Hubs, Links, Nodes, Hubs, Links, Nodes, ClustersClusters

“Paradrigm Shift:◦The old paradigm that has dominated

Western culture and church culture for the last few hundred years consists of a number of entrenched ideas, among which are the autonomy of the individual, the voluntary nature of community; a mechanical view of creation; life in society as a competitive struggle for existence; and belief in the inherent goodness of progress achieved through economic and technical development, to name just a view.”

“The growth of the avant-church is a current example of early adopters of the networked paradigm of our time. Movements like Emergent Village, TheOoze, business as mission, simple churches (house churches), the growth of intentional communities, and New Monasticism are boldly living into a new relational paradigm.

“The flip side is also true. It is not only the early adopters who play an important role in seasons of paradigm shifts; those people who are most critical of early adopters also play a vital role. Such critics help these risk takers reflect on their role within historic Christianity. The importance of this dance of risk takers with critics is ignored at our own peril."

1. The Networked Kingdom: Harnessing the Power of Social Networks

The living effect of yeast….

“Simply connecting while living in the way of Christ is how the kingdom of God transforms the world.”

“Networks are so dynamic that any printout of a network map will be obsolete almost as soon as the ink is dry. Gods networked kingdom is never static.”

2. Links: Different Kinds of Relationships and Why They Matter

Lighthouses and Cities….

“Cities are interconnecting layers of related networks functioning together with the common goal of sustainable life for all. Cities are particular to their geography, history, economics, industry, and so on. They are dynamic.”

“Networks provide context and relational meaning to individuals.”

The idea of “I & You / I & It”.

“I sometimes wonder whether part of the allure of websites like Facebook and MySpace is that they promise an I and You encounter for the low price of an I and It relationship.”

“We’ing is the big picture that mobilizes and gives purpose and shared identity to every church, and every person seeking to walk in the Way of Jesus.”

3. Nodes: Unleashing the Networked Person

“…part of what postmodernism is doing is helping us appreciate that any understanding of the self is inseparably linked to human language and communication forms. Languages and other forms of communication are a product of relationship: God speaking creation into being and relating with creation, and human beings in relationship with one another.”

“And what we’re discovering and beginning to understand more fully today than at any other time in recorded history is that who you are, how you live, and what you do impacts every other living being and living system on the earth.”

“A networked person embraces conflict with the faith that hidden inside every conflict is an opportunity for the reconciling gospel to be made visible; the greater the conflict, the greater the opportunity for the gospel to be manifest.”

4. Connective Leaders: The Parable of Google

Google is not a resource – it connects you to resources.

“Google’s linking “authority” is not derived from a position or a title and has no intrinsic authority; instead its authority is earned through consistently serving its users by giving away

“The parable of Google reminds me that those in my life are never simply connected to me for the sake of me, but that I also connect the people in my life to that which is beyond me.”

“…the connective leader does not stand apart from those he or she is leading; the leader is an active participant within their small network of connections, being formed, reformed, and transformed by the community(ies) and culture(s) in which their influence is summoned; it is a dynamic process.”

5. Leading Connectively: How Chaordic Life Reorients Leading

“Connective leading is all about orienting all that we are and do around the fullness of life as witnessed to throughout Scripture and the life of Jesus.”

“If we are orienting our ministry leadership roles from an imagination shaped by God’s connective kingdom, then the greater the disruption to our ordered existence, the greater the opportunity for the good news to be manifest.”

“When a faith community only knows order without chaos, they can drift into faithless stasis. When a faith community only knows chaos without order, they will struggle to trust their participation in God’s narrative.”

“If we are obsessed with control, we will never discover the wonder of participating in God’s connected kingdom. Leading connectively dethrones the tool of hierarchy and busts the control myth. Connective leaders serve as hubs, linking people to the very best of their resources and relationships unto God’s dream of fullness of life.”

6. Christ Commons: Reimagining the Body of the Institutional Church

“A Christ-Commons is a visible structure, institution, denomination, building, worship service, or small group that is formally created with the hope that the structure will provide an environment or space where people are more likely to experience life in connection with God and one another….think of the dance of form and function. The form is the Christ-Commons and the function is the collaboration of the Holy Spirit with people clustering together in a particular time and space actively participating with God in reconciliation, justice and blessing.”

“The church exists in relationship, by relationship and for relationship. We exist to connect people with God, one another, and with creation in continuity with the capacious narrative of Scripture.”

“People do not fear change, people fear loss.” – Sharon Parks.

“The connective pastors of Christ-Commons are less concerned about assimilating people into their institution and more concerned with helping people find the meaningful connections they are seeking.”

7. Christ Clusters: Reimagining the Soul of the Local Church

“We can’t form a Christ-Cluster artificially; clustering just happens when people are centered in Christ and responsive to their surroundings. Christ-Clusters are not the same as small group ministries. Small groups are a form, or structure, like a mini Christ Commons. Christ-Clustering is dynamic and responsive to a particular moment. “

“The priesthood of all believers is realized when Christ-Clustering happens. Everyone belongs and everyone contributes what they can.”

8. Missional “And’ing”: The Sneeze Effect and the Viral Gospel

“Missional linking is marked by a kingdom imagination that, when confronted with “otherness”, is able to see an And’ing in Christ: Jews and Gentile, slave and free, men and woman, Republican and Democrat, modern and postmodern, left and right. The way of Christ is to become the And. Gods mission, if you choose to live into it, is to boldly link where no one has linked before; this is the Christ-conjunction.”

The Sneeze Effect◦“Whatever is in you, you will share

with others. This is the wonder and power of an And’ing vision of God’s networked kingdom. As you go about your life, you can’t help but infect those you come in contact with, and you just never know what impact your presence, words, or actions might have. God bless you as you sneeze.”

9. Network Ecology: Caring for the Networks you are in

The idea of Eco-Systems

“Because most ecosystems regularly encounter foreign things, people and resources, they function in a state of nonequilibrium. Living ecosystems are not only able to maintain their life process under conditions of nonequilibrium, but they actually thrive in this state.”

“Thriving life for our communities is the dance of closedness and openness, Of course, this means that our churches and our other networks exists in a constant state of becoming. They are ecosystems in process.”

!!“In any network, one of the ways to

invigorate new clustering activity is to remove the hub. When a hub is removed from its central connective role to the nodes connected to it, those nodes will naturally cluster around a new hub. Such clustering activity serves to spur new life, new clusters, and greater interconnectedness. Local church closure is not a death blow to God’s networked kingdom. Perfect balance is a death blow to living systems. Fish can’t live in a stagnant pond. Periodic oscillations help living systems to thrive. Sometimes a forest fire is just what the forest needs.”

10.Weaving the Tapestry: Networking Spiritual Formation

Bounded Paradigm

Centered Paradigm

The Tapestry Image

““And” – And” – Richard RohrRichard Rohr

“And” teaches us to say yes “And” allows us to be both-and

“And” keeps us from either-or

“And” teaches us to be patient and long-suffering

“And” is willing to wait for insight and integration

“And” keeps us from dualistic thinking

“And” does not divide the field of the moment

“And” helps us to live in the always imperfect now

“And” keeps us inclusive and compassionate toward everything

“And” demands that our contemplation become action

“And” insists that our action is also contemplative

“And” heals our racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism

“And” keeps us from the false choice of liberal *or* conservative

“And” allows us to critique both sides of things

“And” allows us to enjoy both sides of things

“And” is far beyond any one nation or political party

“And” helps us face and accept our own dark side

“And” allows us to ask for forgiveness and to apologize

“And” is the mystery of paradox in all things

“And” is the way of mercy

“And” makes daily, practical love possible

“And” does not trust love if it is not also justice

“And” does not trust justice if it is not also love

“And” is far beyond my religion versus your religion

“And” allows us to be both distinct and yet united

“And” is the very Mystery of Trinity (pp. 180-181).