I Haven't Gone Anywhere

Just a heads up, cause I know you've probably missed seeing weekly posts here. That will resume shortly.

In the meantime I wanted to let you know that I am recruiting a team of Vineyard folk who are interested in keeping the content flowing. This will correspond to a move from this blog being the Ontario regional blog to the National ThoughtWorks blog. So far I have a good representation from the East lined up and am working on some Ontario folk. If you are interested in being part of the team contact me so that I can share some of the details with you. As always, any one off contributions you wish to submit will be joyfully received.

On another note, I am wondering about how helpful it would be to have a closed forum for preachers and teachers to interact with Vineyard theologians for the purpose of offering constructive critique on sermons and messages? I think it would be mutually beneficial as theologians need to have that interface with what people are actually wrestling with in our movement and often working pastors do not have the same opportunity to research their sermons as they would like. I am thinking that messages and sermons could be given feedback post congregational delivery (so if you record your messages we'd have a place for you to submit that) or pre-delivery if you put it up on the forum a week or so before you were planning on sharing. I think it could also be a good and safe place for teachers and preachers to wrestle through theological implications with like-minded theologians.

This idea came from an email conversation with a pastor who joined the Society of Vineyard Scholars facebook page to ask for just such help. If there is enough interest in the Canadian context then I will pursue trying to develop something to meet this need, possibly as a project that taps into the theological wealth of the SVS as well as our own ThoughtWorks network. What I need to know is if this seems like a good allocation of our resources (time mainly) in providing theological mentoring for our churches in Canada? You tell me.

As always the ThoughtWorks team is here to help our congregations grow in faithfulness to God and to equip the saints for all that our great God desires for us to accomplish.

Frank Emanuel, Pastor Freedom Vineyard, Ottawa.