Faithful Improvisation? Taking the narrative of the Bible, God at work in the world, and then improvising, faithfully, as we play our roles in the continuing story. What do you think?
Read an English perspective. Revd David Male is Tutor in Pioneer Ministry Training and published the following article in The Church Times.
"Cricket is probably the sport with the most cherished traditions; so the third ball of the 39th over at the one-day international at Chester-le-Street on 15 June set the cricket world alight. As the New Zealander Scott Styris bowled, the English batsman Kevin Pietersen turned his whole body around, switched to a left-handed stance and grip, and hit the ball for six. He repeated the feat four overs later.
This “switch hit”, as it has been called, was swiftly beamed across the world, and adorned many newspaper covers. Almost immediately, the question was asked by former players, the media, and even the guardians of the game, the MCC: “Is this really cricket?” Was the batsman changing from right- to left-handed as the bowler released the ball cheating, or at the least outside the so-called spirit of the game?
Soon after Pietersen’s shot, I was in Australia speaking about fresh expressions of church. Surrounded by other cricket-mad people, I began to see that the switch hit of Pietersen might be a parable for our ecclesiastical times, as we witness the planting of fresh expressions of church and the development of a mixed economy.
The challenge is not how to understand whether such a change is true to the game, but how it can act as a catalyst for further development. It can create disquiet, as the traditional responds to something new, which calls into question not only the rules but also the spirit of the game.
In my work in the Church, I often hear reactions such as: “This is not real church,” “This is church-lite,” or “This is not part of our tradition” to the development of fresh expressions, pioneer ministry, and Bishop’s Mission Orders. I have pondered the parallels with Kevin Pietersen.
FIRST, develop the art of faithful
improvisation. “Faithful improvisation” was a phrase I discovered this summer. I love the combination of being faithful to a tradition, and yet being willing to innovate for a new mission challenge. Pietersen was not scared to do this, and our present situation calls for more out-of-the-box thinking and action, if we are really to connect with, for example, the young, the working class, or various ethnic groups. Faithful improvisation is rooted in the tradition. In Acts 9, Peter received a vision from God which called for him to make profound changes to his thinking and actions. Such faithful improvisation has a long heritage, which we need to acknowledge and build on. We may need increasingly to go back into the past, as we seek to develop the future. We need more examples like Legacy XS in Benfleet — a church for young people based around skateboarding, but which has also started developing a pattern of daily liturgical worship and a monastic-style community.
SECOND, extend the development of potential switch-hitters. It is not really about training people to be switch-hitters, but about creating an environment and structures that help them to flourish. I worry that, too often, our focus, even with recent developments for pioneer ministers, is still concentrated on training leaders who are equipped to fit placidly within the system. We need to discover new ways of training that liberate them to improvise more. The expansion of the national Mission Shaped Ministry Course and the new mission-based training of the Church Army are encouraging signs, but we need to find ways to develop training opportunities for 18-21-year-olds, who may be the budding Pietersens of the future. They may not always be easy for the system to handle, but they are vital for our progress.
THIRD, recognise the deep attraction of inspired experimentation. When my 13-year-old son and I next went to play cricket together, guess which was the first shot he tried? Pietersen inspired him, and he wanted to see whether he could do something similar. Surely that must be a significant part of the inheritance that the Church passes on to the next generation of leaders, lay and ordained. We need to ask ourselves how many times our young people leave church feeling they want to try something bold.
FOURTH, accept the need for risk. Pietersen’s shot was certainly not an attempt at playing it safe. Immediately, cricket experts listed infamous innovative “new” shots that had failed spectacularly. Church people produce similar lists, usually headed by the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield; and so the Church becomes risk-averse.
I was speaking recently to a venture capitalist, who told me that his company would not invest in anyone who had not tried something new and failed. The greatest danger was a leader who had never tried anything new. We would all love to take only safe risks, but they do not exist, and that is where faith comes in.
This is not just rhetoric. With a few friends, in our spare time, and with very few resources, we are about to launch a new church in Cambridge aimed at sports people, called “Relay”. We have no idea whether this will work, but we would rather try and fail than wonder in the future whether it would have worked.
Dioceses, deaneries, and parishes must be prepared to take risks, not only on new expressions of church, but on the use of resources, both human and financial, for such experimentation. The more I have thought about Pietersen’s shot, the more I have seen parallels for the Church. We need to discover and encourage the Pietersens of the Church. They are there, and I suspect in greater numbers than we imagine. We must develop the environment where their faith, flair, and courage can be at the forefront of the next wave of faithful improvisations."
The Revd David Male is Tutor in Pioneer Ministry Training at Ridley Hall and Westcott House, Cambridge. Check out his book, Church Unplugged (Authentic).
Read an English perspective. Revd David Male is Tutor in Pioneer Ministry Training and published the following article in The Church Times.
"Cricket is probably the sport with the most cherished traditions; so the third ball of the 39th over at the one-day international at Chester-le-Street on 15 June set the cricket world alight. As the New Zealander Scott Styris bowled, the English batsman Kevin Pietersen turned his whole body around, switched to a left-handed stance and grip, and hit the ball for six. He repeated the feat four overs later.
This “switch hit”, as it has been called, was swiftly beamed across the world, and adorned many newspaper covers. Almost immediately, the question was asked by former players, the media, and even the guardians of the game, the MCC: “Is this really cricket?” Was the batsman changing from right- to left-handed as the bowler released the ball cheating, or at the least outside the so-called spirit of the game?
Soon after Pietersen’s shot, I was in Australia speaking about fresh expressions of church. Surrounded by other cricket-mad people, I began to see that the switch hit of Pietersen might be a parable for our ecclesiastical times, as we witness the planting of fresh expressions of church and the development of a mixed economy.
The challenge is not how to understand whether such a change is true to the game, but how it can act as a catalyst for further development. It can create disquiet, as the traditional responds to something new, which calls into question not only the rules but also the spirit of the game.
In my work in the Church, I often hear reactions such as: “This is not real church,” “This is church-lite,” or “This is not part of our tradition” to the development of fresh expressions, pioneer ministry, and Bishop’s Mission Orders. I have pondered the parallels with Kevin Pietersen.
FIRST, develop the art of faithful
improvisation. “Faithful improvisation” was a phrase I discovered this summer. I love the combination of being faithful to a tradition, and yet being willing to innovate for a new mission challenge. Pietersen was not scared to do this, and our present situation calls for more out-of-the-box thinking and action, if we are really to connect with, for example, the young, the working class, or various ethnic groups. Faithful improvisation is rooted in the tradition. In Acts 9, Peter received a vision from God which called for him to make profound changes to his thinking and actions. Such faithful improvisation has a long heritage, which we need to acknowledge and build on. We may need increasingly to go back into the past, as we seek to develop the future. We need more examples like Legacy XS in Benfleet — a church for young people based around skateboarding, but which has also started developing a pattern of daily liturgical worship and a monastic-style community.SECOND, extend the development of potential switch-hitters. It is not really about training people to be switch-hitters, but about creating an environment and structures that help them to flourish. I worry that, too often, our focus, even with recent developments for pioneer ministers, is still concentrated on training leaders who are equipped to fit placidly within the system. We need to discover new ways of training that liberate them to improvise more. The expansion of the national Mission Shaped Ministry Course and the new mission-based training of the Church Army are encouraging signs, but we need to find ways to develop training opportunities for 18-21-year-olds, who may be the budding Pietersens of the future. They may not always be easy for the system to handle, but they are vital for our progress.
THIRD, recognise the deep attraction of inspired experimentation. When my 13-year-old son and I next went to play cricket together, guess which was the first shot he tried? Pietersen inspired him, and he wanted to see whether he could do something similar. Surely that must be a significant part of the inheritance that the Church passes on to the next generation of leaders, lay and ordained. We need to ask ourselves how many times our young people leave church feeling they want to try something bold.
FOURTH, accept the need for risk. Pietersen’s shot was certainly not an attempt at playing it safe. Immediately, cricket experts listed infamous innovative “new” shots that had failed spectacularly. Church people produce similar lists, usually headed by the Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield; and so the Church becomes risk-averse.
I was speaking recently to a venture capitalist, who told me that his company would not invest in anyone who had not tried something new and failed. The greatest danger was a leader who had never tried anything new. We would all love to take only safe risks, but they do not exist, and that is where faith comes in.
This is not just rhetoric. With a few friends, in our spare time, and with very few resources, we are about to launch a new church in Cambridge aimed at sports people, called “Relay”. We have no idea whether this will work, but we would rather try and fail than wonder in the future whether it would have worked.
Dioceses, deaneries, and parishes must be prepared to take risks, not only on new expressions of church, but on the use of resources, both human and financial, for such experimentation. The more I have thought about Pietersen’s shot, the more I have seen parallels for the Church. We need to discover and encourage the Pietersens of the Church. They are there, and I suspect in greater numbers than we imagine. We must develop the environment where their faith, flair, and courage can be at the forefront of the next wave of faithful improvisations."
The Revd David Male is Tutor in Pioneer Ministry Training at Ridley Hall and Westcott House, Cambridge. Check out his book, Church Unplugged (Authentic).
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