Source: US Bureau of the Census International
Factors
of the Emerging Global Culture
Today,
one can be sitting in a café in London drinking Italian espresso served by
an Algerian waiter to the strains of the Beach Boys singing “I wish they all
could be California girls…” or hanging around a pub in New Delhi that serves
Lebanese cuisine to the music of a Filipino band in rooms decorated with barrels
of Irish stout, a stuffed hippo head, and a vintage poster announcing the
Grand Ole Opry concert to be given at the High School in Douglas, Georgia.
Some
Japanese are fanatics for flamenco and many others love Black Gospel music.
Denmark imports five times as much Italian pasta as it did ten years ago.
The classic American blond Barbie doll now comes in some 30 national varieties,
and this year emerged as Austrian and Moroccan.
Today
we are in the throes of a worldwide reformation of cultures. It took television
13 years to acquire 50 million users; the Internet took only five. In China,
web users have grown from one to ten million in five years. It is expected
that in the next five years that number can grow to 300 million.
At
no time since the Roman Empire have we seen the phenomenon of a truly Global
Culture. As the Roman soldiers moved out from central Italy and subjected
the people living on the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea and further
north all the way to the British Isles (stopping at the border of now Scotland),
they brought a common language that culturally linked people who were once
strangers. They also built a series of roads (some which still exist today,
- I have even driven them!), which for the first time enabled people to travel
with greater ease than ever before and enabled commerce to move quickly across
geo-political boundaries. Another major unification factor was the Pax-Romana
(Roman law), which gave people the sense of security and consistency needed
in order to thrive within limited freedoms.
It
was this socio-economic and political context which the Apostle Paul described
as “the fullness of times” (Gal 4:4) in which God determined that the mystery
of redemption should be revealed.
It
was the “ripe time” which would facilitate the small band of Jesus’ early
followers to spread, in the fastest way possible, the message of redemption
and the disclosure of the real purpose of life on earth.
How
did the early church take advantage of this kairos?
The
first disciples took full advantage of the contextual factors that the Roman
Empire created. Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity estimates
that by the year A.D.350, Christian believers comprised 56.5% of the population
(p.7).
They
first of all went to the people who were most responsive, “the God fearers.”
These were Gentiles who were attracted to the moral teachings and monotheism
of the Jews, but would not take the final step of fulfilling the law. However,
the decision of the Apostolic Council to not require of Gentile converts the
observance of the Law became a watershed for the advance of the faith. Stark
says “it created a religion free of ethnicity” (p.58).
At
the same time, Stark identifies a large segment of Jews described as Hellenistic
Jews. These people were also ready to receive the message of the Gospel. By
starting with these two groups the Apostles gathered a great harvest (p.60).
The
early church became most relevant as it actively engaged the socio-economic
issues of the time.
There
are accounts of three major epidemics, which decimated the population of the
empire. It is the opinion of the early Church Fathers that the epidemics made
major contributions to the Christian cause. The trauma and suffering overwhelmed
the complacent capacities of paganism and Hellenic philosophies. Christianity
offered a much more satisfactory account of why these terrible times had fallen
upon humanity, and it projected a hopeful, even enthusiastic, portrait of
the future (p.74).
The
early church was also most attractive to women. Stark records that in A.D.370
the emperor Valentin issued a written order to Pope Damascus I requiring that
Christian missionaries cease calling at the homes of pagan women.
Within
the Christian subculture women enjoyed a far higher status than did women
in the Greco-Roman world at large (p.95).
Today
we are surrounded by a culture that exhibits many of the same circumstances
in existence 2000 years ago, however spread far more widely. The common language
is one expressed through music and films. These have become the main cultural
connections and interpreter of experience to the generation under 30. They
are the source of commonly held views on life, love, and death. Popular movies
like the recently released (3/00) “The Beach” starring Leonardo De
Caprio, expressed in powerful ways the longing that the under-30 have for
a place of safety and ease – their paradise. This film has been viewed in
L.A., London, Delhi and Caracas; the crowds will be the same age everywhere
and they will all leave with similar feelings. Never before could so many
people be touched so powerfully in such short space of time with the same
message.
The
Internet is the road that links today’s culture. It is one that requires very
little (if any) physical movement. The transportation means are the computers
that are found in the homes and businesses of the influencers and trendsetters
of this age group. For those to whom a home computer is not available, the
increasingly available Internet cafes are the solutions.
With
few barriers and minimal costs a great number of people under 30 are in touch
with others anywhere in the globe; news and information are being passed around
as the events transpire: LIVE. Trends and styles are being adopted as quickly
as they are unearthed in New York and Paris.
This is true among people virtually everywhere. Let us examine some
of these trends:
The
Western World
The
present understanding of cultural shifts has defined our society as living
in a post-modern era. Post-modernity is most simply characterized by a rejection
of the hope and expectations that the modern era with all of its technological
advances brought to us.
Steve
Spaulding is of the opinion that, God Himself is the
explanation for post-modernity. He argues that it finally gives legitimacy
to the breakdown of all of the bankrupt structures of Christianity’s modern
expressions: Bible schools with highly structured curricula, mega-churches
with infinitely organized programs/meetings, discipleship materials with stifling
amounts of cognitive-only input. What
I see in the post-structuralism of much post-modernity is a cry for a Personal,
relational, trinitarian/communal God, not modernity’s Christian God of intellectually
watertight apologetics. After all,
the biblical God does not fit easily with our classic systematic reductionisms…we’ve
known it all along, but no one forced us out of these Greco-Enlightenment
habits until now. It’s really very
much like the 60’s Jesus Movement which complemented the Hippy movements,
which many over-40’s seem to remember with a kind of sanctified nostalgia…as
though we maybe didn’t go far enough at the time.Another feature of post-modernity is post-structuralism, simply put, the
de-structuring of things modern, whether art, philosophy, education, literature,
religion. This is a very interesting
feature, which I believe explains why almost any non-traditional expression
of church is part of the emerging-culture-church phenomenon.
We
have discovered that we have more, faster, better, cheaper, but we are still
not happy. Those under 30 who face a well-connected world filled with lonely
people most acutely feel this. A great characterization of these times was
made by “The Matrix,” the hit film of 1999 that has made hundreds of
millions in the box office worldwide!
The
story line reveals a near perfect world where everyone lives a lie, as in
reality all human life is being used as fuel to provide energy. While everyone
thinks that all they see and feel is real, the sinister fact is that “reality”
is only the projection of a monstrous computer program.
This
outlook on life has revealed a great hunger for a reality that will fill the
emptiness uncovered by modernity. In Western nations people are looking everywhere
for an experience that will provide a means to fill that void.
Unfortunately,
church “as we have know it” is usually the last place these people consider
to look for that answer.
The
Nonwestern World
While
not being as affected by the “post-modern syndrome” as their Western counterparts,
those outside the West nonetheless face their own set of issues that bring
them to a similar point of despair.
The
truth is that regardless whether young people live in India, Iran or Vietnam,
they are all being influenced by the three great unifiers of global culture:
movies, music and the Internet.
A
couple of years ago while riding a southbound train to Luxor, Egypt, I met
and befriended a single Saudi medical doctor who shared with me some insights
that revealed cracks in the seemingly impenetrable walls of the guardian of
Mecca.
Among
the many things he said, he made it clear that he had partially rejected the
traditional mores of marriage and was looking for his own wife—on his own
terms. He thought he could find one in Turkey that was ‘pretty and would cost
him only $5,000 to $10,000, a bargain by Saudi standards!’
Most
of us would be astonished with the changes that have taken place in the Iran
of the Ayatollah Khomeini. These changes are now easier to accept as we have
witnessed the result of the most recent elections (Feb ‘00) of Mohammad Khatami,
a “liberal progressive” president who seeks a renewal of links with the commonly
known “Great Satan” of the West.
In
Iran, 40 million people are under 25 years of age; they represent two-thirds
of the population. To them the times of the Shah are a distant memory. The
feeling of the revolution is something their fathers talk about.
To
this new Iran, the hotter issues have more to do with the impact of the rigidity
of Sharia law, which, for instance, does not allow a couple to hold hands
in public. To this group, Islam has become a long list of don’ts that hinder
them from being truly free.
In
India, a new generation yearns to cash in on the technological revolution
that gives then the opportunity to make a lot of money very fast. While in
this second most populous nation of the world, this group represents a tiny
minority, information does trickle down to the slums where people can now
get cable television with choices of up to 50 channels for just a few rupees
per month.
People
who have bought hook, line and sinker the redemption that computer chips and
software programs offer will soon discover the emptiness evident in the West.
The
level of openness to the gospel that we find today among tribals and lower
caste people is becoming more and more true among the trendsetters of India
as well.
Similar
things could be said of Buddhist nations like Japan, Cambodia and even in
the still repressive environment of Viet Nam.
In
a recent visit to Japan, I was astonished as I began to understand
the extent of the cultural drift the emerging culture is experiencing.
The
so-called “shinjinrui” or new race, are the first group of Japanese that have
very little in common with their elders. They represent between 15-20% of
the population.
Together
with a group of Japanese pastors and younger leaders we visited one of the
areas daily frequented by these people. Interacting with them was a first
experience for most of our group. However they all agreed to the amazing openness
that these people exhibited towards anyone who showed interest in them and
was not afraid the engage them in their ground.
Under
the umbrella of the Japan Cell Church Network led by Pastor Yoshito Ishihara
a new team was released with the task of developing a church planting strategy
to reach the emerging culture of the nation. Uniquely the team is made up
of young leaders and will operate under the name “Japan Youth Church Network”.
While
Christians have always had reasons to be shy of the world and its cultural
trappings, we need to recognize that our God is working on a mass-scale in
our culture, bringing a generation everywhere
to a time of ripeness.
What
is God doing today?
While
many strategists in Christian circles repeatedly point to the fact that Europe
is the only continent where the church is shrinking, they miss one sector
that is hard to account for. I’m referring to the phenomenon currently known
as Youth Church, or, as a growing number of us prefer to describe it, Church-into-Emerging-Culture.
The
national newspaper The Guardian reported in September ’99 that the CU (Christian
Union) is the largest club in British universities, “made up by Jesus revolutionaries
who easily talk about their love for Jesus as they are prepared to engage
over the issue of masturbation and the making of illegal copies of CD”.
The
impact of the message of Jesus in the lives of young people is also felt as
Christian R&B singers Mary and Mary, this last August ‘00 have their song
“Praise you” in the top 10 in the UK.
This
is a new generation of believers who meet in pubs, discos, offices and homes,
hardly places to count Sunday morning worship service attendees. Nevertheless,
this underground movement is reaching dimensions in Europe that are hard to
believe. (or, that would have been hard to imagine just a decade or two ago)
In
fact England saw the birth of this new breed of churches about 20 years
ago. However, those pioneers, in their 40’s today, readily admit that something
brand new is happening. Roger Ellis of Revelation Church in Chichester, wrote
in his book, “The New Celts,” that…
Last
summer 16,000 young people joined together under the banner of
“Soul Survivor” an Anglican movement to reach a new generation, to
worship, receive training and inspiration to reach their generation. The group
met in three different week-long sessions for the venue could only hold 5,000.
Soul
Survivor stared a few years ago as the vision of St. Andrews Chorleywood an
Anglican parish (just outside London), who rented a warehouse near the town
center of Watford a distant location from the St. Andrew’s suburban environment.
This,
while an estimated 5,000 British young people leave the church “as we know
it” every year! Says Mike Breene Vicar of St. Thomas Crookes in Sheffield.
No
one knows for sure, but there is an estimate that in just the past five years,
hundreds of new churches, of all types have been established into Emerging
Culture in England alone.
These
‘churches’ reach people at raves—dance parties that last several hours into
the night, on university campuses, or in town centers at pubs and discos.
St.
Thomas Crookes in Sheffield is serving the large university community in its
town with cell groups in the various campuses.
Worship is varied, from the contemplative to loud sounds accompanied
by dance. The current attendance has exploded to 2,000 with 80% being under
30 years of age.
Mike
explains that they strive to be a place where people can express their visions
and dreams of how church should be. With a light-weight, easily maintainable
type of church they are training, deploying and mentoring a new breed of church
planters that will reach the “Tribal Generation” of today.
This
last February 2000, Pete Greig in southern Britain launched “24-7 prayer.com”.
Inspired by the 100 years of prayer started by Count Zinzendorf in Herrenhut,
Germany, he sensed that God was calling him to initiate a chain of unending
prayer.
The
site invites people to sign in to pray for one hour every day during 2000.
In the first month they had 30,000 hits and all the one-hour prayer slots
have been taken for 2000. “People visited us from all over the world” said
Greig.
My
wife Donna and I invited Cerys Bowden, a 15 year-old friend from Reading and
last Feb 00 joined in at Bojangles “the hottest club in Guilford” for a 4
hour event to launch a 24-7 event of prayer in the town.
300
people from 8 different denominations paid 1.50 pounds sterling (US $3) to
come and pray for revival in the town. They brought unsaved friends and a
couple of dozen accepted Christ after watching a clip of the Matrix where
Neo accepts the red pill (in order to discover the truth behind the Matrix).
Pete explained that the blood of Jesus is symbolized by that red pill and
if we accept it we can know the truth!
Further
north from England, in Norway something new is happening. It has become
widely know through the media as Jesus Revolution. Led by former youth pastor
Stephan Christiansen, JR is now bringing together 4,000 students in 500 schools
all over the nation.
This
fall, Stephan, who is mostly an evangelist, has started a church that will
equip all those who have come to Christ. The vision is to send a new breed
of Vikings all over Europe to reach out to young people and plant churches
that will disciple them to become obedient followers of Jesus.
Øyvind
Bjoerkly is another young Norwegian whom I have mentored and is working to
develop a vision to disciple the Emerging Culture of Norway. He recently noted;
“from time to time I meet young people here that are living a house
church Christianity without thinking of it. Yesterday I was in a prayer meeting
with six other people that were drinking tea, eating cookies and were spending
good time in prayer and worship. The house church message is now shared high
and low in Norway and there is an increasing understanding of the need for
small fellowships.
Next Thursday and Friday I will be part of a network gathering for
youth leaders in the Pentecostal movement. I have been asked to share on Church
Planting. I will share the great need to plant more churches in Norway and
Europe. The people that are setting the pace among the youth leaders in this
movement is all very much for Church Planting. Our challenge now is more to
prepare and equip them for planting”.
In
Germany, a group called the Jesus Freaks was started in Hamburg and
mostly reaches out to punks who, while still wearing their chains and earrings,
now speak of the love and power of Jesus to change lives.
The
largest church in Switzerland is a emerging culture church. The Friday
Fax reported that:
“In
November and December 1999 alone, the congregation of Zurich’s International
Christian Fellowship grew by 800. With an attendance of 2,500 every Sunday,
the ICF has become Switzerland’s largest Protestant church,” writes the Dawn
European Network’s Reinhold Scharnowski. The movement, established in 1996,
targets Zurich’s yuppies. The mix of “radical spiritual convictions, high-tech
Sunday services and house-church-type cell groups (called ‘Workshops’)” is
causing furor. “They have conservative values and progressive methods,” says
Scharnowski. One Swiss pastor describes them as “the Swiss event of the century”.
The ideas don’t all come from ICF itself; leaders Leo Bigger (31) and Matthias
Boelsterli (38) are happy to learn from anyone: Willow Creek, Ralph Neighbor,
Rick Warren and others. “ICF has simply realized how to effectively copy from
others,” says Scharnowski. The focus is on not-yet-Christians, who are considered
VIPs. Every ICF member prays for three VIPs, and has regular contact with
them, with the aim that at least one of the three chooses to follow Jesus
every year. In addition to prayer for them, they are invited to parties and
Workshops. “The Workshops are the real church,” says Leo Bigger. Workshop
leaders have a free hand; central control happens through vision-sharing alone.
Although
ICF strongly discourages transfer from other churches, the attendance is divided
into three equal parts: Christians who have moved from other churches, new
believers and Christians previously without a spiritual home.
In
the meantime, 4 new ICF churches have started in Switzerland, with a total
of 10 planned by the end of the year 2001. The church plants are not always
planned: Matthias Boelsterli held a wedding for a young couple from Basle,
at which “the Holy Spirit moved so powerfully that some 30 guests decided
to follow Jesus.” The result was new workshops in Basle for the new believers.
The ICF churches are organized as a network, not subordinate to the mother
church.
In
Sweden, a movement under the name of New Generation International led
by Magnus Persson is right now in the midst of the development and production
of a house-church planting concept with leadership manuals and 50 different
gatherings/episodes on videotapes and DVD. Different issues, topics and values
are incorporated for reaching young people in Generation X and Y.
The
vision calls for developments in the two coming years in order to gather 1000
key young persons for hands-on training for two days and then send them back
home with the house-church planting kit, with the leaders’ manuals and videotapes/DVD.
They
gather a group of about 10-15 friends (unsaved and saved), hang out and have
some snacks. They then watch the video episode 1 (25 min). With the questions
in the leaders’ manual they start to discuss the issues and values in the
video. They then get into the action
plan: a practical “how-to-implement this stuff in everyday life,” complete
with goal and challenges.
The
vision is to see the reproduction or multiplication of every group. Persson
says, “We want to form a network of these house churches built up around a
website as an apostolic ministry base for information, communication, vision
casting, training material, resources, back-up support, news and up-dates
about what is happening and lots more....
We want to make it international and fit for the Global Village Emerging
Culture” affirms Persson.
Is
this only a European phenomenon? Not at all, stories could be told of similar
developments in many nations all over the globe.
In
Indonesia, PPRG (The Youth Church Fellowship) started just few years
ago seeks to empower people in the Emerging Culture with a vision to see the
nation transformed making a covenant with God to:
1.
Promise to love one another as
one body of Christ.
2.
Promise to honor and to develop a loving relationship
with parents and leaders.
3.
Promise to love this nation by: living in holiness (living in virginity
till marriage) avoiding drugs, alcohol,
and brutality,
4.
Love and honor one another without seeing differences (religious, ethnic, etc).
5.
Live in integrity to develop this country,
so Indonesia can be a blessing to the nations.
Indonesia
represents one of the nations where the Church is facing strong persecution.
In this kind of context the Church into the Emerging Culture seems to thrive.
There
are many examples which help us understand that this is not just a fad but
instead it is the demonstration that when the Church comes to where people
are and presents Jesus in a way that they can relate with, people will respond.
This
is one of the many stories that I have heard illustrates what is happening.
A
young man who is a new convert recently came back to a local fellowship after
being absent for a while. He lives with his four brothers and they also love
the Lord. They have formed a cell which provides a place of sharing, accountability
and learning.
He
was drug addict, he earned money from gambling (snooker, billiards).
After repenting his self image was so bad, that he didn't have confidence
to give his testimony.
But
since returning to the fellowship he is on fire for Jesus.
He shares his faith with other drug addicts and other are coming to
faith because of his testimony. One of the new converts dropped from junior
high this year. He lives far from Jakarta (about 2 hours).
So he stays home with his new found friends from Friday to Sunday so
he can join the service. They exhibit a great hunger for the Word of God.
One
of the leaders that God has raised in Indonesia is Hengky Hartono. He became
a believer in 1990 and God gave him a burden for souls. He told the Lord
“Send me anywhere that has never heard the Gospel”. He began a process
of discipleship and leadership development in his local church, Abbalove Ministries.
In
1997 the issue of new tribes and the need for alternative services to have
their own identity emerged for Hengky. And
the GANG (God's Anointed New Generation) was born.
In
1998 he became staff in Abbalove. In 1999 their Sunday service multiplied
to two areas, and they started to pray for Bikers. For six months we did special outreaches, once
a month. These included drams, concerts.
In
12 February 2000 they started services in downtown, with 170. The focus is
on building relationships through discussions that seek to answer the questions
they bring.
“These
people get bored with our rituals” Hengky says, “so church needs to look like
the kinds of things that are part of their lives”.
Hengky
sees a high degree of ownership for he invites young believers to work alongside
him. His approach is I do, you watch; you do, I watch; you do and I move on.
Hengky’s
vision is for a large new network that will encourage many to reach out to
those lost new tribes in Jakarta and in cities all along the nation.
Theodore
Buntario, is a professional events coordinator also is involved in reaching
into the Emerging Culture of Jakarta. In 1997, he was organizing a Don Moen.
The event was a great success even by secular standards.
In
1996 before going fulltime, God allow him to win the best Music Video clip
award for Asia MTV. This opened new understanding of the kinds of things that
would attract the young people.
He
established a new cell church with an emphasis on discipleship and mentoring.
It also includes outings to the mountain/ beach for all. Here we share "The
Fathers heart of God (inner healing), Self esteem and finally, deliverance".
After these times, Buntario says “we see lives changing as they become radical
for Christ”.
Two
important things that Buntario has identified as critical for the things they
are doing is to consistently run against the flow and to seek unity in the
team (pray & serve together as one without any personal interest).
Another
example comes from Herman Soegeng. He was a student in United States when
a Pastor (now became his Pastor) invited him to join is a short mission trip
(4 weeks) during summer holiday.
Herman
went to Europe minister to the Indonesian community in Europe, and during
this trip God put something new in his heart. He went 4 more times on summer
missions to Indonesia. During these times God spoke stronger and started to
stir in his heart a vision for the Emerging Culture.
He
wins the heart of young people by serving them. He says “we build a relationship,
we give them food, educate them (give them scholarship in order to attend
school). That is the way we win their heart to Jesus”.
Herman
believes that we can disciple this generation. Lift up their economical status,
their intellectual status, their spiritual life, their mental health. These
people need to understand the vision for this generation and the practical
ways to reach them.
Reaching
into the lower economic levels of society they face the practical problems
of a nation in serious economic crisis. Therefore they seek for practical
and tangible ways to serve. For example one of our groups, is collecting money
every month to help one of their friends. She was out of school, because her
family rejected her because she believes in Jesus. (She was a Muslim) She
had no place to stay and no money to continue her studies, and she was only
15. So we decided to help her, give her place to stay, and put her back on
school, and disciple her. Another example is Jesse, he
takes
care of 10 men at his house. They are born again Christian. They used to be
drug dealers, pickpockets, some even murders and rapists.
Herman
explains that a changed young person seeks to serve the community. Last year
we committed to feed 2,000,000 people. We have even worked with a Muslim organization.
We gave the people goods like shoes, clothes, toys, and more important books,
medical stuff, seeds to plant.
We
are teaching needy people how to survive. For example we adopt one community
and we teach them how to grow eatable mushrooms. They can make a living by
selling the mushrooms and many of them were converted to believe in Jesus.
We
are also implementing a scholarship program, this year 800 kids in many different
schools are in this program. And none of them fail their exams. They all passed
with good grade and some of the are the top students in class.
Herman
‘s group has joined several others and currently they are committed to establish
churches in 500 communities all over the nation. Right now they are in 120.
This
is a powerful example of the kind of creative initiatives that young people
are coming up with to reach their culture and transform their nation.
A
poem posted in the 24-7prayer web site wonderfully expresses the amazing thing
young people have started in Indonesia
WHAT
HAVE WE BEGUN?
What
have we begun
what
have we done
when
we pray like this?
when
we play like this?
Can
we ever know
-the
seeds we sow
-the
lights we show
-the
dreams we throw?
Playing
like kids
in
dangerous places
quietly
burying atomic seeds (hidden graces)
radiation
kingdom come
what
have we begun?
And
here we see angels
burn
like the sun
here
we juggle destinies
what
is this thing we've done?
What
passion finds expression
when
wounded soldiers pray?
What
army gets commissioned
kneeling
in this way?
What
hand is writing on the wall
what
wonders hem me in?
When
we lit that three way candle
what
fires did we begin?
Are
nameless heroes rising
tomorrows
chosen ones?
carriers of Jesus
what plague have we begun?
In
the Philippines, pastor Jun Escosar reports thousands of young people
gathering in the 50 churches that they have started in the last 12 years.
“We have planted as far away as into the Gulf.” They currently have
1,000 students in training for ministry.
The
most significant harvest in Manila is being gathered in places like Mc Donald’s
and Burger King where their teams evangelize and start churches that meet
right on-site. People come, buy their food and then move on to sing, pray
and learn from the Word.
More
stories could be told on developments in Egypt, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and
many other places.
China
has perhaps seen the largest mobilization of young people for the kingdom
of God. A reputable China strategist reports that the church has right now
one million itinerant evangelists, of which 80% are under 25 and 90% are women.
Recently
I was deeply impacted by a senior leader of the church there who told me,
after listening to a presentation on the distinctives of the Emerging Culture;
that while in prison recently, the Lord told Him to prepare the young generation
for the greatest harvest they had seen. He was ready to release the young
leaders to plant new churches that would reach the new culture.
Does
a global process make sense?
All
of the facts and factors mentioned here have led a group of us to prayerfully
consider what God is saying in all of this. We have recognized that there
is indeed a movement among young people that will make a global impact.
The
question that needs to be asked is whether that movement can be accelerated
and whether the DAWN strategy plays a role in that process. We believe that
the answer to both questions is a resounding YES!
Last
May 19-24, 2000 we came together in Sheffield, England with a group of leaders
from every continent representing 25 nations. These people have a passion
to see this generation reached, they have visions of thousands of churches,
led by peers (male and female) that are hungry to see this world transformed
by the invasion of the Kingdom of God.
During
out time together we agreed that God was speaking to us about reaching this
global generation for Jesus. Under the name “Tribal Generation, a global initiative
of the DAWN movement” we agreed to work together to develop a church planting
movement that will believe God for one million new churches established by
2010.
These
churches would be places that will strive to create environments where people
can “Belong” first. Then as the see the reality of Jesus they can “Believe”
His message and as they are filled with the love of God they can begin (with
the help of the Holy Spirit) to change their patterns of behavior.
We
also agreed that every region of the world needs exposure to what God is doing
in this culture and people need to be released by receiving permission to
make mistakes in the context of loving and mutually submitted relationships
Plans
are in process for events in Asia (22-26 Feb 2001 in Jakarta). In the USA
in March ’01. In Brazil June ’01.
The
global Tribal Generation team is:
1.
Andrew Jones (New Zealand) cyberrev@hotmail.com
2.
Mal Calladine (UK) mal@stthomaschurch.org.uk
3.
Olgalvaro Bastos (Brazil) olgalvarojr@saldaterra.org.br
4.
Pete Greig (UK) pete@24-7prayer.com
5.
Samiton Pangellah (Indonesia) sam@abbalove.or.id
6.
Karsten Wolf (Germany) Karsten.Wolff@KraftwerkDD.com
7.
Wolfgang Fernández (Venezuela) wolfernandez@compuserve.com
May
God grant us humility and boldness to serve Him in this day.
