By Jessie Cruickshank“The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” -Leo BuscagliaLiminality is an anthropological term used to describe a threshold experience, or a season in between two…
By Neil Cole“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships were made for.” ―AnonymousA ship sits prominently in one of the busiest harbors of the world. She has been there for five decades, unmoved. The Queen Mary is a hotel, encased in a rock jetty. Tourists who come to Long Beach,…
By Alan HirschWhile danger and crisis necessarily expose a person or a group to the possibility of destruction or failure, they also provide an opportunity for people to find the inner resources to overcome evil and enrich themselves as a result. Relationships develop into comradeships in such situations. Without using the explicit word “liminality,” seminal…
By Alan HirschIn trying to come to grips with what was happening in our own church, as well as in trying to answer the question of how apostolic movements grew so remarkably and against all odds, I have found Victor Turner’s ideas of liminality and communities to be essential keys to naming part of the mystery.[1] It…
By Jessie CruickshankWhat are relationships like in heaven? This is a question I often pondered as I read scriptures during the years I helped build a Christian Wilderness Ministry program in the middle of Wyoming. I wanted the small, temporary communities that the students experience to be reflective of the community of heaven. I wanted…
By Jessie CruickshankIn a world of microwaves, drive-through’s, and 5-tips to a quick fix of anything, it is worth considering the value of the long view of organizational change and development. With our conditioning to quick change and demonstrable results, is a 30-year plan worth anything, or even realistic? Will people, so habituated to the…
Multiplication Requires We Stop Doing What is Only AddingBy Neil ColeInherent in the kingdom of God itself––within its DNA––is the impulse of a movement. It doesn’t need to be manipulated or supplemented for movement to occur, but simply released to be what it was made to be. That is the core conviction behind 100m.Jesus gave…
By Alan HirschIt is perfectly true to say that most groups that have impact on either a local, national, or international level almost always begin with a form that sociologists call a movement. That is, there are some common characteristics that mark off the early phase of dynamic social movements that are distinct from the…
By Alan HirschMetaphors and symbols are not just used to illustrate an idea; they actually contain the very idea they are meant to convey. They are much more effective means of communication than the more discursive logical forms of language. Metaphors and stories not only speak to the mind; they also capture the heart, mind,…
By Neil ColeGiven the rapid changes occurring in our world right now that I discussed in a previous article, a question the late Francis Schaeffer posed is significant now: how shall we then live? How do these dramatic shifts affecting the world (population growth, technological advancements and economic redistribution) affect church and those who would…