Deep Ecclesiology?

I spent a lovely few hours this afternoon with some mates from the Oasis Youth Work and Ministry course. As well as just being a great opportunity to catch up with friends, time with Lewis, Penny and Clare always turns into a discussion of the books we've read, the churches we've visited, the young people we work with and the ideas we're being stimulated by.

Today's topics of conversation included Brian McLaren's The last word and the word after that (none of us could quite work out what it was about...), the similarities and differences between NT Wright's The challenge of Jesus and Steve Chalke's The lost message of Jesus, Baptist practice and principles and why families can be such hard work. It reminded me a little bit of the concept of "deep ecclesiology" that McLaren outlines in The last word..., a small community of Christians who come together to "be church" for each other.

After we'd gone our separate ways I ended up in the National Portrait Gallery - it's one of my favourites because it's all about people. Unfortunately, given that I only arrived at 5.15 and it closed at 6 I didn't even make it through one entire exhibition, but I'm back up in Leicester Square on Thursday so I'll try and get back there. I then found myself wandering down The Strand and then up into Covent Garden. I'm not usually one for aimlessly wandering around central London, but it was such a lovely evening, and I didn't really want to head home.

But this week was always supposed to be about catching up with people and doing stuff that I never usually get time to do, and it seems to have got off to a pretty good start!