global ignition synopsis

8/7/2019 Global Ignition Synopsis

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Global Ignition a Revolution of Love

Igniting a youth/student mission movement

Forum Summary

On October 16-17, 2001, 17 people gathered with a heart to see young Christians realise their destiny inGod to work for his glory among the nations. The attendees ages were spread between 25 and 57, withthe average age being 34.

What follows is a summary of what came from this event

Global Ignition Commitment:

We are a united group from diverse organisationsseeking to ignite and empower a new generation of disciples with a destiny:

to take up the cross and partner with Jesus and His churchin our Fathers cause among the nations.

We are committed to supporting one another in relationshipsand making resources available to impart this revolutionary vision,

without barriers, to this new generation;culminating in opportunities for cross-cultural short term ministry

and guiding them into long term commitment.

Vision Statement:

Working together to ignite a revolution among the next generationof disciples for our Fathers cause among the nations.

Ultimate Goal:

Our desire is to see every (young) Christian in NZinvolved in a short term mission experience.

Core Values:

1. A Passion for God

being surrendered to Jesus

being committed to the Fathers global cause

being directed by the Spirit being obedient to His direction

2. A Vision for Youth

creating a safe place for surrender (i.e.: a state of worship)

imparting a sense of destiny

challenging them to rebel against status quo

empowering them to minister

providing opportunities for service

3. A Commitment to Each Other

being united beyond organisational differences gathering together to pray and encourage

keeping each other informed

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sharing resources

working together to impassion youth

presenting combined opportunities

4. A Rejection of Barriers

no walls keeping us, or young people, apart from others(expectations, diversity, financial hurdles, other obstacles)

no boundaries preventing ministry(geography, ideology, sociology, age, gender, etc )

no cost too great(the financial cost of going; or the giving up of career, lifestyle, material gain, leisure,relationships, etc)

no cultural hindrances(culture appreciation, accepting the post-modern blending of cultures, adapting to culturaldifferences, etc)

The Next Generation:

The Bible teaches that the Kingdom of God suffers violence. And the violent seize it grasp it by force.We are living in a time wherein the most violent generation is alive today. This young generation is aviolent generation. Listen to their music, watch their life. They go after whatever they are going after witha passion. If the Church doesnt rise and lay out the direction and stretch out the banner and say this isthe way, be sure of this the antichrist will. These young people are going to be led. They are going tobe marshalled, they are going to be mobilized. The question is will the Church do it or will the enemy?There is a vacuum in our nation that is exactly like Germany in the early thirties Its a limbo inleadership Somebody is going to step in front of this mob of young people and say There is a reason,not only to live, but to die. It better be the church, because these young people are not playing games.Weve played games weve played our religious politics and weve soft soaped things, but this younggeneration wont walk through that. They will not play with the religious faade that the older generationhas played with. They are after a different thing and it is time for the Church to say, as David of old, Isthere not a cause? There is a cause

Bobby Conner, 29 May 1999www.bobbyconner.org/revolution_church.htm

So who is the next generation, the Millennial generation (those born after 1980), those who are growinginto adulthood as we enter the new century? Much has been written about Generation X (1965-81 +/-),the children of the Baby Boomers, but this new generation of young people are subtly different.

At the risk of over-simplifying things and making them too boxy, the following contrast of the twogenerations helped us identify some key traits:

GenX (most of us) Millenials (most of them)Historical context:

Parents post-WWII generation

60s-70s revolutionary decades

Vietnam & Cold war major wars

Nuclear threat

Man on the moon (Outer Space)

Cosmopolitan Culture

Dysfunctional Family (divorce, neglected)

Christian role models fell from grace

Christianity characterised by the Charismatic

Television Generation

Adapting to increasing change

Touch Tone Phones

Email Savvy

Historical context:

Parents Late boomers or GenXers

80s-90s materialistic decades

Gulf & Afghan war major wars

Terrorist threat

Microsoft (Cyber Space)

Global Culture

Dysfunctional Family (single parent, spoiled)

Few Christian role models at all

Christianity characterised by entertainment

Computer Generation

Adapts to rapid change

Mobile Phones

Chatroom and TXT savvy

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StarWars The Matrix

Some defining points:

Born between the years 1965 and 1981 +/-

A defining attitude (some 20-30 somethings dontfit the X category because of more Boomer traits)

A global and androgynous outlook

A fundamental philosophical dilemma (arising from

what culminated in the 60s revolution) Little sense of loyalty to norms, expectations,

organisations, authority figures etc Struggled(passively) against institutionalisation

Prefers to avoid conflict but values honesty (whichcan create conflict! one of the many GenXparadoxes)

Relational (face to face) seeks a sense ofbelonging from a group.

Some defining points:

Born after 1981

Blends significantly in with GenX

More ignorant of organisational/hierarchical loyaltyas default setting. Doesnt need to fight againstinstitutionalisation simply ignores it.

More thoroughly post-modern e.g.: personality easilychanges depending on context, less conflictbetween belief and behavioural dissonance, morerelative & tolerant of difference (pluralism)

More militant concerning issues of justice, equality,oppression, experiment (e.g. Genetic Engineering).

Knows what they dont want/like, but doesntnecessarily know what they do want.

Honest, upfront, blunt.

Relational (face to face or virtual) seekscommunication

Values:

Work to live (holistic)

Grey is good

Want to discover truth

Reality is relative

Negotiate & struggle for change in the old

Spiritually aware (contra Modernism)

Cynical of marketing

Grunge is good

Feels most comfortable within safety mechanisms

Increasingly busy

Values:

Work to play (hedonistic could be their age)

Give me black and white

Want to experience truth

Reality is experienced

Boldly run with or create the new

Spiritually intrigued (seeking experience)

Likes purchasing labels

Groomed is good

Wants go-hard, unsafe, on-the-edge exposure

Potentially bored

From the Holy Island Roundtable forum at Lindisfarne UK earlier this year, Bevan Hurangi (Open Doors)shared that the GenX participants concluded that their generation is something of a hinge generation,connecting those older than GenX with those younger than GenX. It was felt that GenX in mission werethose who were going ahead to pave the way for the next generation of mission workers.

Moreover, we are cogs collectively and Individually influencing other cogs like a watch:

we need to work together in unity to impact people who will impact people

we need to follow Him, the commander of the army. Hes not on our side, we should be on hisside

now is the time for the cogs to begin turning something like Global Ignition has neverhappened before

The Global Ignition forum felt that we were to be influencers of both the older and younger generations.Paving the way and providing the role models for a new batch of heroes of the faith.

Our Prophetic Mandate:

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me inthe middle of a valley; it was full of bones He asked me Son of man, can these bones live? I said, Osovereign LORD, you alone know Then he said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, Drybones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will makebreath enter you, and you will come to life So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath enteredthem; they came to life and stood up on their feet a vast army.

Ezekiel 37:110

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Like, Ezekiel we are being called to prophesy to the young people of an apathetic, dry and bored church.As we speak the word of the LORD so the Spirit will come afresh and breath life into them; renewing,refreshing, re-activating them, a vast army, for His global cause.

Like them, we too have some dry bones. As we gather so we speak a fresh word of the Lord to eachother and are ourselves refreshed and reactivated.

There is a beautiful picture, an oil painting, and the artist has a rag in His hand wiping the image off thecanvas ready for a brand new picture. Then, gradually, a cross emerges on the canvas with each of itspoints extending to the outer edge of the canvas. The cross creates four squares on the canvass andeach square has something written in it No Walls, No Boundaries, No Cost, No Cultures.

This is a new thing, its not the same, its completely new. Nothing like this has ever been done before.The old picture must pass away to allow for the new

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desertand streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I providewater in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people Iformed for myself, that they may proclaim my praise.

Isaiah 43:19-21

We have a definite sense of a new movement forming which will be like nothing that has gone before a new house, not like the former house; a completely clean canvas; a new thing God is doing. One of thesignificant aspects of this new thing is that it involves the wild animals (Millenials knowing noboundaries, whether they be fences/walls, cultural differences, or cost) honouring God because of Hisrefreshing rivers in the desert. The sense was that these wild animals will lead people of all nations tothe water to drink so that they may declare Gods praise.

Furthermore, this new thing will only be possible as we surrender our individual ministries/responsibilitiesto the Lord and the cross and return to him in intimacy, joining/linking/yoking to him, the commander of

the Lord of hosts.

Mephibosheth (the lame son of Jonathan) bowed down and said, What is your servant, that you shouldnotice a dead dog like me? Mephibosheth ate at Davids table like one of the kings sons.

2 Samuel 9:8-11

Youth of today can be likened to Mephibosheth, the lame one, elevated to the kings table. But they needto be healed so that they may walk. So many are content with their elevated state at the Kings tablewithout realising that the King has a commission for them. We need to be prepared to speak the word ofhealing to those lame bones so that they might be considered beautiful feet

As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!Rom 10:15 / Isaiah 52:7

Progressive Action:

1. Meet regularly together(widen the circle as necessary)

To play & pray

To encourage

To update

To share resources

2. Present our strategy to a wider audience Produce a statement document, brochure or mission pack.

Gossip of this forum to people of influence in our network.

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Erect a combined display with no labels @ mission gatherings (MissionsFest, Parachute etc).3. Prepare a strategy for regional action

Set aside up to a month to spread out around the country meeting with youth & church leadersin a forum setting, sharing our heart for young people and the nations.

Two or three at a time from mixed organisations visit a region(s) to express our strategy

A simple strategy to be developed: a) relevant to & embracing of young people, b) utilising alocal worship team(s) to bring us into the presence of the Lord, c) using multiple speakers fromamong us, in tag-team style, to passionately share the revolutionary message.

The message is one of seeing in the cross: destiny, extreme opportunities, active participation,experience, and making disciples of all nations.

We will provide multiple short term mission opportunities, promote involvement in ImpactWorld Tour NZ, and encourage Christian activism.

4. Hold ignition events throughout the nation

Dummy run in Auckland, partnering with EncounterChristian Centre.

Spread throughout the regions as time and resources allow

Our goal is to be catalysts for a movement of young people, akin to the Student Volunteer Movement ofyesteryear only different. We believe God is moving on the youth of today and what remains is for us

to bring some unity and momentum so that as we dwell in unity it will release God to command hisblessing, for His glory among all nations.

To the vision expressed in this paper we, the undersigned, are committed:

Anne Anderson (26)Encounter Christian Centre Mission Rep

Malcolm Calder(42)Asian Outreach NZ Director

Josie Campbell (25)World Vision NZ 40 Hour Famine Coordinator

Wayne Curham (57)Open Doors NZ Director

Chris Hills (35)Campus Crusade/Macedonia Project Director

Bevan Hurangi (31)Open Doors NZ Representative

Dave Laird (31)

YWAM Mission Adventures

Sean Marsden (35)SIM Short Term Coordinator

James Muir (57)

Faith Bible College Staff

Calineke Redmond (33)OMF Youth Mission Coordinator

Rajan Ratnam (33)

Faith Bible College Student Intern

Sammy Sta Lucia (36)Faith Bible College Staff Worker/ Global YouthMission (to SE Asia)

Jodie Saunders (25)Global Task Director

Paul Saunders (30)Global Task Director

Reena Shariff(26)

Impact World Tour (YWAM) Rep

Andrew Walsh (34)Voice Of the Martyrs Director

Jamie Wood (34)PIONEERS NZ Director

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global ignition synopsis

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