church outside the box

we've had an excellent week with the energetic and insightful steve taylor from christchurch. steve has been here leading a range of seminars which we  titled "church outside the box". steve led a leadership seminar on Tuesday, two evenings on 'alt worship', a chapel service and colloquium at the college, met with a range of synod staff and also spoke at our regular [re]generate in the pub. About 120 people attended those various events. Then to cap it off he was the keynote speaker at our synod & presbytery people, leading a morning session on missional imagination for 300 ministers and lay leaders. we worked him pretty hard, and fortunately managed to fit in a quick trip to mclaren vale.

steve was great to work with and very selfless in his service to us. I said to the synod on the saturday that we appreciated hearing from someone with a southern hemisphere accent and someone who  could 'practice what they teach'.  I thought it was great that steve was able to mess with people's preconceptions of mission and church by not fitting any of the local categories for such things. his Opawa journey connected very will with what many folk here are facing. through his stories, metaphors, insights and analysis he was able to communicate at a whole range of levels. the evidence was that people from across the spectrum commented on how they had been encourage and challenged.

one of steve's texts for the week was the sending out of the 72 from luke 10. because the saturday event was at the northernmost end of Adelaide, we had a quick dash to the airport for his flight out. the joke afterwards was that he takes luke 10 too seriously because we left for the airport and left behind his luggage! which then led to the insight that "the Lord will come after you" really means "bringing your purse and sandals in a fast Ford Falcon"!

I could say much more, and probably will as we unpack some of it, but thanks steve for your generosity of spirit and great leadership over the week.

Comments

[steve]

ha.
that is a great textual insight; much better than blaming a driver!

i had a great time and you were a great host,