At Uni on Tuesday we were discussing Pete Ward‘s book ‘Liquid Church‘ and critiquing the premise it contains:
“a vision for how the church can embrace the liquid nature of culture rather than just scrambling to keep afloat while sailing over it. Pete Ward presents his vision of a Liquid Church that addresses the needs of the isolated consumer-Christian by providing connection and community, located in common cause and similar desire for God.”
As we’re at the start of our module most of us haven’t read the book, so we were relying on the analysis and overview of others who had. At times there were misunderstandings about what the book (or rather the author) actually says. But during our discussions someone suggested that what we need is not ‘solid Church’ or ‘liquid Church’ – but rather something in between. At this point I coined the phrase ‘custard Church’ as something which might represent the middle ground.
I don’t have much time to write now (as I’m getting married tomorrow!) but I wanted to stake my claim as the originator of the phrase ‘custard Church’.
Following the coining of the phrase we had a brief discussion about the idea of ‘custard Chruch’ and noted that custard is a non-newtonian fluid which in simple terms means that the more you stir it, the more solid it becomes…
…perhaps the Church is the same. Maybe Church is intended to be more liquid in the way Ward suggests, but that the more we stir it up (or perhaps agitate it) the more solid is becomes. The more solid, the less responsive and able to change it becomes.
Stretching the point? Possibly…but what do you think?
[When I get back from our Honeymoon I promise to read the book and make my own conclusions than relying on the thoughts of others.]
“If I’m to preach to people effectively, I must be freed from my need for their approval and applause. As long as I am chained to that need, then my preaching will really be trying to fill up something in me that I can never fill.”
Source: Out of Ur – Out of Context: John Ortberg
Word of the day from Urban Dictionary: epiphanot
An idea that at first seems like an amazing insight (at least to the conceiver) but later turns out to be pointless, mundane, stupid, or incorrect, and often is the root cause of bad decisions. Mostly occurs under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Just a few months after I tried to sign up, my details have finally come through and I can now reveal that I’m the newest and freshest* member of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry. The IASYM is the association “for everyone who takes youth ministry seriously”:
Our aim is to support and develop the professionalisation of youth ministry around the world. In particular, we focus on furthering the academic study and research of youth and youth ministry (children, teens and young adults), the formal teaching and training of youth ministry (at universities, seminaries, denominations, parachurch organisations, local ministries, or wherever else it may occur), and all those involved in career youth ministry and in the growth and development of youth ministry as a recognised profession.
I’m just skimming some of the recent articles in the association’s Journal of Youth and Theology and hoping that some will be useful for my third term at CYM.
* I can’t prove that I’m the freshest member – apologies for the unsubstantiated claim.
-
8 pictures by Luton young people, taking themes from the Easter story and applying it to their own lives and experiences.
Sound advice from an excellent article at Youth Specialties by Mark Marshall:
“…broad rules encourage the development of wisdom rather than mere rule following.”
Source: Rules: less is more…
Advice I’ll be taking as we explore and define the rules for Friday Frenzy after Easter.
