The End Of 2007

The end of another year approaches and we begin to anticipate the change 2008 will bring. What have been the highlights of your year? As I think about 2007 I am fascinated to consider where I was this time last year and how different my situation now is.

At the beginning of 2007, I was a student at The University Of Sheffield. I had a dissertation to plan and write (I should have written more of it than I had at that point!) and January exams to prepare for. Most of my time was dedicated to pursuing a qualification.
As 2007 closes I am a part-time Graduate Engineer with a small Southampton-based firm. That's how I'm supporting myself and yet there is another job I have which takes up about as much time as this, and that's serving my church. Right now most of my thoughts and time are directed towards Life Church Southampton, and attempting to help facilitate the growth of a church and the extension of Jesus Christ's Lordship over lives in this city, and the 'South Hampshire Urban Area' which has a population of over a million.

At the beginning of 2007, I was getting exciting about Together On A Mission 07. I was anticipating attending (which I did), enjoying (which I did), receiving from God (which I did) and coming home to write copious notes (which I didn't). I was looking forward (with what you might call a quietly careful outlook) to what Rob Rufus would bring and how God would use him. After all, I had not really had that much exposure to him. I had heard others make various comments but basically he was an unknown quantity and so I was waiting with baited breath.
As 2007 closes I'm starting to get excited about Together On A Mission 08, and yet so gleefully aware that (although the conference is usually the first thing to go in my diary in any given year) the 'real stuff' is going on right on my doorstep: the growth of local churches through salvation and the establishment of new churches to help in the process! Nourishment and re-engagement in the wider picture is oh-so-important. I'm looking forward to hearing what Mark Driscoll (who always seems to be causing a stir somewhere or other!) might bring and how God will use him. I've not really had that much exposure to him. I have heard (or read) others make various comments but basically he is an unknown quantity for me.

Like previous contributors at the conference before him, there is the possibility that I may not agree with everything he says, but I am definitely willing to sit at his feet and let God impact me through him. The true contents of a person's character and the sum value of a person's message will be seen over time. And true maturity is humbly letting God reveal that truth in His timing.

My opinion (not that it's worth much!) is that Mark Driscoll will have much to offer us at Together On A Mission this year. It is wonderful to have people, churches and movements who are leagues ahead of us in various ways (e.g. in sensitivity to the Spirit or in understanding of the Word or in engaging with their culture or in growing massive churches). And I love that in Newfrontiers I follow leaders who are not looking for a 'guest speaker' who embodies everything we represent (and so limit the 'pool' of people we can receive from) but actually go for people who are way ahead in a particular area, and therefore will have lots to teach us in that areal.

And a word about the 'numbers game'. I do agree with the general consensus around that we need to grow fully rounded disciples and not just converts. I also agree that too often a leader's (or church's) platform is wrongly limited or inflated solely because of numbers. But neither am I ashamed of the fact that God is calling many churches in the UK to bust through the hundreds and into the thousands numerically. Are we really content for the biggest organisations in our towns and cities to be the secular councils, the intellectually proud universities and the materialistic businesses? Or would we like to see numerous churches in every city growing in maturity and size to genuinely become (to pinch a phrase from an elder at CCK) "a force to be reckoned with in the city"?

Not a thorough approach as to why I am not ashamed of numbers, but if this is what God is calling us to in the UK (and I believe it is) we could do a lot worse than to invite a man like Mark Driscoll to come and share his heart with us, having grown a church from nothing to 5,000.

Now there was a sidetrack I wasn't expecting to take this evening (that's one of the things I miss about blogging regularly... the diversions and the way it makes you articulate what you've been thinking for a while!). As that's gone on for a bit I'll keep the last bit brief:

At the beginning of 2007 I was a member of City Church Sheffield. Such an amazing church with so much that should be shared with the Church in the UK across the board. The presence of God with them is physically tangible and their true understanding of grace is a demonstration firstly (and foremost-ly!) that the gospel of grace is real, powerful and has the ability to change lives. It is also a testament to the sensitive teaching and leadership of Arnold Bell. God has used him to transform that church and I am truly thankful that God took me there for three whole years. I was genuinely changed!
As 2007 closes I am now a member of Life Church Southampton, which (as I mentioned before) is wonderfully occupying vast chunks of my time each week. I could say so much, but instead I will offer an illustration as to why I am not ashamed of numbers in church. We begun in April with 53 adult members. Our first ever carol service was last Sunday evening. Many of our regular members had gone away for Christmas by that point (most of them are students) and so we had no idea how many people to expect. We ended up with about 40 of our own people present, but most importantly another 80 people from the local community who had come to kick off their Christmas with us. So, as a Christmas-surprise, we ended 2007 with our biggest event to date with over 120 people present. As people arrived in the building we were (looking happy and surprised!) having to set out more and more chairs.

Perhaps some would try to attribute this to some aspect of human effort - I am very aware that it is God who is growing us bit by bit. I know he wants massive churches in this city and that we are to be one of them. So an awareness and appreciation of numbers in church is far from carnal - it's (part of) the promises of God being fulfilled! At 120, we have far to go. But we have, in the first nine months, come so far already and it is wonderful simply resting in His supreme sovereignty as God builds this church in Southampton.

Milestones

There are some days you know you will never forget. I remember the day, aged four, I invited Christ into my life. I remember so clearly the day I felt called to come and help plant a church in Southampton. The day we launched was also memorable.

Well, today we 'got' our first elder. A few months ago I named this day (9th December) Elderisation Sunday, and that is what it has been called in the office ever since (needless to say we didn't use the name publicly). Guy (Miller) came up from Bournemouth to set Chris Kilby in as the first 'elder-with-a-view-to-more-elders' elder (we went for a short and snappy title in the end).

Guy spoke passionately from Genesis 6 and Hebrews 11 to give us a big picture of God's mega-story in the earth: his earnest desire for a people. Bringing us through from Adam and Eve in the garden, through to we ourselves being Abraham's seed, he brought us to the point of seeing that God uses men and women to extend His purposes in the earth. The 'by faith' chapter wouldn't exist without the people it describes! Faith can't exist in a vacuum. God uses men and women to advance His kingdom and today one from among us in Life Church Southampton was given the full leadership liberty of an undershepherd.

The most beautiful part of the meeting was when Guy called Chris up and asked the church three questions based on scripture (e.g. 'will you make his work a joy and not a burden?'). He asked us to stand if we wanted to answer 'yes'. Looking around the room it was moving to see people respond in faith to the prospect of Chris's leadership. And wonderful to see the humble reaction of a Godly leader. Here is someone who, having received leading from God, has faithfully drawn others in to share his vision and own it for themselves.

Afterwards, when the whole church had gathered at a local pub for a celebration lunch, it was great to see the church's warm-hearted acceptance of Chris as their leader by their rapturous applause as he and his family entered the room (it sounds stage-managed doesn't it - it wasn't!).

Memorable milestones do not quickly fade away, and today we encountered one which will stay in our memories for a long while yet.

I Have Become An Inactive Blogger.

Have you noticed? I've become one of those. I never intended it to be so! I'm not sure whether it's a sign that I think things through less now, or whether it is simply that I haven't yet adapted my new routine to incorporate blogging.

I don't think I understand how people like Adrian Warnock do it!

I somehow didn't struggle to find time to blog while I was a student, but now it's altogether more difficult! So, what's been keeping me away from blogging? (other than X Factor which I'm watching with my family as I write this - I know, I know...)

Being an engineer. I'm learning a lot from my three days a week at a local enterprise centre!

Life Church Southampton. Starting something from nothing is hard work and a lot of fun. Two days of my week (three if you include Sundays) are allocated to this brand new Newfrontiers church. It's something I've felt really called to do and it's going really well. At a Prayer & Fasting last year I received a prophecy about God giving me problems solve - not as in trials, but as in maths problems which need a solution to be found. That's something that's beginning to happen and it's a great ride.

I'm loving being a part of the Wessex Region again - it feels like a family reunion half the time. And great to hear that Matt Hosier will soon be joining us in Wessex to become the senior leader at Alder Road Baptist Church, a Newfrontiers church in Poole.

It was my birthday on Tuesday - 23 feels quite a lot older than 22. I don't know why that is! Tomorrow I'm playing in a concert to celebrate the retirement of Ian Smith, who I wrote about in June. It should be good!

I think it's the funny combination of strict routine and the odd disruption to it which causes blogging to be a difficulty - I'm not sure whether to try and push through it, or to consign the contents of the blog to history!