Importance: 60%
The Big Idea: There is a better way to think about and go about ministry than always relying on programs.
Example of learning rhythm with Cana eating
Putting off old self and putting on new self. Idea if a unifying rhythm of daily Christian life
The point of rhythm is to develop character and character informs the rhythms we seek to embody
Paul talking about suffering producing endurance endurance producing character and character producing hope.
Colossians 3:9–17 (CSB): since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. 14 Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22-23
Rhythm can be the embodiment of character
Think about rhythms that helps us build character
Need to pull important things from a case for character by biermann
Core Community Rhythms
Rhythm as a way to conceptualize all the important aspects our lives should encompass.
Rhythm as a lens through which to understand the human creature. A wholistic way to understand ourselves
Isolation of emotions or reason are dangerous and unproductive
Rhythm is common thread between all of them
Ticking of mind to sort and sift ideas and experiences
Rolling and flow of emotions but with a rhythm. Joy of meeting sadness or parting
All of the beating rhythm of the body
Health is defined as balanced rhythm
Sickness and brokenness are defined as malformed or mistimed rhythms
Justification only way to truly fix broken rhythms
Doctors only slow down the process of decay in our bodies
Something that is life long and continual
Can be embodied in any number of ways
Habits and practices are valuable but the underlying way of being is the important part
Saint and sinner dynamic we need to think in terms of both sides
The ultimate goal of the rhythms is shalom whole body and world restoration
Rhythm as Priority Orientation
How we organize the rhythm of our life affects the way we look at what is most important. This needs to be drawn from scripture and our heritage and not only from practicality or strictly pragmatics.
Talk about scripture getting lip service but the rhythm or reading or not reading tells to true story
Same with mercy and grace
Means of Grace as core rhythms
Core of Scripture and nourishment of God’s revealed word
Prayer as response and reliance on Our Relationship with God and His word
“Man does not live by bread alone” Deut 8:3 background of this is Israelites being hungry and humbled in the desert so they would know that man does not live by bread alone
How we nourish our bodies helps give us a framework for evaluating our practice with Scripture. Could you survive if you ate as often as you read scripture?
Confession is the next core rhythm. Without it we are tempted to think we either are perfect or can self justify ourselves. When in fact we are constantly called to seek Christ’s forgiveness and acknowledge the old Adam still at work in us.
Project vs Program
Pros of program:
Stable offering of some sort
Intentional long term focus in an area
Cons of program:
Entropy of a program
Box checking mentality
Rigidity of program structure
Pros of project:
Timebound and easy to evaluate
Smaller volunteer and leader commitment
Agile and responsive to current situations
Cons of projects:
Can become fragmented without a clear direction, vision, and community cooperation
The Perfect Plan vs Continued Learning and Experimentation
Main principle is to devise the best possible plan for the project. The project then is carried out and executed according to the plan. The project’s success then is judged based on if the plan succeeded or failed. The main goal of project planning is on the front end trying to come up with the best plan for execution.
On the fly adjustments do not have a ready place for integration in this model nor is there a set way to process learning between projects. Each project is kind of its own siloed thing that tends to settle on ways of working. Once the way that works is found don’t change it because it’ll mess up the perfect plan.
In contrast, the lifecycle of a project in this model is more fluid. A particular goal or vision is laid out and the project can begin execution in smaller cycles. The idea is that there is no perfect plan but instead doing and experimenting is the way to gain organizational knowledge and experience to improve the next cycle. For example, a project can start with a small pilot evaluation of how the pilot went and lessons learned then fuels the next step maybe an additional pilot in an adjusted direction or scaling up the project towards the final goal.
This approach sees projects as a continuous process of learning and experimenting that should compound over time. This approach expects constant adjustments and improvements. Self reflection and evaluation is vital to keep a project moving forward.
Vision through Rhythm and Projects
Using rhythm to help set vision and evaluate priorities
Use projects to implements rhythms and create spaces for community rhythms