You might question the need for church planting in a city like this – well I could spend all day giving you stats and other reasons (dying churches, no orthodoxy, etc.) why church planting in Cape Town is still crucial. And whilst I think new church planting strategies are completely necessary in our city  I also think (and was reminded by my drive through Ravensmead) that those strategies need a strong training component in them – especially one that extends over denominational and local church boundaries. Our church planting must bless the city (as the catch-phrase goes) but it must also bless existing churches – of which there are many.

One particular training approach that I’m very impressed with, and champing at the bit to use as soon as I can get a bunch of guys together, is Porterbrook Training. It’s developed by the same guys who brought us Total Church, Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, and it is a truly comprehensive, gospel-centered approach to local church training. If you are in Cape Town there are already a bunch of guys promoting Porterbrook and trying to arrange get togethers around the training material. If you want more information then check out the Porterbrook South Africa site. If we could see more and more existing churches getting a vision for this sort of training then I really think we could see significant things happen in our city as people come together around the gospel of Christ.

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VOX Intensive:

One of our key identities at VOX City Church is that of ‘learner’. We aim to be a community that is constantly coming before God and his word and attempting to learn how we might better serve him in our city. In view of this value we’re holding a 3 day intensive where we will, in community, enter into a deliberate time of learning, discussion and experience centered on values that are core to us at VOX: Gospel, Community, Mission and City.

We want to encourage people to join us if they are able to as we cover these key areas in this learning environment. You can join us for either all or part of the intensive. However spaces for the intensive are limited so please RSVP asap.

Programme for the Intensive:

Wed 2nd June:
10am-1pm Urban Force Event at Common Ground Church (need to register separately for this).

2:30pm – 3:30pm Gospel in Three Perspectives (VOX Offices)
3:30pm – 4:30pm The Gospel Grid (VOX Offices)

6:30pm – 9pm Attend one of the VOX Missional Communities (Green Point, Rondebosch, Claremont, Woodstock).

Thurs 3rd June:
9am – 10am Debrief of Day One (VOX Offices)
10am – 11am Context: Overview of Cape Town (VOX Offices)
11:30am – 1pm Engaging with Story (VOX Offices)
2pm – 4pm Context: Getting a Feel for the City (Leave from VOX Offices)

5pm-8:30pm Township Experience (Gugulethu)
9pm-11pm Long Street Night Experience (Long Street)

Friday 4th June:
10:30am-12pm Debrief Day Two (VOX Offices)
1pm – 3pm What is a Missional Community (VOX Offices)
3pm – 4:30pm VOX City Church DNA (VOX Offices)

7:30pm-9:30 VOX City Church Vision Night (Baran’s 36 Burg Street)

Please let us know if you plan to attend any of the sessions by emailing us at info@voxcc.com

The title doesn’t so much refer to a particular subject or topic but rather headlines a collective of artists who have been gathered for this short, eclectic show – artists, who may not normally put their work up side by side, are sharing the same space to show the diversity of this beautiful city and its amazing people.

There will be also be some live music down at &Union.

St Stephen’s Church, 110 Bree Street, Cape Town (map)

Friday: 6pm – 10pm
Saturday: 10am – 2pm
Saturday: 6pm – 10pm

Artists:

Further; Lester Atkinson; Janna Prinsloo; Mike Scott; Steven van Niekerk; Roxi Bredenkamp; Brett Atherstone; Joanna Court; Frank Moodie; Brigitte Spring-Parfitt; Susan Hall; Grethe Bredenkamp; Nick Mills; Viv King; Roxanne Amos; Claire Jones; Andrew Breitenberg; Sam Beningfield; Cyrelda Victor; Leon Oosthuizen; Zeke du Plessis; Maria Schoeman; Leanne van den Heever; Louw van Eeden; Craig Lewis; Lindsey Boucher; Karen Uys; Linka Prosch; Natalie Florentino; Taryn Reynolds; Nicola Davidson; Dayna-Gay Tate; Marko Petrik

This morning we had perfect weather in the city, sun was shining, no wind, not too hot, not too cool – just perfect. I went for a walk down St George’s Mall (think outdoor paved street – not suburban shopping mall). Somewhere along the walk I had an epiphany (as you do on days with extraordinarily good weather): I don’t see the city the way God sees it. Let me explain…

Here’s my view (the crass version): The city exists for me, it exists to fulfill my desires – and they’re numerous. My desire to feel like I’m at the centre of an important city at an important time (basically the desire to feel important). My desire to feel hipster – this city is full of them/us? My desire to feel in community – there are people everywhere. My desire simply for fun – it’s a seriously cool place to hang out. The city exists for me.

God’s view of the city: The city exists for God’s glory and his purposes. Now a quick walk down the streets and you might be mistaken for thinking that the city exists for the exact opposite. So there’s huge economic inequality, racial tension, broken sexuality, anything but what you’d expect to bring glory to God.

I think the pre-fall trajectory of scripture suggests to me that God’s intention is that this city and all the creativity that comes from the hands of men should be for the glory of God and the furtherance of his purposes. In terms of God’s plans for the world I don’t think that trajectory changes after the fall – the difference now is that we mess everything up by our open rebellion against God. For me then to see things through God’s eyes is to put on pre-fall goggles and see what he wants for this city and not what I want from it.

Seeing the city through God’s eyes means seeing the economic inequality and wanting to be involved in addressing it. Seeing the city through God’s eyes means seeing the racial tension and wanting to be an agent of peace. Seeing the city through God’s eyes means  seeing the broken sexuality and wanting to be a healer. It means seeing all the good things in the city and rejoicing in God’s common grace so obviously evident here. It means seeing what should be instead of seeing only what I selfishly want.

I want to see this city through God’s eyes – I want my desires to be changed.

This is some of what we presented at the church planting center last Tuesday morning. We made everyone here fall in love in Cape Town.

AskMen.com ranked Cape Town at 27th out of the top 29 cities in the world for guys to live in. That’s pretty impressive for us little known ‘developing’ country to have our most cosmopolitan city in the top 29. Especially impressive in that we beat cities like Hamburg (28), Edinburgh (29) and other cities like Seattle, Singapore, Perth, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Munich which didn’t make the list. Beer must be too expensive in those places.

We’ve got a team of theological students with us for the week as we prepare for the first preview service at Point Community Church this weekend. After spending the day talking through demographics and ministry philosophy we took the group up Signal Hill to look out over the city of Cape Town and spend a few moments in prayer about the impending week and the plant in general. What’s weird is the feeling that seems to come over me when I’m in high vantage places looking down over the area I preparing to minister in. I almost always have an overwhelming compulsion to pray, pray and pray desperately for this city (and also about my own sin as I look at the task ahead). I was just wondering if any of you other budding church planters out there ever have similar experiences?

It’s just amazing how when I get that visual view of the city and can take in the size and magnitude of the task the Lord just seems to compel me to pray. I pray that he’ll continue to burden me with the task of prayer throughout this endeavour.

Bit by bit things are coming together for our little church plant. There’s a whole world of practical things that need to get done that no seminary will ever teach you about. Anyway, one more of the pieces in the puzzle is now available to the public: Our church’s blog. So pop around and check us out.