Over the past year, there have been a lot of changes in the ICC fellowship. Oddly enough, none of these "niche needs" from four years ago have gone away. Instead, they have become more significant and their scope has broadened.

The Hurting
In the past, the hurting were generally members of the church who had been on the receiving side of harsh or abusive treatment. Other times, they were in the midst of re-evaluating their beliefs as a result of seeing inconsistencies in the ICC paradigm or their own belief systems.

People are still hurting from these sorts of things, but now there are even more sources of hurts, even more people who are hurting. In some cases, things have come to light that have shattered illusions. In other cases, security-providing structures have been torn down. Some are more affected by these sorts of changes than others, but those in third-world churches who have relied upon first-world support (both financial and spiritual/instructional) are certainly among the hurting at this time.

And the hurting are no longer just the members of the church. It's become apparent that many "leaders" are also victims of the system, and are also hurting. A whole new crop of ex-ministry people is dealing with the devastation and pain associated with that change. Having been in the full-time ministry myself  I can say that being in the ministry and trying to change the way things are done can be one of the most brutal experiences of one's life. No one should assume that just because someone was or is in ministry, that they are automatically a "bad guy." Some of the most bruised people in the last year have been ministry people who have spoken up for changes on behalf of the church and have been hurt deeply. Others have been caught in a "no-man's land" of trying to please everybody in a hurting church.

The events of the past year may have been necessary because early warning signs were not heeded-- but we should not be ignorant of the fact that such events still leave a lot of wounded and hurting people in their wake. A godly revolution must minimize the carnage and seek to provide healing for all of the wounded-- members and "leaders" alike.

Healing the hurts takes time. When people experience a loss, there is a well-known "grief process" that they go through. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are all parts of the process. Though people are individuals and experience losses differently, we should not be surprised that people go through these stages and that healing from losses takes time.

What the hurting need from others is loving, understanding and patient relationships. What they need from the church is recognition of the hurts and safe progress towards healthy and safe spiritual models. Last but not least, the hurting also need a connection with the omnipotent God who has himself experienced losses.

Alternatives
In the past, the ICC was often quite monolithic ideologically. There was a time when daring and biblically-defensible alternatives were needed. In some places or concerning some issues, alternatives now seem to abound. Things are much more wide-open than they were a few years ago.

What is needed now is not just daring alternatives-- but good, solid thinking and well-defined theology. It's a lot easier to know something isn't the only way, or that something has problems, than it is to find a new, better way. We've demonstrated much of the "old way" wasn't the only way, and that it had problems. But finding the new and better way is much more challenging.

Accordingly, we should have a healthy appreciation for other perspectives and points of view, even a healthy respect for the beliefs of those in other groups. This isn't to say that everyone is right, but it is to say that we can learn from a lot of people. And if I might be so bold to say so-- in the area of theological learning, we in the ICC have been seriously stunted in our growth. We've got a lot of learning to do, we're not as far along theologically as we think we are or as we ought to be.

At this time, we need good scholarship and humility. That means learning from those in other groups that have valued scholarship and theological pursuits. Without appreciating the need for good scholarship and a humble attitude, we'll never learn a thing.

I've read a bit about the "Evangelical Theological Society," where scholars and theologians from various evangelical groups come together to discuss theological ideas. We desperately need to have a place to discuss theological ideas without having one's orthodoxy, spirituality or "loyalty" questioned or judged, a place where local church leaders do not feel threatened by such discussions, a place where people don't feel an artificial need to defend or attack the status quo, a place where learning can flourish. Much more could be said about this, I'll probably write more about this later.

"Can't Talk" Issues
After all of the talk and letters of the past year, you would think that there wouldn't be any more "can't talk" issues left! I'm encouraged that more people are writing and speaking up-- something I've encouraged countless numbers of people to do over the years. There is a wealth of expertise and experience in the body that the body needs in order for it to be healthy.

However, we have some new "can't talk" issues in the church. They may not be "can't talk" issues in the old sense, but they are still unpopular opinions in the current church climate. An example would be any suggestion that anything from "bad old ICC" was good. Or, that the new openness in discussing systemic evils somehow negates the need to follow Matthew 18 in addressing areas where one individual offends another. Or that their is a "down side" to present/future changes.

As always, we need to speak the truth in love on the "can't talk" issues. We've got to learn to talk freely and humbly on public matters, and respect the privacy and dignity of individuals in personal and confidential matters as well.

Conclusion
This has been a wild year-- I really didn't have time for a revolution this year. Yet, I'm constantly amazed and humbled at the impact the Barnabas Ministry has had around the world. Thank you for all of your continued support. I hope that it can continue to be a source of healing for the hurting, a place of encouragement and stimulation for the thinking and questioning, and a force for love and truth in discussing things as we go into the future.