More Regeneration Talk

Tonight I spoke as Rural Dean to all the chruches form the Deanery it should have been the Archdeacon but he is ill... so they got me banging on about Regeneration
This is what I told them, or what i intended to anyway.

Regeneration: Transforming Deaneries

Introduction

Many of you will know that I am about to start out on a an adventure of a lifetime, beginning on the 28th June with a trip to Yemen, followed quickly with a trip to Adelaide, and America.All this for a boy who up to three months ago had never been on a plane since I was 17 years of age.
I have already learnt a good many things about travel…
1. Going on a plane is not as easy as catching a bus
2. In Amsterdam: Not all Cafes are the same…
3. That if you are Sweden you simply have to say:” I’m very sorry I’m English,” and people will respond sympathetically in you own language.
4. After an added overnight stay without baggage, always carry a spare pair of pants.
I’m sure many of you have been to far more exotic places than I have and think I am a bit of a wimp.
(cue heroic music)
But I have been travelling in worlds where many of you have not been yet and I want to at least encourage you to take a few steps into this world because many of the concepts that are being talked about in this world are vital to the transformation of this deanery.
I want you to boldly go with me into the world of Regeneration.

Planet Partnership
The first planet I want you to visit is the planet partnership.
A key question in regeneration is who are you but who are you with?
On planet partnership no one is expected to work alone but to look for people to work with.

1 Partnerships with community and business
Andrew Mawson – Bromley by Bow
The beauty of partnership is that you can have an interest in what people are doing which goes beyond how much rent we can make out of them.
Partnership buys you and interest and visiting rites.
The weird thing about partnership is that it invites others to join to.
St Michaels is already beginning to experience the fruit of partnerships.

Benefit 1 on Planet Partnership - Training
At a basic level we benefit through our work with Yorkshire Forward through the training they have provided for me and others in our church that are in the regeneration business.
They are funding my sabbatical and this has already had an impact through the learning mentor they have attached to me.
Benefit 2 on Planet Partnership – Money and professional time
The future holds out many more fruits as we seek to walk alongside those who share our common aim to build community and to make our neighbourhoods a better place.

Benefit 3 on Planet Partnership – Gospel credibility
It’s difficult because partnerships are always complicated, ask anyone who is married!
However if we are to reach out to our community, partnerships are clearly the way to go.
Not so much “Come and join us!” but also “can we walk with you as we seem to be going down the same road?”
And as we walk down the road people will listen to us because we do stuff.


2 Partnerships with other churches
We are getting better at this.
Since we started negotiating share together we are also starting to make partnerships with each other… but there is so much more we could do.
Sharing good practice
Sharing our problems: if only we knew
Sharing our vision and pooling our resources.
Joining together in evangelism and resources
Planet partnership is one of the universes we need to walk in if we are to begin helping God in his great project of transforming our deanery.

Planet Outcomes and Outputs
The second lesson of regeneration is more difficult.
One of the more unpleasant aspects of working with people in regeneration is that they are always asking about Outcomes and Outputs.
It has taken me a long time to get a handle on this but, I think:
an outcome is what you intend to achieve
an output is something measurable that you intend to achieve.
These are a real challenge to those like me who like things to be open and illdefined.
Also you can tend to feel at times like you spend more time weighing the pig than feeding it, to quote Gervais Phinn
However they are a great tool for us as churches because they force us to ask the question of anything we are trying to do: “why are we doing this?”
They force us to ask the difficult question in a world of many things we could do:What should we do?
You would do well to look at what you already do already and to do this you need to measure like they do on Planet Outcomes and Outputs
On Planet Outcome they are not afraid to ask questions… Jesus said: Seek and you will find…
Planet Engagement

The third planet in the Regeneration is Planet engagement…
Our basic calling as Christians is to be “in the world but not of the world.”
We have to engage with the communities to which God has called us to deal with the place he has sent us in such a way that we maintain our distinctiveness but don’t make that a reason to turn our back on our communities’ needs.
We are often only visitors to this planet
We need to really live alongside them
If nothing else it give a credibility when it comes to sharing the Gospel
If we listen to that community, especially in its official capacity we sometimes some interesting thing that they are listening to.

Community Resilience meeting
Felt the challenge of being the first on the scene of a disaster
Planet engagement means we have to turn up…
As surely as the Good Samaritan turned up and didn’t turn away.
Planet Sustainability
The final planet in the regeneration universe is planet sustainability.
To create structures in such a way that they continue we have made great strides forwards in this but we are still not there.
Finances are still not secure in any of our churches, many of us are working a bit too hard and need space to reflect and renew our weariness.
This question is one which our diocese is facing and we need to ask hard questions about.
Sustainability also includes whose who work in churches…In order for us to be sustainable everyone has to work together

Conclusion
Play the Star trek Music:
To boldly go where no one has gone… a new Universe of Deanery Regeneration
Planet Partnership
Planet Outcomes
Planet Engagement
Planet Sustainability

Why should we bother?
I was facilitating a meeting in our area a few years ago when a piece of church land was under discussion.“They never come to us so why should we do anything for them. “
Three reasons:
1 God wants us to be a blessing“through you I will bless all the nations”
2 It’s part of being a good neighbour
3 It is the most effective way to credible live and preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
May it be said of us as it was said of the early church
43Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe. 44All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. 45They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed. 46Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, 47praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.