Making a Difference Together
James Featherby is a senior City lawyer in major firm and the Bands concept emerged because he felt the need for a group of people who could understand the issues he faced at work, help him deal with them and keep him focused on God’s agenda for him there. He, like many of us, already had a context for Bible study and fellowship, and felt supported, encouraged and inspired by his local Pioneer church, Network Church, St Albans. However, he also knew that if he were to be really fruitful for God, he needed relationships that would spur him on in faithfulness at work. He wanted to do more than survive, he wanted to contribute to changing environments and people, and see the values of Christ’s kingdom increasingly operational in the workplace.
Together with Rachel Blanshard, an HR executive for an international bank, and Laurence Singlehurst, Director of Cell UK, James found that the accountability bands that Wesley formed to help converts grow were a good starting point. A Band operates very simply. People gather – three to six or so; they pray briefly for God’s presence and help; they share pressure points; they help each other discern God’s purpose for each of them in the workplace; and they then pray and offer wisdom and encouragement. Very simple. No leader required. Just a facilitator who convenes the meeting and keeps it focused on the three Ps – presence, pressure and purpose. This simplicity of format is, however, only effective if the Band members share certain values – particularly, the readiness to be honest with each other about what is really going on. What counts is the quality of the relationships that grow through the Band. The focus of a Band is not on the meeting but on emerging friendships that are not merely about liking one another but are about ‘spurring one another on to love and good works’, as Hebrews 10:24 puts it.
Bands may not be for everyone, but the values and emphases that make a good Band rock have also led to all kinds of fruit in the lives of Band-members and their work colleagues. James tells me story after story of people supported and developed by their band, of difficult work situations turning around, and of colleagues coming to faith.
The Band format is clearly helping people to focus on how God wants them to live, apply and share the Gospel in the situations they find themselves in. Vitally, it also provides a simple way for Christians to support one another in fulfilling their God-given calling at work.
Bands - music to your ears?
Mark Greene is the Director of The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity www.licc.org.uk and consultant editor of ‘Workwise’, from which this article is abridged by kind permission.
For the full transcript of this interview, please e-mail info@bandsatwork.co.uk.
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