Bishop Alan blogs while packing his toothbrush and talks what will be required of the Bishops attending Lambeth as they take part in the Indaba groups.
In an earlier post, he notes that most of the Bishops taking part have never been to a Lambeth before. This, he said, is good because the “Lambeth virgins” will not be weighed down with preconceived notions about how it is ‘supposed’ to work.
Meeting 15 bishops in Saturday, only one had actually been to one before so we’re pretty much all Lambeth virgins. That may help us think different; what some would see as the greatest weakness of the process may actually save the day.
Bishop Alan says the Indaba process requires seven things.
1. Indaba demands full participation
2. Indaba is an emergent process
3. Indaba is driven by trust
4. Indaba requires working space
5. Indaba is an expression of respect
6. Indaba is an expression of faith
7. Indaba requires recognition that “there is a real world out there.”
For Indaba to be successful, it will be when Bishops realize that “It’s not that the God of the Church has a mission, but the God of Mission has a Church.”