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Goal 4: Transformation Network Web

The gospel cannot be disassociated from culture. If the culture is moving towards Christ, the people will be open to conversion. Hence among educated people in Southeast Asian cities, there are rapidly growing churches meeting in hotels of English-speaking middle and upper class people who are becoming Westernized. As the cultural drift is Western focused, the perception is also that this is a move towards Christianity. In such a cultural drift, there is an openness to the reality who is Christ. In Western cultures that have turned away from Christianity, bringing Kingdom values into every arena of society is a recreating of an environment for turning the cultural drift back towards Christ.

Each of the sectors of the city need to be impacted with the principles of the Kingdom. In each, the teaching of the scriptures needs to be spoken into the public domain.

To accomplish this:

a catalytic leader for each sector must be encouraged to emerge

a vision of how the principles of the Kingdom of God relates to this sector must be developed

a cadre (team) sharing the vision and working for a movement dynamic has to be built

an institutional nucleus sufficient to facilitate the movement dynamics

creation of key events and related publications that publicly highlight issues and draw out key Leadership

a small group dynamic that enables both small group discussion of the Bible as it relates to the issues and an evangelistic dynamic that leads people to the Christ who is the solution and the integrator of structures

coping with the opposition of the old order to the new movement

Synergism between the cadres (nuclei, Leadership teams) from a number of sectors of society is motivating. A simple process of bringing two leaders from each of twelve sectors together (24 leaders) to share their vision, goals, milestones, and timing of key events can provide a supportive and accountable context, where each can build ideas from the models in other sectors. the integration of two page summaries into a manual provides a comprehensive overview into which to recruit others.

Then bringing together all of the Leadership teams from the twelve sectors builds a further sense of momentum and accountability.

Each gathering should result in an upgrade of the integrated Transformation Networks Manual.

An integrating Core to the Transformation Networks

Some of the most successful citywide movements are based around a social welfare network such as Love Link in Fresno where the social welfare agencies refer people to neighbourhood churches and this is coordinated across the city. A beginning step would be to bring the urban poor ministry leaders together.

Moral Issues Foundations

Each sector has to have some institutional base from which the catalytic processes for a movement are generated. It may begin with a simple office and fax and a board. In the educational sector of New Zealand it emerged into a Christian Teachers Training College, training 30 students per year to become teachers in teh secular school system.

A Vision As Broad As Universities

Since the issues of both theology and practice are complex in each sector, the building of effective training, learning, and forum dynamics has to be carefully thought through. It has to be grass roots, ad hoc initially. Eventually the emergence of Christain Universities may provide the overall learning structures from which lower level in-service theologizing and applications can be developed.

 © Viv Grigg and the Encarnação Alliance Training Commission
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Last updated: 05/15/09.

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