George Lings suggested at Breakout Fresh Expressions that the centre moves with the edge, and this in part a reflection on modal and sodal approaches to church and mission. I have found this language problematic for a number of year (see here) and indeed blogged once that we are simply rearrangement the chairs on the titanic. It presupposes that the paradigm (ship) we are in is basically ok, however I think the radical ecclessiology is yet to be formed and we only begin to make headway with this by creating new models of church (being and doing) that take us out of the current paradigm, and in the next post I will write about some of what we need to give up to help break out, and I have written extensively in the past on the heretical imperative that is part of this process.

Therefore with no centre and edge, in and out on the third image I suggested that perhaps a better metaphor was that of a heat map. Firstly I think we need to use metaphor much more, as it can be more expansive, less defined and helpful as we feel our way around the new paradigm. I like the heat map and particularly the image of energy condensing or gathering. A space can become dense with the energy of the go between relational g-d, the people, and the place, that in a paradoxical way creates a thin place, where the walls are dust. See (people + place) x relationship=space