Distinct Reflections

BUGB the dreamliner denomination?

I’ve always been fascinated by aviation so have been interested in the progress of Boeing’s new 787 dreamliner aircraft. Maybe it has lessons for us:

 1. It is designed to be cheaper to run. Boeing recognised that as costs rise they needed to design an aircraft which would be 20% cheaper to run than existing versions. They do this is by eliminating some traditional ways of running the aircraft, using batteries instead. The lesson? We must keep looking at ways to reduce costs, recognising that this may require radically different ways of doing things to the ones we are used to and will mean we stop some familiar things.

2. It is designed to operate point to point, not via hubs. Traditionally airlines have worked with a hub and spoke method. When I travel to Iquitos, I fly on a short haul flight to Amsterdam or Paris, then on a big long haul jet to Lima and finally a smaller short haul flight to Iquitos. To run a long haul route needs about 1500 passengers a week. By contrast, the 787 is designed to operate from city to city and on routes with fewer passengers. Lessons for us? Who needs hubs or central base any longer?

 3. Using modern materials means the aircraft is both strong and flexible. If you see pictures of it you can see how much the wings bend. But for both aircraft and church, having structures which are lightweight, flexible and strong is the way to go.

4. When the batteries caught fire they didn’t give up. The 787 has had some initial problems with battery fires. Boeing could have decided that they needed to revert to older tested technology to solve the problem. Instead they worked on fixing it. Lesson for us? Having started on a process of change for the denomination we need to stick to it; cutting our costs so they can be paid out of home mission, radically overhauling our organisational culture and being determined to be relational not administrational.

Baptist Association life: from OK to great

As the Union is streamlined more responsibility moves to the Associations. However, the resources the Associations have to deliver this are also constrained most currently run deficits. So how can they respond to the challenge? How might we manage Association life in the future?

Mind the gap. Sometimes there appears to be a gap between the Association and the churches / ministers in it; people don’t feel part of it. But associations are not ‘things’ to which one belongs, they are the relationships themselves so we need to grow ways of networking which people own and feel part of. Association structures and staffing should be the means of helping networks of churches work together; responsive to them and inclusive of them. An approach that is grass roots upwards not top down. One reason I’m wary of Association annual themes and plans is they are nearly always top down.

Encourage care. One of the current challenges is the pastoral care of ministers and churches. And as long as we look to Association staff to provide this, it will remain so. Effective care needs to be on a peer to peer level, rather than through representative persons. Where Association structures have a role it is in providing ways of facilitating this; ensuring ministers groups thrive, developing Ministers’ conferences and other one day events. Of course, Regional Ministers should be pastoral and care, but they are going to struggle if we expect them to be hands-on for anything other than a major crisis or a few key people.

Connect churches: churches need care just as ministers do. Even if it is simply someone to turn to for advice (or to point in the right direction). However, churches also benefit from people who assist them to navigate conflict, who encourage congregational health and discern where their future lies. The Associations who do well in the future will be those who facilitate these things, putting churches in touch with others who can help them rather than providing this through a regional team. (Especially since smaller churches often need more help and the number of these churches is growing). The key to this? Relating to and working with church leadership teams not just ministers. 

Strategic mission: Associations can play a significant role by identifying strategic opportunities and then supporting people and churches who respond. Associations don’t have the resources to do much by themselves, but they are in a unique position to help create partnerships and nurture initiatives. (See, for example, this week's discussion on incarnate network ).

Value diversity: Baptists are a diverse lot and many are part of other streams and networks in addition to BUGB / Association ones. (see my blog about types of Baptists) Successful Associations will be those who value this rather than see it as a weakness, draw togetherness from this rather than creating a them / us and make sure all shades of regional Baptist life feel wanted and welcome. [The difference between an Association that seeks to speak for its churches and one tries to ensure the churches voices are heard?]

The good news is most Associations try to do these things (at least I don’t know of any who aren’t!) Their challenge is not to get bogged down but to be focused, to forget about anything that doesn’t contribute to one of these areas and be intentional about ensuring that time, resources and structures deliver.

Saving Baptists

Starting today, Incarnate Network are running a series of provocative posts / discussions looking at some key issues for baptist denominational life through five key questions.

"Each week the question asked will explore a dimension of our Baptist life. What does our denomination need saving from? How can our associations, churches and union adapt for the mission ahead? Are we configured to help or hamper mission? Where are the signs of life and hope for us to learn from? What do we need to change, scrap or re-imagine?"

Why not pop over to incarnate network and join in.