Organising Ministry

There are no speech marks in Greek, so we can't really be sure where to put them in an English translation. Consider the following passage from Matthew 10: 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.' It struck me this morning that you could shift the final speech mark and it changes the disciple's mission considerably: 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...

I've been thinking about the use of "agitation" as an organising method today. At morning prayer, we reflected on the "agitation" caused by powerful rulers, which produces chaos - and is countered by stillness. We also reflected on the "agitation" caused by the Gospel which challenges people to life giving action. In organising, we want to avoid agitation which brings harm and division, in favour of agitation which generates good leadership and positive developments. My initial hypothesis is that there are six main ways that an organiser can positively agitate leaders: World View: What does the world view or belief system of the leaders say about society and the leaders imediate context? Does this need to be challenged? This is an issue of spirituality, beliefs and values. Skills: What new skills can be taught which create the possibilities of new understanding and action? Testimony: How can leaders listen to the experience of other people in a ...

Quiet day today, working on my talk for Cuddesdon and watching a documentary about Saul Alinsky:

This evening, I spoke to Deanery Synod about my sabbatical, and my ideas for a longer research project. The difference between "leading" and "organising" was particularly relevant, with people responding warmly to the Golden Rule: "Never do things for other people that they can do for themselves".

This evening we had the Citizens MK Leaders Forum - which is the event where representatives from the twenty member institutions come together and agree a long list of campaigns for the coming year. The idea is that we end up with five or six "problems" that are then developed by "research teams". The research teams will then produce achievable goals that will be put to the "delegates assembly" in February. I've chaired this meeting for the last three years. It's a tough one because there's a lot to squeeze in - particularly the rounds of institutions where they present their two suggested problems. This year I took a back seat, operating more like an organiser than a leader. I wrote the script and supported the chairs. This was a great learning experience for me, and it was good to see the evening run smoothly. My main reflection is on the importance of leaders. At one point it looked like people were keen to pursue ten different campaigns....

One of my big projects for the sabbatical is to develop the work of Refugees Welcome MK, so it taps into the energy of supporters and is ready for the long term challenge of integration and welcome. Tonight was a major step on that journey. I facilitated a big gathering of supporters and volunteers with a view to identifying strategies that will help move things on... It was a great session, but I am conscious that many of those who attended will not have the time or the commitment to make things happen. We have produced a lot of new ideas, but we still need leaders who will carry them through. I think we've made a significant step on the journey, but the February meeting will be crucial if we're to get people to sign up to new projects...

We joined the people of Shenley at the war memorial this morning. It was good to be reminded that we are part of a local commity with a long history and a living present.

At the Global Leadership Summit yesterday, Andy Stanley challenged us to do a "success audit". The question was "What would you do all over again, if you had to do it all over again?" Looking back at the last ten years of my journey as Area Dean, I found myself focussing on the following three practices: 1. Build a team where everyone shares in both decision-making and action: When I became Area Dean I asked the bishop if I could form a Deanery Leadership Team. Our succeses have been built on the idea that you involve people in both axes of collaboration: decision-making and action-taking. I would do this again in a heart-beat. 2. Think Long-term: My favorite phrase has become "people overestimate what you can achieve in three weeks, but underestimate what you can achieve in three years". Our biggest achievements have happened because we thought long-term - including our ten-year transition plan. 3. Create Solutions: Sometimes we've had to try a few...

What an amazing day! I attended the Global Leadership Summit at MK Christian Centre - technically a replay of videos from the actual event in Chicago. It was very well managed, with a host, workbooks, conversation time and lunch. I wasn't sure how succesful this would be, but it worked really well! The quality of the talks was stunning (which I expected having seen a few in the past). The content was good, and the challenges were really helpful. I'll be digesting it over the next few weeks and will probably blog some of my reflections. At this point, I just want to say "wow!"

I had the privilege today of co-chairing the Citizens UK Council. The highlight was an item focused on the national agenda which required some tough facilitation. We spent some time generating five potential national agenda items which working groups will now work towards. These issues are: - Poverty - Homelessness and Housing - Refugees and Sanctuary - Hate Crime - Mental Health

Today's big task was a draft paper for a conference on migration in December. The outline was produced by a group I facilitated in November, and there is more work to do. Here is the first go at some text: How can we speak about migration? Introduction The Canadian singer, Bruce Cockburn one wrote “Some people get to make the news – some people get to say what’s true...” He was hinting at the way language and power are closely related. Those who have power shape our world by deciding what stories are told and how language is to be understood. We often say that history is told by the victors, but the present is also defined by those who control public conversations and narratives. Those who find themselves in a position of powerlessness are most affected. This is particularly true of migrants who have often lost their homes, support structures and means of employment. Lacking power, their stories are told by other people and the words used to describe them are...

I spent the afternoon writing a letter to the Citizen in response to an article in last week's paper: The world is in the middle of a terrible refugee crisis. According the the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, there are over 65 million forcibly displaced people in the world - 22.5 million of them have been given official status as refugees. Two years ago, the photographs of children and families fleeing the war in Syria changed the way many people felt about the refugee crisis. Many citizens of Milton Keynes were moved to help and the Council agree to take our fair share of people from the refugee camps as part of the UK Government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).  The Council, The British Red Cross and Refugees Welcome (RWMK) have been working hard to achieve this goal. Local people have opened their hearts and their homes, and we have now welcomed ten families through the scheme - a total of sixty-three people. It has been hard work, but t...

Sabbatical Day Two: The day started with an inspiring event to celebrate the living wage in MK. We had presentations from the team who have achieved a total of 48 companies and organisations signed up - including Ikea, the OU and Santander. We also had speeches from business leaders and the Council Leader. The highlight was the new song from Summerfield School... The "action" continued with a visit to the management offices at CMK with an attempt to arrange a meeting with someone to discuss signing the Centre up for Living Wage status... It was an interesting morning from the perspective of the sabbatical. I found myself thinking about various aspects of Community Organising: Relational Power: The crucial element of building 121 relationships with leaders and power-holders in order to bring change... Achievable Goals: We were reminded of Tim Minchin's statement that "You don't have to have a dream". Big visions are all very well, but if you...

On  Monday evening I chaired the trustees meeting for Refugees Welcome MK. We discussed possible plans for future development, and the urgent need to address problems with housing and employment - not to mention the Supporters Summit on the 13th. I'm continuing this work during the sabbatical. it's important in its own right, but I'm also convinced that the methodology of community organising will help us  build capacity and achieve action. This is therefore an important "case study" for my research.

Today is the first day of my sabbatical. I'll be blogging each day, as a way of recording the journey, and a way of sharing the experience. I've called the blog "organising ministry" because the focus of this time is the relationship between Community Organising and Christian Ministry. Is there a form of ministry that looks a lot like organising? How can I develop my leadership skills, so I am better a organising the ministry of others? I'm going to be doing aome background reading (so expect some book reviews) and and I'll be doing some work with Citizens (MK and UK). I've got a course lined up and will be laying the groundwork for a longer research project... Here in Milton Keynes, I'll be doing some work with Refugees Welcome and taking part in Daily Prayer. Today was a gentle start to the journey. I had a bit of paperwork to finish up, and sent some "organising" emails linked to Thursday's CUK Council and next week's CMK Lea...