Here we are talking about structures again. However the right structures can give to everyone a sense of freedom as well as security. I just wish the way we ordered Church in the Church of Scotland released us into freedom and community. Too much of our structures are centred around business meetings rather than the love feast. we celebrate business more than we celebrate the eucharist. It is this image of a business structure that has shaped the identity of the church of Scotland for the past few hundred years. Now there is definately nothing wrong with being business like and well structured but often in the midst of all this we have forgotton what our business is. Remember Jesus reminded his parents that his first priority was to be about his Father’s business. When we think about it the Father’s business is that we should make disciples.

We need to ask ourselves why we have allowed the structures of business to become the main focus of our identity rather than the vision to make disciples. I have often thought that perhaps it is because we have lost confidence as a Church and and as indiiduals in the truth of the Gospel. this in turn makes us less willing to share with others something we might doubt. However we are not short on our loyality to the structures of an organisation that at one time had put in place to ensure the pastoral support required for discipleship. Could it be that we maintain the structures out of loyality, going through the motions of faith without the conviction of faith.

We even name our church through our structure. We call ourselves Presbyterians. Wil Storrar, draws our attention to the fact that the church has orientated towards this business effeciency model because of the influence of Weber’s “rational bureaucratic” type modern organisation.

I’ve been thinking about the role of leadership , in the light of Nehemiah and especially, when an organisation, like St Andrew’s is in the middle of restructuring.

One of the differences between the church leader today and Nehemiah’s time is that we have the encouragement of the scriptures and perhaps a greater awareness of what it means to be ” The One and the Many in Christ” In other words the teaching found in 1 Corinthians 12 under pins and helps to illuminate the story of partnership and purpose that is told in the story of Nehemiah’s reconstruction.

So our calling as the church is literally to be the one and the many in Christ. This is an important aspect of our identity, because as a church community we take on many roles. I think this is what Paul means when he says,” I have become all things to all men that I might win some” It doesn’t mean that we stand for nothing and fall for anything. On the contrary, it means that we take on the role of our Lord and learn to ” weep with those who are weeping and laugh with those who are laughing” Its about the church understanding its mission in the world. This means that we must always be approachable even to those who have different “plausibility structures” to ours. The fascinating thing is that a whole philosophy of servanthood has grown up even in the business world. Have a look at this web page also

All we do must be motivated by a desire to bring glory to God through our service to others. This for me emphasises more and more the role of the church as servant and discipleship maker, such was the life that Jesus chose to live. We as a church cannot become greater than our master. However we have a dilemma. In our structures we have lost the role of credible servant and succumbed to the role of professional managerial speak. We manage the church but are we serving each other and the world ?

Tonight we had another meeting of our structural meeting. As we talked about being good managers of our structure we were also reminded that we were a community centred around love and grace. Meeting targets might be important but missing the main target of servanthood would render us as the scripture says, “no more than noisy bells and clanging cymbols” We must be careful that we don’t forget what it means to love the world and love our neighbour, as we seek to manage the church. Next post I’ll have a a think about the changes that we might do well to consider at a regional level in church administration and structure.

We had a very interesting weekend at church. The Must Be More Festival turned out to be an interesting start to the coming church session. I pray that we are on the right tracks.

At present we’re in the midst of a capacity building exercise. This calls us to look at the way we organise ourselves so that we can become more effective as an organisation. I’ll tell you more about this in the coming weeks.

We have come to the conclusion that we need to be continually reviewing the way we structure ministry. The picture of scaffolding on the left is one that I saw in India last year. It was pretty dangerous looking, made up of pieces of wood tied together with rope. Got me thinking that while the structure needs to be flexible it also requires to have an element of security about it. However the structure cannot in the end determine the shape and the purpose of the organisation. The shape and vision must determine the structure required to support its function.

Part of our vision in St Andrew’s is making church relevant for those with young families this  is one of our priorities as a church. The Children’s Holiday Club was well attended last week and it was great to see many of the children and their parents return to church for the Sunday service. We need to be reflecting on the right things to do that will keep attracting the children to worship. I’ve noticed thatwe don’t always get the same children eturning i the following weeks to the Holiday Club. the question is do we need to change the way we do Children’s ministry?

Got me thinking about how we do church at the present. At one time we used to have three services on a Sunday. An early morning one which was especially focused on young families. We ran it for nearly seven years. Eventually we merged the two services. Sunday morning last week was a great service focused on the children, it got me thinking about how we might further develop such services in the future. I must say a big thank you to Craig Hannah and his team for doing such a great job.

This week I’ve started working on a series of sermons centred around the book of Nehemiah. I think it is going to be very useful to us all as we consider this winter what is going to be the way forward for us as a congregation. We have had a group looking at the refurbishment of our present building to help us bring it up to standard for the 21st century. We also have a group as i mentioned before looking at the way we organise our administration. The shape of all this is determined by our vision.

I’m looking forward to exploring all this with the congregation. Nehemiah is all about rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. There will be lessons for us all to learn as we consider the walls that we need to rebuild in our ministry and the ones we need to tear down in order to fulfill our ministry to be a local congregation with a global calling. We’d love to hear from others who are going through a restructuring. there is much no doubt we can learn.

Well you may recall that I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Bogle Band had started gigging again after having a few years off,or as they say in the business “resting”.

Well here is a short video of the trip we made “doon the watter” and the music in the background is the Bogle Band playing the song “Brave Hearts” live. If you like what your hearing you can hear us playing again this Saturday at St Andrew’s Bo’ness. We’re playing at the “There Must Be More Festival” There’s a barbecue in the church garden at 6.30pm and the concerts starts at 7.30 in the church.

We’re also delighted that Vangel will be performimg with us. The whole weekend Festival is trying to encourage more people to think outside the box and discover their potential. On Friday Night a number of young peole who were in India visiting our partners there will be giving their feedback on their trip. I think its going to be a great night. On Sunday I’m looking forward to having a joint Praise Band, made up between St Andrew’s and the Apostolics in Bo’ness leading us in a gread night of praise and worship. So if you want something more than you’ve got ! See you Sunday Night.

Meanwhile pray for an old rocker who seems to be turning a bit folky with age, pray that he’ll remember his words on Saturday or have good inspiration to write better words.

It won’t belong before the children are all back at school. On Monday our Holiday Club for children starts. The theme is very topical this year, we are looking at the Olympics. you know what it could get complicated. Like thousands of others throughout the UK we are using Scripture Union Holiday Club material. So what will make our Holiday Club unique, apart from the brilliant children who will attend and the superb quality of leaders? What will make our club stand out is the fantastic job that the design team have made in decorating the church hall. It is truly something else. Quite amazing! It is a work of art.

The Olympics s a great theme to use at this time to explain to children the importance of nations living together in peace. It also highlights the merit in human beings striving to be the best in their aea of sport. However we will be helping the children understand that winning at any cost can turn you into a loser. Winning is about doing the right thing. Now sometimes when you do the right thing you lose. But you know what sometimes losing is a form of winning. See what I mean it does get complicated. Anyway we’ll keep it to that level with the kids.

We are told that the ancient Greeks were highly competitive individuals and believed strongly in the concept of “agon”, or “competition” or “contest”. Greeks wanted to bethe best in all aspects of life. The greatest honour of all time was to win a victory at Olympia. It was important that the prize eceived had no material value. Tus the olive wreath given to the victory illustrates the point. You competed for the honour. All this makes the ever increasing habit of cheating so repugnant to the ideals of the games. the games were also closely connected to the worship of the gods and departed heroes. sometimes the games where known as funeral games. Homer in his epic poem, The Iliad refers to the games in these terms. They also had sexual undertones, being used as gatherings to promote the fertility cults of the day. The power god Zeus was the god most worshipped at the games.

In many ways the games are a bit of a contradiction. They have become an important political weapon to promote economic wealth. Many of the athletes taking part are professional and see the games as a means of developing their careers. For the Olympics the age of innocence is long gone if they ever represented it in the first place. Yet I think there is a spark of an ideal worth holding on to and maybe one day it will light a true Olympic torch in the world. Did Jesus not say He was the Light of the World. He’s brighter than any Olympic torch!

Well can you believe it the Bogle Band is out on he road for the second time this Summer. Carberry Featival last month and ” Doon the Watter” this month. Tomorrow evening Iain and I will be performing on the world famous Waverley Paddle Steamer. Have a look at the picture above. She really is a bonnie boat.

Anyway all the money being raised tomorrow will go to the work of the Vine Trust. Keeping close to the Vine is a good thing. You know, our motto is ” Connecting People to Change Lives” However for me there is a wee sermon in that phrase, it is really all about connect people to the VINE to change lives. What we are really saying is, when people get connected to Jesus their lives are changed. I never cease to be amazed at the number of people outside of the church who have drawn alongside us to help us fulfill our purposes.

I convinced that God sends them our way. Tomorrow night is no exception. What a wonderful step of faith one guy thought to himself. I could rent the Waverely for an evening and raise money for ssomeof the poorest children in the world. Guess what? He took the risk hired the boat, and believe it on not he has sold his 650 tickets. Not bad for someone just thinking up an idea. Makes you think. Just think Lilias our Youth Worker last year promised to take some of her teenagers to India, and guess what ? Yes she did it, well worth reading their blog. Go to India

You never know who is hanging around the church. Especially if the church is St Andrew’s Bo’ness.

It could be a group of teenagers preparing for the Children’s Holiday Club. You might even meet the phantom gardeners who turn up unannounced and have turned a wilderness into a garden.

If you stay long enough you are bound to catch up with some young musicians hanging about waiting to rehearse. Then there might be a suspicious bunch of old guys that could talk the hind legs of a donkey making as much noise as the Rolling Stones on a good day! You could be excused for mistaking them for the “Last of the Summer Wine”

Then there are the people who drop in for a chat, for a coffee, or to be part of a planning group. And just in case you are looking for a bit of culture there is the piper who turns up to rehearse in the church because his neighbours have a contract out on his life.

Of course there are the members of staff who work in the middle of all this, who feed off this. One of them will no doubt be writing a proposal for a grant to fund some aspect of the church’s outreach, another will be talking on the phone to a parent looking for advice, another will be up dating the sermons on the web page, while another is editing the latest video commission. Meanwhile if it is a Wednesday the morning service will have finished and a faithful group of praying people will be interceding for us all while we’re at work ,in Edinburgh, Glasgow, or at home. The phone will ring and it is Captain Thacker from India checking up on some aspect of our partnership. Or it might be Willie from the Vine Trust looking for me.

So who ever said church life is boring? They need to spend a week with St Andrew and you know what they will meet a whole lot of saints they never knew existed. Truly anything can happen here, and nothing should ever be a surprise. Oh and one more thing the place is a lot quieter now that Erica Bonnar is on her Soul Touch Trip.

Talking with the script writer

I went to see the movie “Mamma Mia” last night. I really didn’t know what
it was all about. I thought it was the story of ABBA, instead it was
really a Chic flick. I realised I should have taken a rain check when
I had the opportunity. So all I could do was to slip lower down in the
seat, as the film progressed. Two guys at the front of a cinema full
of women! Mamma Mia? One thing I was right about there is an ABBA
connection. The whole two hours is full of wall to wall ABBA hits.
I never liked them the first time round. However I must
confess in my old age I think some of their songs are better 30 years
on. Anyway when the lights went up there we were, ( my nephew and I ), in the midst of a cinema
full of women singing ” Thank You For The Music” We were cringing as we left. However they really did enjoy it. So who am I to argue.

Let’s face it the stage show has sold over 30 million tickets, and no doubt the movie will net a few million more. So I’m going to keep my critical voice silent. If anything is was a fun movie. But you know what there was a serious side to the whole plot, (which wasn’t very good). Its all about the past catching up with you. In the clip above Donna is trying to forget her past but she is being tempted to have another look. Going back in time is never a good idea. And that is the message of the song Meryl Streep sings so powerfully when she gives an amazing performance of The Winner takes it all

We went for a walk through the Queen Elizabeth Forrest Park the other day starting at Kinlochard. It was a brillant day for walking, the sun was out but there was also a breeze blowing. We walked for about three hours. At one part of the walk we reached a summit which gave us an magnificent view looking over to Ben View.  We felt truly refreshed and aware of God’s  finger prints everywhere. A few hours later we were exhausted but back in Callander. We had a great meal at a wee cafe called “The Butt and Ben” they were selling authentic Scottish quicene. It was great to get a big plate of mince and tatties.

On the way back we walked through the centre of the town. At heart of the town is a converted Church building, which has been turned into an attraction centre to highlight the life of Rob Roy McGregor. After having admired the creation for the past few hours, I was brought back to the reality of life in the 21st Century. There is little place in the centre of our lives for God.  Scotland  today is all about tourism. So here in the heart of the Trossachs is a church building now dedicated to the admiration of a rather dubious folk hero - depending of course on whose side of the Union you support. However some things never change it was closed!  A great tourist attraction.

I came across a fellow blogger while on holiday in Orkney. Andrew Jones is quite a well known writer especially on the topic of the Emerging Church . He was telling me that he set Jonny Baker up with his first blog

Anyway I looked up the Skinny Kiwi and found he was writing this week about an article that appeared in the Washington Post about churches in America rethinking their short term mission projects. One church spent over $30,000 in airfares to build a $2,000 dollar house. No doubt the economics need to be looked at, but what was missing from all of these American programmes was the recognition that the mission is not just the house building but it is the journey and the mix of people who go on the journey. The journey itself is mission. We always need to allow space fro the seeker and the doubter to journey with us on mission.

However used in the right way, going on a short mission trip can change the outlook and purpose of many a person. When it comes to the Vine Trust just think how many people who started out on the journey to Peru with no faith are now discovering that God can be encountered in the face of the poor. Just think how the work party trips to Peru has influenced someone like Erica. Today she and Lorna ( Known in the blogging community as Soultouch ), are in the forefront of the new missionary movement. Using technology to help bring about change by allowing ordinary people to have a voice.

I think it is really exciting when we begin to think what we have achieved to date. However there is a much bigger prize awaiting those who are prepared to think “out of the box ” when it comes to engaging with the Spirit of God. Have a look at our present worldwithoutwalls web page its only the beginning but already we have over 130 movies up with around 30 partnerships all telling their stories. Before the end of the year I hope that we will be engaged in a couple of projects that will take WWW to another level. And you know what when something is missing you go looking for it. You don’t give up. So ell me what do you think ? What’s missing from short term mission?