We Need A New Language

I was in a regional leaders setting this week, with folks who are running with stuff in terms of seeing the church as a whole re emerge, so from new community contexts to city leadership seeking to bring a 'one body changing territory' type scenario - really good chats.

One guy has managed to get all the city leaders who are working together - to agree that for 3 weeks every year, their folks are freed up from any 'congregational' obligations, to attend anything which is about establishing kingdom in their work settings. So there are several day set asside such as - healthcare! they bring people in to input, and create space for story sharing and people to find one another.

I would personally take that further (although i appreciate it is a step, but a step that exposes how much congregation usually require our centralised loyalty - loyalty to the alter over calling to life settings). My thought was how useful it could be to get those congregations to not just release people during those three weeks, but that they themselves focus all their resources on WORK AND LIFE SETTINGS.
Personally - im not convinced they could relinquish that much control, for fear that people might actually put more emphasis on life context mission than centralised submission.
BUT - we start with what weve got, and commit to transitioning steps, whilst at the same time not being subject to the long haul yourself and being free to get on with stuff - someone has to, otherwise we dont know what we are working towards, or that is sound and safe.

~OH YEAH - LANGUAGE

People are saying we need a new language for a new landscape - which i totally agree with, for instance, i am trying really hard to say congregation or construct instead of 'church', and keeping church as the word that describes Gods people on much wider macro multiple levels. I no longer see congregation as The Church - at best it is an organised meeting of some tribes who make up the church in a given place. ( we really do need to get Gods glasses back on again in this regard)

BUT - It made me realise that i am also seeking out a language for the OLD.
I see the organised religious institutions as a place which needs to be evangelised - into a fuller revelation of Jesus - but also into a FULLER LIFE which He came to bring (which some / most constructs have become a constraint to).
So i need to be able to speak their langauge and communicate from their reference points - not mine. Its the basis of all cross cultural mission - just never figured we'd be using it within the existing church. Something like that anyways......

Ha!
g unit