Three key issues
The three main issues for this year's Roundtable are inclusivity, training and church planting.
This morning Pete Greig introduced us to Tim Elmore's 'A new kind of leader'. Elmore mapped the dominant leadership styles of the last half century. The leadership style that marks today's emerging generation is that of the poet-gardener, who discerns purpose and develops people. The key value is connection and growth.
Like Connect Europe, 24-7prayer is entering a new season. A time to more pro-actively mobilise the movement in terms of territory and transformation. The emphasis of the first five years was non-stop prayer. Now there will be a stronger emphasis on missions and community. More attention will also be given to training, as 24-7 has been relatively over-releasing and under-resourcing.
The different bases gave their annual updates, which was encouraging. Everywhere there is a multiplication of prayer rooms, and the boiler rooms (permanent prayer rooms which are also places of community, pilgrimage, training and social action) are booming. A new base is being established in the United States, and South Africa and New Zealand are queing.
In the afternoon Carl Tinnion gave us some excellent questions to wrestle with when it comes to training people. Also very helpful voor Connect Europe. Training is costly time-wise, but a long-term investment in leadership development is key for any movement.
In the other room groups have been processing the issue of inclusivity (how to work in Roman Catholic nations, how to raise up young women in leadership, etc.) and reviewed the 24-7 vision and values. Pete Worthington introduced us to the new 24-7 website (to be released in a few weeks), and Pete Ward gave an update on the finances.
In the evening Billy Kennedy talked about 'the long and winding road' and stressed the importance of healthy accountability relationships. After that the wine flowed richly and we talked until late at night. Thank God for so many wonderful people here.
I'm on my way to the sunny side of Europe again. Barcelona this time, for the Global Roundtable of the 
Today Andrew taught on the characteristics of postmodern culture, how the new media (anything you can do on a computer screen) is shaping our mindset, and what kind of churches are needed. His message to the pastors was clear: young people have to be released to start new, relevant expressions of church for their generation. Kerstin and I also gave some input related to leadership and the release of young women into their calling.
Then Barbara and some of the Portuguese young people who work among the hippie tribes in Lisbon shared from their bruised experiences of church and their need to be seen, understood and encouraged by the mainstream. It was good that their rejection came out, and the older pastors reacted wonderfully by blessing them and receiving their insight. A moving moment, which ended the conference. As Andrew wrote on his 
In the evening Reinhold hosted a get-together of the European and the international DAWN team. It's good to get to know some new people. Over dinner I caught up with Mike Steele, whom I met four years ago in Amsterdam, and who heads up the 
The weather was great today, so we had our team meeting on the terrace of a little restaurant overlooking the beach, where they served excellent coffee and red wine. Who doesn't want to be a missionary in a setting like this? We prepared our upcoming 
In the afternoon Nunu, a young Portuguese church planter, took us to Nazaré, an old Portuguese town with grandmas selling pottery and a wonderful beach where we caught some huge Atlantic waves.
