Yesterday I spent all day with the Randy (journey team leader at westwinds) and Ben (student journey designer). Our goal in this day was to get a 1,000 foot perspective on last year and to use that understaning to shape the next twelve months. One of the key issues on the table was my role as the jr. high journey designer. I've been in a long conversation with Randy and Ben about how to respond to the things I've been senseing God nurturing in me and how that all fits in with my ministry role at Westwinds.
Without going into a lot of details let me just say that it was an amazing day and God was in the center of it all. I think it's a rare thing for any organization to shape positions to fit the people God has brought them instead of asking people to fit the pre-determined positions. I really feel like we're doing that here and it's really exciting to be a part of it. One of my favorite moments was as we all gathered around a whiteboard and we wrote my name in the center. Next we just brainstormed to come up with the life-giving things that God is already doing through me. Then we started thinking of movements we've all noticed in my life and dreaming about what that might look like if it was my job description. It was extremely freeing and affirming for me. I can't even explain it.
As we dreamed, two of the main focus points were spiritual formation, and missions. Missions is pretty straightforward, though I feel it will include a broader view (not just trips to mexico). A key idea we discussed was the idea of seeing all of the kids as community contributers and allowing that to inspire involvement in our neighborhoods and around the world. Spiritual formation is a little more complex. It involves the full life. It is the journey. But in order to put some tangibles on the table I coined the term "formative competencies". I really think that term is going to catch on. What I mean by formative competencies is the disciplines and practices that create the skeletal structure of the spiritual life (not sure if that is an oxy-moron).
I don't have time to go into more of the details right now. This is an exciting time. I can't wait to see how the next few months will unfold.
2 comments:
That's funny, I seem to remember sitting around a table with marko, bill hybels, joel osteen, and dan rather when I coined that phrase. I seem to remember dan saying, "you'd better write that one down friend...it's a keeper."
Now that's funny. That sounds really exciting!
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