Values - Transfer-ability

When I was a kid we used to make cool t-shirts from iron on transfers. Dukes of Hazzard and Spider-man provided the coolest transfer options ever. Little did I know that these iron-ons would be the perfect image for launching a church.

 

Our family is living on mission together in Ypsilanti. With a group of friends we are launching a church planting movement called The Antioch Movement. We have a few values that are really important to us and provide a framework for us to make decisions. One of those values is transfer-ability.

We really want whatever it is we do to be transferable. That means that one person can easily model an activity for another and have them imitate it immediately. If we can practice transfer-ability and imitation then we can begin to multiply and replicate our lives and our community.

There are a couple of things that we do each week that anyone, at any age, can do. First, we have a meal. Every person eats. They typically eat three times a day. So, on Sunday nights we eat together. It's a great time to slow down a bit and have conversation. We are able to catch up some and hear about one another's week's. For us to go beyond the surface it requires intentionality, we're learning how to do that better.

The second thing we do is spend time in the Scriptures together. As we gather around to engage with God's words to us we ask five questions:

1. What do you like or what do you think is important?


2. What do you not like or what do you not understand?


3. What do you learn about God?


4. What do you learn about people?


5. How do we need to respond?

These are five questions that can be easily imitated and anyone can ask them. As we come alongside one another we can teach each other how to study God's word and go deeper. But, if we keep this in the study and never move to community then it is doubtful that we will ever really be changed. We must become doers of the Word and not simply hearers. Part of that process is to engage in community under the Scriptures. These five questions help us do that. They are simple but allow you to go as deep as you're willing to go.

When you're launching a movement your practices have to be like an iron on transfer. They need to be easily transferred from one person to another, just like that sweet Dukes of Hazard Iron On from my youth.

If we are unable to transfer our skills to another then we cannot become a movement. The very definition of a movement is multiplication.