The Elders at the Gate

Back on 30 July, Colin H raised the idea of having a 10 year or even 20 year plan. I gave up on the 20 year idea, but as in 10 years I will be 66 it seems like a good idea to plan that far ahead. This could be dangerous because the last time I had one of these plans was in 1995, when it involved leaving BP by 2005. In the end, I managed that goal in under 5 years and as a result ended up in Karamoja, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and China.

This time I wrote down some comments about what I would not be doing, classic retirement stuff, before I think getting to the crux of it.

“Meanwhile, build up my skills for an elder at the gate role. And specifically skills in listening to God and speaking prophetically into other people’s lives.”

This can be interpreted at an individual level, as my role individually amongst the elders in a Middle East town in Old Testament times. But it can also be interpreted at a community level, I’m probably taking that idea from Michael Frost, who wants to see the local church taking its missional place amongst the community of elders at the gate. Would the community miss us if we closed or moved away?

Image – The Elders at the Gate – James Tissot (1836-1902)

I feel the Money Clinic did that last Monday when we put on a personal budget course for advisers, attended by half a dozen Citizens Advice, Housing Association and council advisers. So far, I would say that the only source of budget coaching in Edinburgh is two churches - CCE and Abbeyhill – but it was a big step up to teach the skills to advisers to augment their own debt advice skills.