Comments on: Howard Lawrence & Karen Wilk – “Neighborhood Life” (Renov8 #rv8) http://michaelkrahn.com/blog/2009/11/21/howard-lawrence-karen-wilk-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%9cneighborhood-life%e2%80%9d-renov8-rv8/ it's a good thing I like to dance Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:12:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Howard Lawrence http://michaelkrahn.com/blog/2009/11/21/howard-lawrence-karen-wilk-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%9cneighborhood-life%e2%80%9d-renov8-rv8/comment-page-1/#comment-3370 Howard Lawrence Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:53:34 +0000 http://michaelkrahn.com/blog/2009/11/21/howard-lawrence-karen-wilk-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%9cneighborhood-life%e2%80%9d-renov8-rv8/#comment-3370 Michael, thank you for your comments regarding our presentation. The "explaining" that I entered in to comes from the missional church conversation. The refrence text edited by D.Guder is one source of the reframing of the gospel in what many are calling a more robust understanding of the good news that Jesus preached. This is important to note in that this is this starting point of many of the conversation topics that we were hearing at the Congress. It should be no surprise that as we root our discussions in this new ouderstanding of the Gospel Story that our language will be similar as was the case with Stuart Murray and Julie Kilpins language and mine. I was however amazed at the confluence of theme and language throughout the congress and was particularly affirmed when from across the ocean came language almost exactly like ours to discribe such important concepts. I see God at work in this. With refrence to "Shalom or Kingdom seekers" this discription of a person who may or may not be a follower of Jesus but is seeking "Gods Dream of reconciliation and beauty" arises out of this new understanding of the Gospel. This kingdom seeking impulse is key to ministering in our world. It is particularly important to the agenda for ministry in the neighbourhood in that seeking the kingdom of God together with our neighbours is exchanged for the old stories agenda of "getting them saved" into heaven supported by active worship service attendance. These two valid ideas are nuanced by the former. I am glad that you like Randy Frazee's idea of "instead of doing community in Church, lets do Church in the community" or neighbourhood. The rethink of the Gospel which we began discussing leads us to many new conversation topics as we witnessed at the Congress, but most importantly it is and will lead us to new practices and eventually to new institutional expressions of the church. Ultimatly it was here that Karen and I wanted to land. I agree that we were a little shaky here because I got caught up in theological conversation on the way. This was not in the plan. In reflection I wish that we would have just started with the stories of the exciting work of church planting we are seeing done in neighbourhoods by capable lay people. This was a great congress and with many great presentations. So to be rated by you as "the least effective" may still stand us in good stead. Perhaps blogging with you for clarity will bring more effectivness. Thanks for your work, Howard 780 707-9501 Michael, thank you for your comments regarding our presentation.
The “explaining” that I entered in to comes from the missional church conversation. The refrence text edited by D.Guder is one source of the reframing of the gospel in what many are calling a more robust understanding of the good news that Jesus preached. This is important to note in that this is this starting point of many of the conversation topics that we were hearing at the Congress. It should be no surprise that as we root our discussions in this new ouderstanding of the Gospel Story that our language will be similar as was the case with Stuart Murray and Julie Kilpins language and mine. I was however amazed at the confluence of theme and language throughout the congress and was particularly affirmed when from across the ocean came language almost exactly like ours to discribe such important concepts. I see God at work in this.

With refrence to “Shalom or Kingdom seekers” this discription of a person who may or may not be a follower of Jesus but is seeking “Gods Dream of reconciliation and beauty” arises out of this new understanding of the Gospel. This kingdom seeking impulse is key to ministering in our world. It is particularly important to the agenda for ministry in the neighbourhood in that seeking the kingdom of God together with our neighbours is exchanged for the old stories agenda of “getting them saved” into heaven supported by active worship service attendance. These two valid ideas are nuanced by the former.

I am glad that you like Randy Frazee’s idea of “instead of doing community in Church, lets do Church in the community” or neighbourhood. The rethink of the Gospel which we began discussing leads us to many new conversation topics as we witnessed at the Congress, but most importantly it is and will lead us to new practices and eventually to new institutional expressions of the church. Ultimatly it was here that Karen and I wanted to land. I agree that we were a little shaky here because I got caught up in theological conversation on the way. This was not in the plan. In reflection I wish that we would have just started with the stories of the exciting work of church planting we are seeing done in neighbourhoods by capable lay people.

This was a great congress and with many great presentations.
So to be rated by you as “the least effective” may still stand us in good stead. Perhaps blogging with you for clarity will bring more effectivness.

Thanks for your work,
Howard
780 707-9501

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