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Norwich kingdom growth seminar review

Nigel Sykes  BiddyLecturer Nigel Sykes recently spoke in Norwich on the topic of 'restoration' and how church growth comes through re-embracing our Hebrew roots. Tania Barnett reviews the event.

I had a stimulating and blessed day at the House of Prayer, on February 4, when Nigel Sykes, Principal Teaching Fellow and Head of Enterprise Teaching Group at Warwick Business School, spoke on ‘Restoration’. The day was hosted by St Stephen’s Church.


Nigel’s presentation was in three parts:
  • Transformation: through concepts of Second Curve Thinking and metamorphosis
  • Organisation-building: The Egg to Butterfly Model

  • How do we come together in releasing Kingdom, as opposed to wordly, controlling structures?

 

I am reluctant to proceed to briefly describe his theories here, as it would not do justice to them/him, but I will pick out what spoke to me, overall:

 

I found Nigel to be a humble, passionate man of God, who brought a refreshing take on the way forward for Church ‘restoration’. He responded to the moment in a Christ-centred way, such as when he answered our questions and even gave away the remnants of croissant (from the St. Stephen’s breakfast) to two passers by outside – Tracy and Aida – who were fund-raising for the church out somewhere in the city.


His multi-media style was absorbing – including the lighting of a symbolic candle, showing us real ‘holy’ icons, and using colourful slides of photos/computer diagrams/his own sketching, all in a non-linear, more holistic approach to his subject than is typical in similar talks. Also, unlike some, he is not a full time preacher or evangelist, but immersed in education and the business world.

 

Nigel exclaimed that he had a ‘Hebrew brain’, (which functions from right to left hemisphere/lobe, a familiar experience for dyslexics), rather than the Greek, opposite way, which our Western world has been heavily influenced by and encourages us to do. The way forward is to find the Kingdom, then you’ll find the King!

He proceeded to show this organic approach in the style of his preaching: definitely non-linear! Venn diagrams from maths, for example, showed how complicated concepts can be expressed accurately and helpfully, in both business and church and Christian thinking.

Pictured above: Nigel Sykes with Biddy Collyer



Tania is a member of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance and has a promotions role in Musalaha Reconciliation Ministry (Israel).

Tania is a member of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance and has a promotions role in Musalaha Reconciliation Ministry (Israel).

 


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