Transformed Minds Transform Cities
After two long years of covid restrictions we were able to finally meet again in person with change-makers, church leaders, influencers, and city transformers for our 6th City Vision conference – Transformed Minds Transform Cities.
Friday Evening
City Life Church in Portsmouth welcomed the opportunity to host us and we were grateful for their warmth, hospitality and servant hearts. For those that were able to come down on the Friday we had a relaxed pizza evening where we heard a teaser from Ken Janke (Director of Global Advance, USA) ahead of his main talk, which left us wanting to hear more!
Ken emphasised that “real transformation begins with personal transformation, it’s one person at a time.” How can we expect transformed cities if minds aren’t first transformed? It starts on a personal, individual level, the spark that sets the fire going. Then more logs are thrown onto the fire as like - minded people come together to explore the visions that God has given to them. How can we then move from just being a group to becoming a team and learn to hear God together? Afterall, there is only so much we can do alone and God never intended it that way - “Ministry moves at the speed of relationship”.
Ken then challenged us to think about how we can be proactive in passing on our influence to others by doing even just one or all of these four things:
1. Introduce someone to pioneers they cannot meet on their own.
2. Involve them in activities they could not do on their own.
3. Invite them to a place they would not see on their own.
4. Impart to them hope they cannot imagine on their own.
We were also incredibly blessed by Andrew Rodgers and co who led us in worship on both of the days. On Saturday they were joined by Charis on the keyboard, the result was an example of the synergy and unity that we talk about, where people who have never played music together before can come together and play in perfect harmony if they are tuned to the same key. This set the precedent for the core message throughout the weekend of Godly synergy and collaboration.
Saturday Morning
After a welcome and opening prayer from Daniel Harman, leader at City Life Church, Portsmouth, Dennis Pethers from The Rooftop set the scene with the importance of a learning culture as we join Jesus in His mission. Dennis commented that he has always liked the phrase “the best teachers are the best learners”. As disciples of Jesus and of one another we must always be willing to learn, even if that means opening ourselves up to the possibility of our minds and hearts being completely changed.
Dennis then read from Philippians chapter 2:
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!”
Tony Hodges - City Vision and the Wakefield Story
Tony Hodges gave us a background on City Vision, opening with this 7 minute video:
“As God breathed into man and made him a living soul;
so the church breathes into the city
making it a loving society”
Tony gave a City Vision update and shared how things have been moving forward with our lab city – Wakefield. We heard from Bishop Tony Robinson of Wakefield and Daniel Kamalu, Pastor of a Church in Wakefield. It was refreshing to hear the story of how leaders from different churches in the city came together to pray during the pandemic. With City Vision facilitation, this prayer group eventually began to workshop together and look at ways that they could bless the city of Wakefield. That’s when they discovered that they could do so much more together than they could alone. The fruit of this has unravelled over the past 2 years and they are now on their 35th workshop, learning what it means to move from a group to a team.
Wouter Droppers - City Transformation Starts in the Mind
After a short break and reflection, we heard from Wouter Droppers, president of Europartners. See his introduction video below:
We were blessed as Wouter led us through some very insightful strategies and processes in redefining success and leadership. He shared about his personal journey and the change of heart he went through from being task oriented to being people oriented, and that he was challenged as he began to realise that loving relationships are the core of life.
“In your heart is that what you worship and treasure. What you worship and treasure defines your ambitions and thinking. Your ambitions and thinking drive your actions. What you do defines your destiny.”
Piet Brinksma - Working Through City Change
Piet Brinksma is a church leader who has been working out transformation with other leaders in Amsterdam. Piet has also achieved a PhD in city transformation, here is his intro video:
It was inspiring to hear him talk about his experience of change in Amsterdam and he introduced us to new ways of looking at the city, the role of the church in the city and the connection between the two. “The Church needs to act as an ecosystem - if we know what elements are needed to provide a healthy ecosystem, then everyone benefits.”
Piet took us through Peter Bos’ findings, who, after researching every verse in the bible about cities, concluded that ‘the purpose of the city is to be in partnership with God, to enable people of different nations to find in its midst a blessed / good environment, resources, culture and community.’ (Bos, ‘The City Called’, p.58)
Piet then unpacked this in the different contexts of the Spiritual, Government, Marketplace, Cultural and Community.
Whilst in Israel, Piet saw this image of a temple on wheels calved onto a stone from the first century. He felt God say, “I am putting my church on wheels and blowing them into the course of society, bringing my presence, priesthood, and ministry to where the people are.”
Arleen Westerhof - The Prophetic in City and National Transformation
Arleen is the founder and director of the Netherlands Prophetic Council. She initiated the Living in Your Destiny Schools of the Prophets and founded Women on the Frontlines in the Netherlands. Watch Arleen’s intro video below:
Our faith was stirred as we listened to Arleen speak about the powerful role that the prophetic has to play in city transformation. It guided her and her husband, Dick, on their transformational journey and to where God wanted them to be. In this ever changing world, with one crisis after the next, the prophetic has such a key part to play in leading and guiding us in personal, church, city and national transformation.
The prophetic is a way of hearing God’s divine direction and strategy for our situation and for our city. We often meet God in the valley of the shadow of death, when things aren’t going right and a whole lot seems to be going wrong. When we can’t seem to see a way forward, that is when God meets us, and often with a still, small voice.
Are we listening? Are we asking the right questions? Are we just protesting, or are we asking God for His divine solutions?
Listen to the Lord, He can do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. It’s time to come together, to collaborate and to act.
Saturday Afternoon
Dennis Pethers - Discipleship and a Learning Culture
After lunch, Dennis Pethers shared his insights on what it means to be a disciple and to make disciples. Watch his intro video below:
Dennis Pethers leads a ministry called ‘The Rooftop’ which seeks to join with Jesus in His mission to make disciples who make disciples of all nations. What is discipleship though? Is it just what we learn about at Church on Sundays, or at disciple groups on a Wednesday evening? What does it actually look like to be a disciple and to disciple others?
Dennis gave us three simple steps that Jesus took throughout the New Testament…
He told His disciples what to do.
He showed them how to do it.
He let them try it.
Often, Jesus’ disciples would make mistakes, but that is all part of the learning process. Once we grasp hold of these three simple steps, we can apply them in our own learning as we read the word and disciple others.
If we want to truly impact our world, the church needs to disciple and equip people as agents of change to go out, disciple others and bring transformation in their areas of influence.
Ken Janke - Change in Dallas and New Haven (Yale)
Ken Janke shared some more valuable insights into transformation and stories about his experience of walking through the process of change. Watch his intro video below:
Ken introduced us to the phrase, the ‘tripping edge’. This means to go a step beyond the cutting edge into a prophetic, but more challenging place of obedience and trust God as we take steps and leaps of faith into the unknown, stumbling along the way, feeling blind but still always somehow guided, fearful but knowing that He is always faithful.
After hearing some inspiring stories of change from Ken, he challenged us to think about the following:
If you could do just three things to make a significant impact, what would they be?
How about just one?
What about in the next 90 days?
In the next year?
In the next three years?
In your lifetime?
Where do you think renewal is most needed in your part of the city or world?
Imagine God bringing renewal to that situation…what would it look like?
Brian Beattie - City of God
As a great way to wrap up a truly memorable and stimulating day, we had a Zoom call from Brian Beattie, CEO / National Director of Transformation Canada, the Lead Pastor of Freedom House in Brantford, Ontario and the Chair for ONEchurch Brantford. See his intro video below:
Brian gave us a background on the transformation that he and his church have seen in Brantford, Ontario, and the way that God has used obedient hearts to move in the city. Brian then told us about the City Vision study tour in 2020, when 15 leaders from the UK visited Canada to learn about transformation principles and to see it in action.
The group even got stuck into helping out at the local winter festival put on by Freedom House, see the highlights below and you can also read a blog of the trip here!
It was such a rich and enjoyable experience on the study tour to Canada, the group didn’t only learn so much but they made lasting friendships and connections. Due to the success of the trip, we at City Vision are putting on another study tour this September (2022) to Amsterdam, taking a group of leaders to learn in a more interactive way from our friends out in the Netherlands, some of whom spoke at this conference. This is a great opportunity for you if you have a heart to see your city transformed!
Click here to find out more.
Although it was sad that the 6th City Vision conference had to come to an end, you could feel the buzz of excitement, inspiration and hope in the air. As Tony Hodges said a few times throughout the day, it felt more like a birthday party than a conference. It was great to be in a room full of genuine friends who are open to learning together and willing to work out what ‘New Commandment love’ looks like, lived out amongst ourselves and in our churches and cities.
An invitation was extended to anybody who may be interested in becoming a facilitator in their city to start to work through some core City Vision principles and strategies. We will follow this up with further meetings and workshops.
It may have been the end of this event, but it is only the beginning and a step in the process of change in our nation. Hearts and minds were challenged, faith was stirred, imaginations were reinvigorated and relationships and connections were formed. Love and friendship is always emphasised as a cornerstone to these City Vision conferences and that truly shined through. Watch the highlights below…