Hugh Halter, author of The Tangible Kingdom, AND and most recently, Sacrilege was our keynote speaker for day one of AND Conference 2011. Hugh coined the word AND as a viable title of anything - namely his book - before Granger Community Church offered the conference by the same name. We had no idea he'd grabbed the title before we promoted last year's first conference, but he was a real Christian about it and didn't sue us. In fact he's been with us, helping us grasp the call of AND.
Here are some highlights from Hugh's session. If you were in the session or you caught it online, you know this was a challenging, paradigm-shifting talk.
- The church has always been counter-cultural, known for community, communion, inclusiveness, belonging, and intentional blessing to others.
- As it happened in the early church, it happened for Hugh's church plant in the Northwest. This little pesky thing known as the "local church" emerged.
- And with it - the attractional style of weekend church services.
- There was a day in our culture when people where looking for church, looking for a style of presentation that is "attractional."
- There is no "balance" in the AND. Genius, yes, never balance.
- The reality is "missional" has always been the call; always been the commission.
- Church is something that God builds. It is not a method. Rather He builds the Church through disciples.
- Paul was the classic sodalic leader... GO. Be missional. Decentralize the efforts. Evangelist, prophet, apostolic.
- Timothy was the modalic leader who would bring the efforts of the sodalic work together. Maintain it. Pastor, teacher, shepherd.
- The scriptures, as do our experiences, reflect only 15% of the church carry modalic giftings. 85% of the church is more sodalic gifted.
- We tend to build the local church well through sodalic gifts and leadership - with programs for connecting, even growing.
- The challenge is to shift from mere "first decision," belonging... to "second decision," incarnatlonal connection - not to each other - but to those outside the "church."
- Both sodalic and modalic are necessary. How we prioritize is the question.
- Don't leave the "big modalic, structured church," saying I'm gonna be the church, thinking you'll only lead or be part of a sodalic, organic, missional church. Because if it works - you'll find yourself in a modalic church.
Ask:
- Who is on the team? Do we have sodalic people on the team?
- Is there healthy chaos? That's a normal reality in finding the genius of the AND.
- Are we building, developing disciples.
- How will you move from doing the ministry to equipping the church for ministry.
- How will you invest your time and money?
- What you draw people with, you'll draw people to.
- How will you work from where you are? What needs to give in time, energy and budget?
- Are you ready for a fight?
- AND wakes up the enemy. Get ready.
- "But," "if," "or" doesn't stir the enemy at all. Status quo continues.
I was encouraged to continue to embrace the chaos. I was convicted again by the fact that people really do matter - whether they come to our box or not.
What are you doing to struggle with this tension? To live the AND as an indivual and the church?
