True Apostolic Structures

I've just spent a few days away from home conferring with a small group of senior ministers about how to improve the way we help to mentor and help new ministers and congregations coming into our apostolic network from denominational backgrounds.

I've got to say it was a truly wonderful time. We talked and had fellowship with one another and encouraged one another in our respective ministries. We did a lot of talking, listening and laughing together.

I love the way Apostle John Alley tackles these subjects. He actually had a list of issues that he is wrestling with, but we focussed on just one. He talked about the issues then we prayed, asking God to show us the way forward, and then we just listened to what the Holy Spirit might be saying.

Right at the beginning of this time, I had the words "brain cells" come into my head. The thing about brain cells is that they don't "think" as such, but rather they communicate with one another. Brain cells actually make as many connections as possible with their neighbours and it's the process of communication between those cells that we call thinking.

The brilliance of the way the brain works is that if connections are damaged, new connections can be formed. If a part of the brain is damaged, or cells die for some reason, often the damage can be mitigated by the healthy brain cells forming new connections with new healthy cells. So it is often the case that people who have minor strokes and are partially paralysed they can, over time, re-learn how to use their limbs. In fact all learning involves the formation of new connections in the brain.

If apostolic christianity is all about relationships rather than institutional structures, it follows that our processes need to be organic rather than concrete. It also means that the network needs to function in this multi-relational structure rather than a traditional hierarchic pyramid. Following the analogy of the brain cells, the more connections or relationships that we can make within the network the healthier and smarter it will be.

Out of this meeting, we have decided (among other things) to work harder (or smarter) at developing the relationships, so that when people enquire about apostolic covering or about the network, then they can be referred to several people, spreading the load but also increasing the potential number of relationships or connections with us.

That is so brilliant, you could almost say it must be God!