPs, Strict Sabbath-Keeping to Cultiviate Spiritual Disciplines in Time, Attention and Energy (e.g. developing Regula’s and Schools of Spirituality, Immanuel Prayer, or Affective and Embodied Spiritual Disciplines for the “pandemic” of attachment wounded younger generations), Better Dynamics in New Ministry Development and Care after Prototype (assumes good taxonomies and phylogenics, for proper trellising, cultivating, proactively growing), We Lead Honestly & Vulnerably and Humbly (we lead from openness and compassion, truth inside and out), We are Transparent about Failures (We do not dismiss or blame shift), We are self-aware, we process trauma, and know how to re-open relational circuits, and to heal conflicts. We know how to train leaders and also how to mature souls into eldership. We understand the rhetorical moment we are in, and what kind of communication is needed, and how to facilitate to that.