Bob Jackson

Church of England consultant, Ven. Bob Jackson, proposes an answer to his own question in a recent paper.

“Once upon a time we thought we knew what church was and how to measure it. Church happened when we gathered in a consecrated building for a public act of worship with a priest on a Sunday. So we measured the size of the church by the number of people who attended the public act of worship. Until the year 2000 we counted ‘Usual Sunday Attendance’, and since then we’ve also used ‘Average weekly attendance in October’, including weekdays.

But attendance & electoral roll measures have never done full justice to what we think church really is. So today I want to pose the deeper questions: ‘What is church?’ & ‘How do we measure it?’”

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We need to revise the rules of a game which seems to be played out with one active pulpit, before an audience of passive pews. Here’s one way forward

As Canadians wrestle with a shrinking Church and a growing recognition that the God of all ages is not limited to high ceilings, wooden pews, or even Sunday morning, we are beginning to grasp the magnitude of the task ahead. It is huge, and will require more than young priests and ministers eager to enter traditional parishes. We face a revolution in how we do ministry, plant churches, communicate a message, and create community.

Mission Shaped Ministry (MSM) was developed as an advanced training course for teams of lay people planting Fresh Expressions of Church in Great Britain. I wish I could say MSM is a magic formula, creating new churches to replace those that have reached the end of their lifespan.

Instead, it challenges the Church to rethink itself on at least three levels.

How we lead: We have come to think of the Church in terms of pastor and laity — one doing the skilled work and the other supporting in many ways. But Fresh Expressions of Church are as much the formation of ministry teams as the reformation of professional leaders. Thinking back to the Acts of the Apostles or the Pauline Epistles, new ministries were always the work of what I think of as the apostolic AND:  Paul and Silas and Barnabbas and Titus and Phoebe and Priscilla and Aquila and Epaphras and Mary and Andronicus and Junia and many more cited by name.  The next generation of church leaders will have complementary ands in every leadership team.

How we finance ministry: As much as I appreciate collecting a salary for doing the things I love – and would likely continue doing even if I won the lottery tomorrow — my income comes from the accumulated wealth of generations.  People older than myself, for the most part, have paid the mortgage on buildings we could no longer afford to purchase. In the future, I suspect much ministry will be conducted by teams of lay persons; supported, encouraged and blessed by clergy but not restricted by the availability of the ordained and salaried.  We can no more afford to launch only churches build by professional church workers than could the early church — or any of the other church planting movements of history. Unless we are willing to send out mendicants with bowls to beg for their supper, Fresh Expressions of Church will often be the work of those who earn their salary and mingle with the working population as others do. Instead of numbing themselves in front of the computer, console, or TV, dedicated Christ-followers will create new Christian communities through networks of relationships inaccessible to parish focused ministers.

Role of pastors: There must be a shift from pastor centred mission to multi-faceted team. The British MSM was designed to aid groups of eager lay people in need of seasoned advice, theology, and structure and to temper a spontaneous church planting. Guiding an unruly outbreak of enthusiastic lay ministry does not seem to be a significant problem in the Canadian Church. But we cannot forget that the early Church was largely a movement of lay persons mentored by followers of Jesus, tied to the teaching of the apostles, but not to buildings or methodologies.

The difference between a laity that cares beyond its friendship networks and one that is ingrown appears to lie in one of the eight measureable quality characteristics of Natural Church Development (NCD). Passionate Spirituality is the ability to apply one’s love for God, one’s knowledge of scripture, one’s experience of the transforming power of God to everyday life and relationships at home, in community and at work. It is that extra “something” that pushes past loving fellowship and a crowded agenda of work and leisure to a life that follows in the footsteps of Jesus — and of the 12 — and the 72, and 500 and so on through to those who mentored the ministries of which each of us are a part.

Does the world need another course to learn how to plant a church or fresh expression of Church?  If it does, MSM is a pretty good one.

But I think we must strive for more than more than deepened knowledge. We need to recruit young people and active retirees and persons whose circumstances allow them to live simply in order to serve God’s mission in the world.  We need priests and pastors ready to rethink tried and steady patterns of ministry that support a passive laity.

We need to revise the rules of a game which can be played out with one active pulpit, before an audience of passive pews. MSM is a team sport. Gather a gang of two or three or ten, and see what you can do. I can safely say that God is on your side.

Time to start new churches 

John Bowen

 

By John Bowen

Published: April 2011

If church attendance is declining, what should be our response? Start new churches, of course!

If that seems counter-intuitive, consider the following:

• One reason churches decline is that populations move, and churches do not move with them. What about new churches for new population centres?
• There is clear evidence that there are more “new Christians” in new churches than in older churches. There is something that makes a new church more readily accessible to someone who is exploring faith.
• New churches are nimble—like young children—and able to adapt to newcomers, new cultures and new demands more readily than older churches which often suffer from structural and cultural arthritis.

Read the complete article.

Years ago, my best friend Janet and I travelled from Halifax to Vancouver and back again on a student Via-Rail pass. For 21 days we sat, slept and snickered in coach seats, eating peanut butter sandwiches and once an entire cream pie. We giggled through northern Ontario and cackled through the prairies, until, to our utter bewilderment, someone finally snapped.

Our fellow passenger shouted “Would you please stop that incessant giggling!” The rest of the car applauded. They weren’t clapping for us. Amazingly, they were clapping for the man who told us to shut up.

We were stunned to discover not everyone — not anyone, actually — thought we were the cat’s meow. And that’s how the church is to some people, in some neighbourhoods. The church has become irrelevant, and maybe even annoying!

This past year, I had the privilege to interview and write the stories of 13 Canadian churches — of various sizes, shapes and denominations — across Canada who have decided to get relevant, big-time. Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches who Have Embraced Missional Life is the book, borne of that research and co-written with Willard Metzger, then World Vision Canada’s director of church relations.

All across Canada, there are churches embracing missional life. They are moving out of their comfort zones into a more intentional local engagement and serving their own communities in remarkably creative ways — not to grow their churches — but to grow their obedience to Jesus’ teachings to deeply love the people and places that surround us.  And they are doing it in partnership with all kinds of people and community groups already active in their midst.

Partnerships was a huge part of many of the missional adventures I learned about. Ask, then listen, advised Judy Paulsen of Christ Church, Oshawa, an Anglican congregation profiled in the book. Going out to meet with community groups, asking how the church can serve them, then coming up with creative partnering possibilities is a staple of the missional life.

I shared this idea of partnerships with people in the community, who weren’t necessarily the least bit churchy at all, with our own church’s Mission and Outreach group. Inspired, we formed a team  to go visit the local schools and offer our church’s assistance for students in need. The result, after months of talking and re-visiting, is a bursary for social action at the high school, and a sizable donation to another school to build up their literacy program.

We feel certain we are on the right and very new track.

This immediate application of what I was learning happened again and again during the writing of Going Missional. Because our own congregation of the Ascension in Port Perry is well on its way to a renewed incarnation in our community, we were able to apply some of the missional lessons right away, which is the very point of the book.

We fellow travellers on the missional road – and many would argue there is no other road — can learn so much from each other. Simple things like dialoguing with the community to find out how we can help — and not presuming to already know.  Realizing that God is already at work in Port Perry and elsewhere, whether we are a part of it yet or not. And knowing that simply being a friend can be the greatest witness to Christ’s love. One church I spoke to built a homeless shelter right down the hall from their sanctuary; another offers fixed-up cars to the poor in their community, yet another asked surprised parishioners to donate their coats and boots (on a cold Saskatoon Sunday) to a homeless shelter downtown. A west-coast church volunteered in droves for an Aboriginal Olympics taking part in their hometown, and did more to build bridges in two weeks than in the decades previously.

I ended this project feeling like it was a good time to be a Christ-follower in Canada — and in my very own community. For the first time in a long time, I am excited about what is to come.

Going Even More Missional

I interviewed 46 people, from 13 diverse church communities from coast to coast, for Going Missional. Here are some more ways these congregations are living out Christ’s call in their communities.

1. Work with other churches: In almost every case, churches who are deeply engaged in their communities are open to collaboration with other — often very different — congregations.

2. Be prepared to help when the community needs you. A large Montreal congregation founds its missional feet during the ice storms of 1998. Their sanctuary became a shelter, and their reputation as a church the community can trust grew exponentially.

3. Know your community. The churches in the book spent time asking questions, hearing from community groups and even just travelling on city buses to hear and absorb what the needs of their communities really were.

4. Encourage lay people. Often, the best ideas for missional outreach come from parishioners who want to share their passion and their gifts. Sometimes, clergy are most effective as cheer leaders.

5. Move from writing cheques to being present. The churches in the book, especially Christ Church, Oshawa, have intentionally moved from mostly financially supporting needs in their communities to actually rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. Parishioners love the switch.

6. Preach and teach boldly. One church in Winnipeg tells members that if they aren’t willing to get to work in the community then they are just taking up a chair someone else could use. Ministry opportunities are presented on their website like job descriptions and everyone has a chance to participate.

7. Open your doors — for free. A large Saint John congregation opens its building (rent-free) for community meetings and events and has gained a reputation, starting with that simple act, as being on the side of the city.

8. Train people how to serve. A St. Catharine’s congregation that houses a homeless shelter makes sure its volunteers are well-trained and comfortable. They present varied “on-ramps” for engaging parishioners in missional activities.

9. Invite the community in — even on Sundays. A church in Duncan, B.C. invites community leaders to join them for a Sunday service and share what they do for their town, then the church offers to pray for their work, right there and then.

10. Do your programs well. A Saskatoon church took a load of their “Sunday best” clothing, in new boxes, to a homeless shelter and the shelter staff were moved to tears. Another church-run homeless shelter washes their visitors’ clothes and offers them fresh pyjamas to sleep in. Offer the world your best.

Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches who Have Embraced Missional Life is available through The Leadership Centre, Willow Creek Canada, at www.growingleadership.com

Karen Stiller

Bishop George Bruce

Click here to see Bishop of Ontario, George Bruce, talking about what he thinks mission-shaped churches will look like in Eastern Ontario.

Shot and edited by Joan Daniel Lillo, November 2010

One busy congregation made the gutsy move of ceasing activitiesand busyness — for a whole year! Find out why and how they did it.

A year ago last September, we at St. James Anglican Church in Caledon, Ont., agreed to enter into a Sabbath year. Why? People here, in this rural congregation of 110 families, had  been more than a little over-stretched. They had worked hard to accomplish a major building project, experienced changes in pastoral leadership, were struggling financially and, like many churches, faced a decline in numbers.

All of these realities — coupled with the personal hustle of day-to-day life —  made for a very weary and frazzled congregation.

Some of us had been doing a little reading and reflecting on the Sabbath day itself. That led me into thinking about the Sabbath year which occurs in one out of seven years in the Bible.

What would happen if St. James was to take a Sabbath year?

How could we do it? Using the Sabbath year teachings found in the Old Testament we adapted these principles to life at St. James.

Here is a quick summary of how we did it:

If in a Sabbath year, the land is to rest, so, we will give the church, which belongs to God, a rest. The church is not so much about the facility, as it is about God’s people. To rest is to abide with God. It is a holy rest, a time to set the church and the people apart exclusively for the Lord, for his purpose and for his glory.

If in the Sabbath year, people were released from work obligations, then the people of St. James are to be released from “work” around the church. On the other hand, if there is “work” that is a joy, a delight, and a pleasure to do, then we are free to pursue it with joy and to consider it holy work.

In the Sabbath year, if the fruit of the land is to be of benefit for all people equally, as they have need, so then will the fruits and blessings of our church be shared with everyone equally. In the Sabbath year, God calls us not only to allow for provision for the poor and the vulnerable but also to provide nourishment for the spiritually poor and the spiritually vulnerable. Therefore, in the Sabbath year we are called to generously share our experience of God, including his power working in us.

If debts are to be cancelled or postponed in the Sabbath year,  the difficult questions become what to do with things like emotional debt, the sense of personal obligation, the rejected peace offering, the demand for retribution, the simple misunderstanding that has become a mountain. This is the year to let it all go. Trust in the Lord. Consider our Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

The Sabbath year is our year to consciously entrust ourselves to our Lord and his gracious provision, to listen quietly for his voice, to walk gently beside him, to let his presence permeate our entire beings and to permeate the full body of Christ here at St. James.”

So now the big question is, “How did it go?”

At first, to many of the good people at St. James, a Sabbath year was a radical idea. Then, we had an electrical fire, caused by lightening. It didn’t look like much, but the water damage and other related electrical issues surely disrupted the usual rhythm of things. But, by Christmas, we had settled into the idea of our Sabbath year…most of us at least. There will always be those energized souls amongst us who just keep going and going.

As the pastor of this little church of St. James, my experience is that the Sabbath year was absolutely wonderful. I would do it again and plan to do so beginning in September of 2016.

What happened? The busy business stopped. The edginess is gone. There is a greater acceptance of others. There is also a deeper sense of fellowship. I find that there is a gentle sense of a peace and patience. There is a renewed affirmation of who we are as children of God. I believe that these things happened because we were taking time, not to be busy, but to rest in the Lord, allowing us to be who God created us to be with one another.

There is now a quest to understand our spirituality more profoundly. I believe too, that we discovered the gift of discernment and wisdom. Now decisions are reached more prayerfully and thoughtfully, and always with the well-being of the church family in mind.

Those who decided to take the Sabbatical year off from their church “duties” have returned refreshed. Our church attendance is up marginally and it looks like our year will close in the black. Admittedly, there were times when we had to remind ourselves to not panic, but to trust in the Lord.

We decided to dedicate one of our Sunday services to focusing on Sabbath rest, in fact, it has come to be called “the Sabbath Rest Service.” It has become the favourite service of the month. It is simple, quiet, gentle, and beautiful.

Six of our “cooks” (all male) decided that they would like to offer a “Sumptuous Sabbath Breakfast” which is offered on the first Sunday of the month followed by our Sabbath Rest Service. Ideally on a Sabbath Rest Sunday, when our people come to church, a gorgeous breakfast is waiting for them. Then the Sabbath Rest Service begins. Our prayer is for a grace-filled pace to be set for the rest of our day with the Lord.

As I write this I realize that these words do not capture the fullness of what God has done here. But He has done marvelous things. We just had to let go of our stuff and be still long enough to watch and listen and to trust Him.

Are you thinking about a Sabbath Year?

*Pray about taking a Sabbath Year and how it may be interpreted into the life and culture of your congregation. Is the timing right?

*Present the concept to wardens, ministry leaders, advisory board. Define roadblocks, path-forward, commitments.

*Set the calendar for the coming Sept – Sept., keeping cherished events, at the same time setting aside as much of the busy stuff as possible. Let go of the shoulds and coulds.

*Keep everything simple.

*Teach and explain about the Sabbath Year, its biblical foundations and application in your church today.

*Except for the wardens, everyone is set free from their responsibilities. They may carry on only if they love what they do and it is a great joy to them, otherwise they are free.

*Truly trust in the provision of the Lord. Share what He has provided with those in need.

* Rest in the Lord.

You’ve probably seen the headlines, headlines such as: “Churches come tumbling down. . . . Canadian Christendom is destined for history’s sunset.” (Globe and Mail, Christmas 2007)

According to Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibby there is a perception, particularly among academics and the media that religion in Canada is a fossil, a vanishing holdover from an older more superstitious age. Is this so? Has Canada given up on religion, or at least on the Church? That may be the perception, Bibby notes, but the facts say otherwise: “The 2001 census reveals that 84% of Canadians continue to identify with religious groups.” (See The Comeback of Organized Religion in Canada.) What’s more, Bibby’s research suggests that of the remaining 16% who say they have “no religion,” two-thirds will connect with a church when they need religious rituals for children, marriages and death.

And Canadians are still attending church regularly (if somewhat less frequently) at the once-a-month or more level. In fact attendance is on the upswing in the past 5 years—especially among youth!

As far as the atheists go, while holding their own, they have about the same grip on Canadian beliefs that they had 30 years ago—very little.

Apparently then Canadians haven’t given up on faith, or even the church. Religion is alive and well in this country. Why is that? What is it that Canadians see in the Church that they aren’t willing to give up—and seem to want more of?

Let me suggest several gifts which the Church has historically offered, and continues to offer, to the building of Canadian society:

Structured support for healthy community values

In one of Project Canada’s studies (see Press Release #10, Oct 8, 2007), researchers compared the attitudes of God-believers to atheists in Canada. They found that on community-building values—such as honesty, kindness, family life, being loved, friendship, courtesy, concern for others, forgiveness, patience and generosity—believers were much more (up to twice as) likely to hold such values as atheists. Bibby suggests that churches provide a place where people can hear the stories, practice the habits, and build the accountable relationships that sustain such values.

Head Space—thinking room that allows for real hope, and the exercise of a rebellious imagination in dealing with community issues

Communities across Canada have been rocked by the recent world-wide economic meltdown. Some fall into a communal depression that sucks away energy for adaptive responses. Churches point them to a God who loves their community and is bigger than the forces assaulting their common life. Christian churches tell the story of a God who saw His Son fall into a nightmare of betrayal, capital charges and death and yet raised that Son to indestructible life. They claim that ancient hates and corrupt states, even the powers of death and hell have no ultimate power over our future because it is held by One who raises the dead. That kind of hope makes it possible to resist destructive trends and try new things, economically, socially, knowing that the effort will not be wasted.

A Talking Place

In the beginning, the “Word” created human community; words continue to build or destroy it. But in a world dominated by great political and economic powers average folks often feel voiceless, helpless to speak words that will make a difference. The church offers a mid-sized space for conversation. It fits between the privacy of family talk and the vast fishbowl of national news media or political debate. It’s a place where people can test out their public “voice” with reasonable risk. And, because Churches tend to draw people together from all walks of life, the conversation is diverse: bartenders and judges, children and engineers, soccer coaches and artists, young and old, rich and poor put in their two cents. Teaching our people how to talk well, providing good processes and healthy structured space for conversation is at the heart of what church and community are about.

Maze-walking guides

Canadian life is a minefield of bureaucratic traps and mazes: income tax, the health care system, banks and finances, the justice system and so on. There are overlapping, intersecting, and often contradictory rules, licenses, fees, punishments and procedures everywhere we turn. Churches have a long history of guiding vulnerable people through those mazes. They help those trapped in the basement of a bureaucracy to get heard at higher levels. They help people sort out complicated applications and legal forms. Church folks sit at hospital bedsides helping people make sense of their journey through illness.

The Rite Stuff

Two recent graduates from our Saskatoon seminaries took adjoining parishes just as two Mounted Police officers were shot and killed in their area. Families and friends of both the victims and accused were members of their churches. These two pastors found themselves thrown into the local and national spotlight. They had to provide a way—a communal liturgy—for people to process the grief and horror of that experience. And so they did. They created opportunities for folks to pray and lament. They modeled ways to be hospitable to media, to care for families. They helped their people channel the powerful but chaotic emotions triggered by the murders into a community-building experience. They mobilized hope and helped the region recover a view of itself as something other than a place that murders its police.

The church was born into drama and liturgy and that is still its central activity. But our rituals are not meant to be private. Public churches take the rite stuff out to their communities. They help celebrate harvests and holidays, lament deaths and disasters. They gather up stories to share at anniversaries and commemorations. They help communities begin things well: through baptisms, weddings, the blessing of new crops, new buildings and, new office-holders. They help end things well: funerals, farewells and closings. And they provide a process for healing and reconciliation from the conflict that a community inevitably suffers.

A Home Base

The majority of Canadian churches are located in rural and inner city communities that live with constant change and often inferior infrastructure. Rural areas live with boom and bust economies dependent on the vagaries of commodity markets. Inner cities lose their infrastructure to the donut effect, or have it shattered by urban “renewals” which uproot people from their homes and tear long established social webs.

But churches persist. They hang in through the changes brought by weather, markets and government programs. They provide a “home base” for community-building and re-building as they offer: a building; a pastor who knows how to train leaders; a group of volunteers and the know-how to recruit, train and support them; a fund-raising structure and know-how to raise funds; grass-roots memberships that cuts across social lines; a tradition of care for the weakest.

Saving Grace

Gracious churches help their community see that their future is open. It is not simply a reaping of past mistakes or revisiting of past glories. They also help communities value people intrinsically, as God’s creation and not according to their economic production, gender, colour, etc. That grace is essential for the healthy functioning of a community. For example:

The Church has been given some wonderful gifts. They’re meant to be shared. And our country needs them. Let’s take those gifts out where they can do some good!

Cam Harder is Professor of Systematic Theology at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon SK. He also directs CiRCLe-M, the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry at http://www.circle-m.ca/.

The Church’s prayer in every generation is always for the people of God to be renewed. When our hearts and minds are renewed it opens us up to the unifying love that is Christ, brings the desire to serve others, and offers peace and hope to our families, communities, and to the world. This, of course, is the Church’s mission and raison d’etre.

In order for the local church to be effective in its mission in every generation, its pastors need to be intentional and systematic in guiding its people—and ultimately its whole region. The people of God need to be loved, cared for, and shown compassion and mercy. And the people of God also need to be well instructed in the Christian life.

In our Canadian context we are living in a predominantly un-churched society, where perhaps only 10 to 15% of the population is affiliated with organized religion. Moreover, the influence of our secular society on that 15% is substantial. Recognizing the church’s mission mandate, and well aware of this societal conditioning, in 1999 the Anglican Parish of the Resurrection in South River, Newfoundland, began a process of renewal, educating our Christian community and re-creating ourselves.

Here is our story.

In the fall of 1999, the parish was a four point charge with small, diminishing, and tired congregations. It was evident that we would have to become one congregation, with all the heartache that would entail, or we would die. This is how we managed, with the grace of God, to recreate ourselves into one vibrant congregation.

We began experimenting by pooling all the human resources from the four congregations in such a way that we would function administratively, liturgically and catechetically as a one point parish. Liturgically, we had one main service on Sunday mornings that moved each week around the parish. The music was more contemporary, and the children’s church was worked into the liturgy. Those who appreciated the contemporary worship and children’s church would “move” to a different building each Sunday morning. Administratively, all four vestries met and worked as one body responsible for the entire parish; and a single financial team was put into place to manage all parish finances.

These “experimental” changes made the running of the parish more efficient, and the liturgy more life giving. But the factor that gave the process deeper roots and the desire to persevere was the intentional, systematic, and ongoing catechetical evangelization of the congregation. If the parish was going to survive, to be renewed and to be made effective in ministry and mission, it was evident that we needed to challenge those already in the pews to learn more about their faith, and to deepen their spiritual practice. In other words, we took as our very first mission mandate to evangelize and educate those already in the pew.

So, at the same time that the administrative and liturgical changes were happening, we introduced the Alpha Course to the parish. All four vestries and others from the congregations were challenged to take part in that first Alpha course. And, thank the Lord, most vestry members responded. This first Alpha was life changing for a number of those who participated, not only by deepening their experience of God, but also by building new relationships across the boundaries of the four congregations. This was a major factor in bonding together in faith and friendship those who hardly knew one before.

The Alpha Course in the fall of 1999 was only the beginning of the catechetical evangelization of the congregation. A Sunday Breakfast Bible study and a weeknight Bible study began right after that first Alpha. In addition, we dedicated two nights each week to Christian Education. Thursday nights was set aside for Alpha, and Monday nights for other Christian education opportunities such as After Alpha, various other programs, and guest teachers who would come to speak on selected themes.

Gladys Harvey writes: Twelve years ago, I was a churchgoer but notacommitted Christian. I decided to do an Alpha course which was offered by our then new priest. That course changed my life and set my feet firmly on a faith journey which has led to a deep involvement with my faith community and with Christian adult education. Alpha gave me the nuts and bolts to begin with, and Lectio divina gave me the discipline of prayer. Christian education , in addition to theology based sermons from our priest, has helped to build a faith COMMUNITY where formerly there were four dying congregations.

As the faith of the congregation was deepening and maturing, many were being prepared to make the hard decisions to become constitutionally a single congregation with one vestry, to sell our old buildings, and to construct a new House for the Church.

During this interim between the old order (with four buildings) and the move to the new House for the Church, the Alpha and other various courses, including Bible studies, continued to renew and transform our people. The Sunday homilies, strategy and visioning workshops, and special lectures also became very important in educating the congregation about the liturgical principles that our new Oratory would embody, and the ideas of hospitality that would direct our new “Emmaus Café.”

Winston Bishop writes: In September 2006 my family and I decided togive church a chance again and take in a service at the newly opened Parish of the Resurrection. We were a family in need of something meaningful to help fill the emptiness that was within us. We received a warm welcome and after several services, an invitation was extended to us to attend Alpha which soon became the single most important event in our family’s lives. Alpha saved us as a family; it introduced us to Jesus and gave us a place to belong, praise God!

After moving into our new community home in 2006, we added to our Christian Education menu a Wednesday afternoon Spiritual Reading Group. This group meets after the Wednesday mass and lunch, and has read and discussed books including such classics as Augustine’s Confessions and The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, and popular works such as The Shack. During the fall of 2010, the Spiritual Reading Group will be reading and reflecting on Three Cups of Tea, the popular story of one man’s encounter with the Pakistani tribes high in the Himalayas, and his response to their great kindness to him.

Another strand of catechesis we’ve been developing over the last four years has been outreach to the wider community: courses on marriage, parenting, bereavement, divorce and separation courses (using resources available through Alpha Canada) and relevant support groups. We’ve moved into this area for a number of reasons: we want to be seen as a resource to our region for people who are not members of our parish; we discerned a need in this area for our region; and there is potential that when folk participate in the outreach programs that we run out of our café, they may decide to explore faith issues with us as a parish.

Finally, for those interested in learning the disciplines of meditation and contemplation, and early in our process of recreating our community, we introduced the practice of Lectio Divina, which has become an important aspect of our catechetical evangelization. This has developed into a regular corporate practice on Sunday evenings, and, when we moved into our new House for the Church, on Wednesday mornings also.

Debbie Kaba writes: When I started attending Parish of the Resurrection at thebeginning of Advent 2007, I was eager to learn meditation and contemplation and  have found them very helpful in my Christian journey. It helps me quiet my mind and emotions and feel the love of God no matter what situation I’m in. Stuck in traffic? I can practice silent prayer until the frustration abates. It has also developed a deep love and connectedness to others of the parish who corporately practice this prayer. The self-discipline it takes to grow in this discipline has been beneficial, too.

Our schedule for catechetical evangelization in the fall of 2010 is full: the new seven week Alpha course; a Bereavement Course; the Spiritual Reading Group discussing Three Cups of Tea; Sunday morning and Tuesday evening Bible studies; corporate meditation on Sundays and Wednesdays; Sunday and Wednesday Mass; and a Parenting Course and a Divorce and Separation Course on request. The winter schedule will be similar, except that we will add the Marriage Course.

As we have sought to develop a mission focused parish, we have discovered that ongoing, intentional, and planned “catechetical evangelization” needs to be a regular component of congregational life. The results, by the grace of God, can be remarkable.

Standing Stones. Thanks to Margaret Marschall, Editor of the Edmonton/Athabasca paper, The Messenger

This morning I was part of a monthly gathering of church planters in Edmonton.  We gather to support and encourage one another, and we take it in turns to discuss issues that are concerning us in our ministries.  At the end of that meeting, I was asked how I thought the recent 2010 Vital Church Planting West Conference went.

Now for those of you who might not know, the Vital Church Planting (VCP) conference began some four years ago in partnership between the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism, and the Diocese of Toronto.  Since its inception, the conference has been a clarion for Fresh Expressions of Church, and refreshing approaches to mission and ministry.  Last year, John Bowen extended an invitation to the Diocese of Edmonton to put on a second conference, uniquely focused on mission and ministry in Canada’s West.  And we said yes.  Thus, this past May, the first annual Vital Church Planting West Conference was held in Edmonton at Taylor Seminary, a seminary for the North American Baptist Church.

Now back to my conversation from this morning.  In the course of our discussion about the conference, it was shared with me by a faculty member of the Seminary, who is a part of our church planters’ group, that the office staff of the seminary spent a week following the conference talking about how overwhelmed they were by the “Christian spirit” exhibited by our conference delegates.  The staff felt that every challenge was presented with grace, every problem was handled with a smile, and that all the people they encountered were generous and giving in their words and actions.

It is this spirit of grace, gentleness, compassion, understanding and service that shapes my own thoughts about this past VCP West.  We had two key note speakers.  Phil Potter, who was one of the keynoters for VCP 2009 in Toronto, addressed the conference three times.  Phil leads pioneer ministry for the Diocese of Liverpool, and has over 20 years of church planting experience in the Fresh Expressions vein.  Phil’s approach to teaching mission was so gentle and grace filled, that one almost missed the depth and profundity of his message calling for a change in the church that both enlivens our inheritance, and freshens our mission.

Our second key note speaker was Harold Roscher, who presented the second of our four  key notes. Harold is the only ordained aboriginal pastor in the Christian Reformed Church in Canada.  His ministry is to the aboriginal community in Edmonton, and he has built a worshipping and faithful community of believers who express their Christian faith through traditional aboriginal culture and symbol.  Again, in Harold, we were presented with a face of gentleness and grace.  While acknowledging the harm caused by the sins of the past (naming the residential schools in particular), Harold presented to us a way of healing and encouragement in ministry to aboriginal peoples in Canada.  Harold’s call was to build a Church of equals, each pursuing Christ through the spiritual language and symbols of our own cultures, but unified by the Holy Spirit in our love for Jesus; a Church that honours all, loves all, and serves all, and creates space for Christ’s transforming power in all cultures and cultural expressions.

In our workshops, we ensured that we had a strong rural ministry component, along with teaching for urban and suburban contexts.  A highlight of the conference was the workshop offered by Cam Harder of Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, and the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry (CiRCLe M).  Consistent with our theme of gracious and gentle presentations, Cam offered to delegates resources for and approaches to rural ministry that will help to equip and strengthen churches in shrinking or struggling communities.

And the whole conference was ably and (continuing with our theme) graciously emceed by John Bowen, of the Wycliffe College Institute of Evangelism.

What of the delegates? you might ask.  What did they say?  Who were they?  Fear not, for answers are coming.  The majority of our delegates were not ordained, yet felt that they were active in mission in their home communities (though most felt that they would be more active if they had more resources or support).  They came from across Canada’s two western ecclesiastical provinces: from Vancouver Island BC to Kenora ON, and to Whitehorse YK.  Their response to the conference was overwhelmingly positive.  With praise for the speakers and presenters, the facility and the conference organizing team, the delegates flew, drove, and walked home tired, but excited for the work the Spirit was doing in the Church.

We return again to grace, gentleness, compassion, understanding and service.  These words not only characterize the spirit of the conference, but also the spirit necessary to plant vital churches, and to refresh the churches of our inheritance.  If we are able to continue to carry this spirit out into all our ministries and the world, then the future of mission in the Church is both bright and blessed.

“I found the Messy Fiesta event to be exciting and inspiring.

With remarkable joy and creativity, Christian worship/education was offered in an inviting, open-minded atmosphere, with wonderful intergenerational appeal. It has huge potential as a means for inviting and welcoming those who are spiritually hungry, but not attracted to a traditional way of doing church. We are delighted at the prospect of beginning Messy Church ministry at St. John’s, Thorold this Fall.” These words, from Rev. Cathie Crawford Browning following the Messy Fiesta (Messy Church workshop) on May 15^th, capture the essence of Messy Church and the two Messy Fiestas held in April and May this Spring in Ontario. 

Messy Church is a fresh expression of church that is drawing families and children to learn about God, as they engage in a faith community in a new and exciting way. Messy Church was developed in the UK as a way of reaching families who weren’t part of the ‘traditional’ church or who due to their busy schedules were unable to attend Sunday worship. As the dynamics of our culture are in constant flux many parents have only the weekend to spend with their children and don’t want to spend it in traditional church while their children are in Sunday School. Messy Church aims to create the opportunity for adults and children to enjoy expressing their creativity, sit down together to eat a meal, experience worship and have fun within a church context, often midweek. Messy Church is a way to reach families who are not in our churches on Sundays.

“Messy Church is a welcome alternative congregational approach that can stand side by side with a traditional Sunday morning congregation. It accommodates the needs of family life while being innovative and post modern.  It may resemble the early church groups with gatherings, discussions and a meal followed by short worship.” Annette Hoare, St. Alban’s Beamsville.

As co-presenter Rev. Nancy Rowe said, “Part of the format for the Messy Fiesta day was to do a Messy Church so that parish leaders could get a feel for what a Messy Church is like. Messy Church is aimed at young families, and certainly that is the nucleus of our Messy Church at St. George’s, Georgetown.   At first it seemed quite strange doing a Messy Church that was adults only, but the energy and spirit of Messy Church is infectious, no matter what the age, the workshop participants were able to enter into the uniqueness of Messy Church to experience the power of God renewing God’s Church. I left each   Messy Fiesta in awe of God’s on-going intrepid plan for us.”

Thanks to St. George’s, Georgetown (April 24^th) and St. John the Evangelist, Thorold (May 15^th) for hosting the Messy Fiestas and all the enthusiastic participants. For more information about Messy Church, contact me at ask@nas.net

Sue Kalbfleisch

Messy Church Regional Coordinator

Sue

I recently sat through a three-hour service, with well-behaved children and a one-hour sermon in the package—and that after an hour-long Sunday School class. Only the occasional sermon is devoted to tithing, and yet 80% of the congregation tithes. But one feature in particular caught my attention: in 45 minutes of non-stop singing (worship and praise time), I heard no grand hymns of the church, only typical praise songs of the sort one might hear in any “contemporary” worship service.

Yet a customary criticism leveled at churches that sing only these “mindless” praise songs is this: how can we expect to form mature Christians when all they sing are worship songs without Scripture or “doctrinal” content. Two observations come to mind. One is that this church’s choice of worship songs “lite” does not appear to dilute the devotion and commitment of its members. And I wonder how those of us in mainline and even some traditionally evangelical churches would respond if that question were put to us. While we are wearing out our time-tested hymnals, have we in fact produced mature and knowledgeable believers? In other words, maybe the song selection has little or nothing to do with the question of spiritual maturity.

I think the problem is systemic, hidden deep within our institutions. One of the first books to attempt an explanation for why mainline churches were losing numbers in the late sixties was Dean Kelley’s 1972 sociological study, Why Conservative Churches are Growing. He argued that high commitment churches—churches that give you a reason to shuffle off to church on Sunday morning—attract more people than low commitment churches which require little of its members. Yet it is precisely this issue that continues to haunt us: we silently envy the laudable benefits of high commitment religion, but are theologically or practically ambivalent about employing the strategies necessary to achieve those effects.

I need to enter three caveats here. One is that our profile of a mature disciple of Jesus will vary along the ecclesiastical spectrum, even when we use the same words. A mature conservative evangelical, fundamentalist, pentecostal or charismatic will know their way around the Bible and can memorize numerous verses, generally attend church-related spiritual programs throughout the week, give generously to the church and mission, and place a high priority on evangelism, locally and globally.

A mature disciple in a mainline church may not differ much in theory, except that they will be expected to be more theologically nuanced (translate, less literal) in interpreting Scripture, express a greater appreciation for the church’s tradition, be more culturally sophisticated in hymnody and liturgical practice, and view mission more in terms of responding to social needs and justice in society.

The second caveat is that many pastors in low commitment churches do struggle deeply with the pressure to compromise the church’s teachings. The response was palpable following the publication of Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon’s provocative book, Resident Aliens (1989). Pastors confessed they felt like ecclesiastical prostitutes, offering religious services without requiring commitment.

Third, no church is simply culturally compromising or counter-cultural. Evangelical and pentecostal/charismatic churches are high commitment in terms of their doctrines and certain moral standards. But they are low threshold in terms of worship styles. Mainline churches, on the other hand, are theologically and ethically low threshold, more “in step” with cultural shifts in ideas and mores. But they are traditional (high threshold) in their worship, preferring pipe organ, choirs and traditional hymnody.

There is undoubtedly an important link between Christian teaching/beliefs and practices. The question is where these two intersect in a congregation. The link is seldom direct and observable, but subterranean and systemic. Where will we find doctrinal and theological “input” within the congregational system in a way that produces maturity in its members?

While this may suffer from over-generalization, let me suggest four profiles that may help us understand our own church and others better.

Profile 1: Traditional Pentecostal/Charismatic

• Participation: high commitment to the spiritual programs of the church outside of Sunday worship; e.g. involvement in Sunday School by both children and adults; greater number at weekly midweek services
• Educational curriculum: high commitment to biblical content, and earlier introduction of Christian doctrine
• Worship: low commitment to theological content in hymnody (except for those churches that continue to use a hymnal); low to medium commitment in preaching (a few pastors with a “theological bent” may preach the occasional doctrinal sermon)
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: medium to low commitment to “tarrying meetings” for Spirit baptism; high commitment to camps and regional events for children and youth to guide them in making an early commitment to Christ

Profile 2: Evangelical (including some Pentecostal/Charismatic) Seeker Churches

• Participation: medium to high commitment outside Sunday worship, including Sunday School; small groups are emphasized, but theological content is a lower commitment than building community and support; midweek activity is devoted to these cell groups
• Educational curriculum: low commitment to doctrinal and theological formation; focus is on practical living
• Worship: low commitment theologically in both hymnody and preaching; “evangelistic” focus is on connecting with the practical needs of the worshipper
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: low commitment to doctrine, though higher commitment to core values of reaching the seeker and mirroring the “needs” of the culture

Profile 3: Traditional Evangelical

• Participation: high commitment to participation outside Sunday worship, including Sunday School for all ages and mid-week Bible study and/or prayer meeting; mid-week service might include a sustained study of a book of the Bible or a doctrinal theme
• Educational curriculum: high commitment to the doctrinal beliefs of the church; Sunday School curriculum will be rigorously biblical; doctrinal teaching is designed to reinforce the theological identity of the congregation
• Worship: high commitment to doctrinal content through use of the traditional hymnal (even if mixed with “praise songs”), and emphasis on exegetical, expository and doctrinal preaching
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: high commitment to practices that support the church’s doctrinal identity such as Bible study; commitment to theological consistency throughout the life of the congregation

Profile 4: Mainline

• Participation: low commitment to participation outside Sunday worship; Sunday School for children integrated with worship time, as families are often unwilling to sacrifice the extra hour outside worship; low commitment to weekly adult study opportunities; only short-term education programs are successful (e.g. Alpha); conferences and retreats are attended by the few motivated core members
• Educational curriculum: low commitment to doctrinal beliefs; Sunday school curriculum may give priority to social ministry rather than to issues of personal discipleship; the view of Scripture may reflect a more critical approach
• Worship: the doctrinal content is located primarily in the liturgical rites (e.g. the Anglican Book of Alternative Services) and traditional hymns; low commitment to doctrinal preaching, which is possible but not necessary in lectionary preaching
• Practices that support core doctrines and values: low commitment to practices that support the church’s doctrinal identity; programs for children, youth and adults are sporadic and uneven, and mostly at the initiative of the local congregation; resources from the denomination are minimal, due to lack of finances, commitment, or interest.

The dance between doctrine and practice is tricky. Separating the two can be lethal for

discipling believers, as neither dry doctrinal treatises nor pietistic platitudes will be effective. My interest here has been to take notice of our conventional criticism of one practice, “superficial” praise songs. This sliver in our brother’s eye belies the log in our own, because many of us in the mainline tradition have little cause to boast of the spiritual maturity of our own members.

I do not say this to disparage the riches in my own mainline tradition. But being a low commitment church, with its distinctive European heritage, is the hand we have been dealt. Nevertheless, we are not helpless. Lyle Schaller, patriarch of the church growth movement, once observed that those churches that are most successful in growing do two things: they are committed to proclaiming with confidence what Scripture teaches, and they are consistent in communicating those teachings at every level of the congregation’s life.

That may not be a magic wand. But is it a good place to start.

.

Neil Cole

• All begins in prayer
• Simpler teams, smaller start
• If all we do is start churches, we miss something
• Church should not be a separate domain, but incarnate presence
• Bad people make good soil, they have a lot of fertilizer in their lives
• You can judge a church’s health by its willingness to die
• One of the greatest sins of the church is self-preservation
• Plant Jesus

Alan Hirsch

• An Evangelist brings shape to how God is trying to woo people to Him.
• God does make passes at us all the time
• God is already there
• To create connectivity:
  • Proximity (on their turf)
  • Frequency
  • Spontaneity
• You can’t frontload your idea of church or the gospel.
• To know a culture’s longings, look at their art.
• People he knows struggle to be Christians, but not to be with Jesus.

Shane Claiborne

• Us: “God, do something!”  God: “I did do something, I made you, now get out!”
• How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday, and ignore one on Monday?”
• We were not church planters (the Simple Way).  We say morning prayer together, help kids with homework, plant gardens.
• Independence is not a gospel value
• Poverty in the suburbs  is different from the city
• Jesus & justice have to kiss

Harold Percy was recently the speaker at the annual Institute of Evangelism dinner at Wycliffe College. This is the text of the talk he gave that evening.

It is no secret that our churches across this country are generally having a difficult time connecting with people and attracting them into the lives of their worshipping communities.  It seems to be mystifying and bewildering to many that forms of worship, church life, and governance that worked effectively for generations no longer do so.

George Hunter, in one of his books on church life and North American culture, offers the picture of a corn farmer whose family has been successfully raising and marketing corn for generations.  He ask us to imagine that one morning, as this farmer and his crew wake up to go into the fields to harvest the corn, they discover to their amazement that overnight the cornfields have turned to vineyards.  Instead of acres and acres of rich, ripe corn waiting to be harvested, instead there are vines dropping with juicy grapes waiting to be picked.  A preposterous picture to be sure, but go with it for a minute.  Hunter says that in this situation there are a number of options open to the farmer.  Of all these options, surely the most disastrous would be to think, “There can’t be that much of a difference between corn and grapes, so let’s just start up these corn pickers and drive into the fields and harvest the grapes.”  This could not possibly end well!  In fact, the harder they worked at this, the more damage they would be likely to cause.

Hunter says this is the situation facing churches (for our purposes, particularly mainline churches and especially the Anglican Church) in North America.  For generations we had a way of “doing and being” church that fit perfectly into the surrounding culture and so was very effective.  But in recent years the changes in the culture have been rapid and significant.  The result is that the churches are much like the corn farmer, surrounded no longer by corn but by grapes.  The harvest has changed, and changed dramatically. And, if we as the church are going to be effective in what we are called to do, we must change as well.  To insist that we can continue to do just exactly what we have always done, and hope that our results will eventually change, is folly.  Corn pickers can’t harvest grapes.  We need to rethink what we are doing and how we are doing it.

Dallas Willard wrote, concerning church life in America, that “your church is perfectly designed to get the results you are presently getting.”  If we want to get different results we need to do some serious thinking about what needs to be changed, and what we need to be paying attention to.  The following acrostic on the word VITAL provides a convenient framework for me to make a few observations about some of the things I think we need to be paying attention to if we are going to revitalize our congregations and carry on effective ministries.

Visionary Leadership

The “V” stands for visionary leadership. We need visionary leadership at every level because the nature and scope of the changes required go far beyond simply tinkering a little bit with what we already have. It is clear that the traditional parish model which is organized around liturgy and pastoral care simply doesn’t work anymore.  No matter how good we get at these, it won’t help.  What we need is new DNA, and leaders who get this, and can model and communicate it.

The number one job of leadership is to explain why the organization exists and to communicate this clearly and effectively.  We have congregations all across this country who don’t know why they exist, with leaders who are unable to tell them.

I read somewhere that the two most radical questions any organization can ever ask itself are these:  Why are we doing what we are doing?  And why are we doing it the way we are doing it?  These are questions that have to be asked on a regular basis in every congregation, parish, and diocese across the country.  It is hard to know just what to do if you aren’t clear on precisely what it is that you are trying to do.  What should be the result of all this work and effort we are putting into church life?

For my money the answer to the first of these questions would be something like, “The church exists (or this parish exists) to let the whole world (or this particular community) know that Jesus is Lord;  to explain what this means, to live what it looks like, and to invite everyone within our sphere of influence to become an intentional follower of Jesus and learn to live the new life of his Kingdom.

Again, for my money, the worst possible answer to the second question (why are we doing it this way?) is “Because we have always done it this way.”  A better answer is “because we have tried and experimented in all kinds of ways and currently this is what seems to be most effective, but we are always looking for ways to get better at this.”

The leadership in a vital congregation needs to be able to inspire the people of that congregation with a vision of who they can become as they work this out, to dream of what such a community of people might look like in their particular context, and to nurture such a community into being.  That is always an exciting journey for everyone involved.

The challenge is that our systems of formation and oversight do not produce and nurture such leaders.  In fact, they probably weed them out more often than not in the early stages.  We send clergy out into the field, full of passion and dreams and hope, but without the necessary training and ongoing coaching in the transformational leadership skills required to take hold of a parish and lead it through a process of transformation to vitality.  So, as they try or suggest various things, they get beaten up, discouraged, tamed, even skittish, and often end up simply trying to hang on and survive.  This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Inspirational Worship

The key here is simply to remember that people mostly prefer parties to funerals.  Over the years I have come to the conclusion that we put far too much emphasis on the set texts and forms of our liturgical worship and expect far too much of the liturgy in return.  We need to get over our obsession with “doing liturgy properly”—not that we should strive to do it badly, but because there are more important things to be thinking about.  We simply overplay this in terms of its importance and what it can do.

One of the problems with the way we think about liturgy is that it is rationally driven.  It is explained by means of logic and reason: “this piece goes here, because we have just done so and so, and this is what should follow.”

I don’t have a problem with this, except to say that of much greater importance is the tone and pace and feeling of what is happening, no matter how the pieces are linked together.  It simply is a fact that the majority of our churches bore the pants off people with the tone and pace of the service.  It is just quiet, somber, and weary.  I have often marveled at how Anglicans can be such jolly, life loving, vibrant people on the parking lot or in the coffee hour, but so totally dull and dreary at worship.  There is nothing in scripture to suggest that worship needs to be a funeral march.  So much of what we do and how we do it is just lacking in imagination and energy.

When the people we are hoping to connect with do eventually come to church to check things out, most of them aren’t asking whether the pieces of the service fit together theologically, nor even, “What did I learn?” The first and most important question for them is usually, “How did I feel?”  Did I feel that I was in a community that is life-filled and loving?  Did I feel welcome?  Did I sense that in some way I was actually in God’s presence, and that God and I were connecting?  Did God speak a word into my life in that service?  Was I touched? Was I challenged? Did I get excited? Did I leave with a new or renewed sense of purpose or hope; a new or renewed perspective on my life and its possibilities?  Was I convicted of things in my life that need changing?  Do I feel that I have been forgiven?

They aren’t asking if the priest adopted the proper postures or stood in the right places or if the hymns were proper hymns, or if their grandmother would have been pleased with the way the service was conducted.

Training In Discipleship

This has to do with the teaching and coaching that enables people to make an intentional commitment to be followers of Jesus and to learn to live the new life of his kingdom.  I believe that this is at the very heart of the life of a vital congregation, but for various reasons we have let this slip badly.  In fact, in many of the churches I have visited across this country most of the members have never even heard that this shot is on the board.

This work has been badly neglected.  We have life long parishioners who don’t know how to pray with their families or in their churches, and life long parishioners who are functionally biblically illiterate.  And these are just the basics.

I think this might be the result of thinking that this work is done by the liturgy, or that it  is done as we breathe in the air of a Christian culture, or that people have just learned these things somewhere else.

But most parishes make the mistake of starting in the middle: simply assuming the people in the pews are already mature, well formed, holistic followers of Jesus, and know how to make the connections between faith and life on a daily basis.  This is not a good assumption. We need to get back to the absolute basics of the faith, and take it from there, helping people to grow through a deliberate process of personal transformation.

Again, for my money, my hunch is that we put far too much effort into what we call pastoral care and not nearly enough into discipleship training.  I believe that our clergy need to be delegating most of the pastoral care to gifted and trained care givers in the congregation who are longing for ways to make a difference, and to spend their own time working at developing the processes by which disciples are formed and nurtured in their congregation.  “Pastoral care” should be changed to “congregational care”, and in the seminaries I believe that the departments of Pastoral Care should be changed to Departments of Congregational Leadership.

Authentic Community

I am not talking here about churches that seem more like comfortable Christian clubs, but about communities of growing disciples who are meeting together to encourage each other in their journeys of discipleship, caring for each other deeply and tenderly, and learning what it means to “love one another, to weep with those who weep, and to rejoice with those who rejoice.”

Loving Outreach and Evangelism.

All of this brings us to point where we are prepared to begin seriously thinking about how we will reach out in the name of Jesus to serve our communities and to invite others to join us in the adventure of learning to follow Jesus.  The means and ways to this are limited only by our imaginations.  I believe that Jesus would still say today, in our parish neighbourhoods, “the harvest is plentiful”.

But in order to be effective in this, we require visionary leadership, inspirational worship, training in discipleship, and authentic community.  When we have these, we will be able to do this, as an authentic expression of who we are; ministering out of vibrant, life filled, dynamic congregations in which the message of Jesus is modeled and shared:  “Come and see, join us in Christ’s mission, learn to follow Jesus with us.”  Such congregations, and only such congregations, are ready for sustainable evangelism, whether “attractional” or “fresh expressions” or whatever.  Without these, all our efforts will be hit and miss—like playing pin the tail on the donkey, with the tail ending up all over the place.

I love the thought of communities of Christ followers meeting together for prayer, bible reading, holy communion, and then going out to walk through their neighbourhoods asking “how can we help”—and thinking seriously about what it would mean to share Jesus in that place.

My friend Tom Bandy said it well, I think:  “Love your church, of course: but love Jesus more.”

You have seen them and so have I: bright, enthusiastic young people leading worship, heading out on short term mission trips, collecting food for the food bank. And we think, “Ah, the future of the church is in good hands.”

But what happens to those young people in the years that follow? Do they fulfill their potential for church leadership. If so, why? And if not, why not?

For many years, my wife and I worked in a Leadership Training Program at Ontario Pioneer Camp, an interdenominational camp in Ontario, Canada. Over that time, we worked with around a total of over 1,200 young people.

In 2003, I had the opportunity of a sabbatical from my teaching, and decided to try and find out what had happened to this particular group of lively, committed Christian teenagers. Where were they now, in terms of faith and church involvement? And what might we learn from them about what keeps them in the faith—or drives them away?

I prepared an online survey, and invited them to fill it out. They were asked to identify where they were at spiritually, and answer appropriate questions. Their main options were:

1. “You still call yourself a Christian and are involved in church.” There were 251 who chose this survey, 75% of the respondents. I refer to these as Loyal Believers.Roughly one third of these (eighty-three), although they are active Christians today, had a time of six months or more when they were away from church and/or faith. This is a distinctive group, so I call them Returned Believers.
2. “You would no longer call yourself a Christian and have dropped out of church life.” There were fourteen who chose this survey, 4% of respondents. I refer to these as Former Believers.
3. “You still consider yourself a Christian but have more or less dropped out of church.” There were fifty-seven who chose this survey, or 17% of respondents. I call these Absent Believers.

All told, I received responses from a total of 333 people, about 28% of the potential pool. As I read through the answers, there were a number of things that jumped out at me. Each one is discussed more fully in the book, but here are some of the highlights:

1. The first surprise was why those who were continuing in faith and church involvement did so. I had assumed that friends would be the primary influence. Well, friends came high on the list, at 80.9%, but two factors were rated higher. Mentors rated fractionally higher, at 82.3%. But topping the list was (can you guess?) “my relationship God” at 89%. It’s obvious, I suppose, as soon as you say it: people continue in their Christian faith because of the reality of God.Not only that, but I was quite startled to find that, in response after response, people spontaneously stated their faith in strong, personal and passionate ways. They testified to their love for God, their dependence on God, their gratitude to God, and so on. These are clearly people who are not involved in church and faith out of a sense of obligation. They are involved because they feel strongly about their faith.
2. I thought that the main factor causing Former Believers to leave faith would be suffering (what I called a “catastrophe,” such as the loss of a child, parent, or partner). Since only fourteen Former Believers responded, I cannot draw sweeping conclusions, but certainly among those fourteen the problem of suffering received hardly a mention.What was surprising however, was the string of stories told by Loyal Believers about their suffering, including the untimely death of children and parents, and chronic debilitating illnesses. For these people, although the suffering was sometimes unbearable, it did not drive them away from faith and church, but instead their faith gave them the resources to cope with it and to survive.
3. It is remarkable how many people have changed denomination since the time they were teenagers. Three-quarters of respondents have left the denomination in which they began life. The book looks in some detail at what these changes are and why they take place, but as a general rule many would sympathize with the Absent Believer who wrote: I don’t subscribe to denominations, but rather, prefer to find a specific church with a pastor and congregation that I relate to.This research confirms what others have found, that changing denominations is a very common thing these days, although, as sociologist Reg Bibby has pointed out, the switching is often within church “families”—that is, from one conservative church to another, or from one mainline church to another. Many, but by no means all, of the changes among my respondents confirm this.
4. Many of the respondents, whichever category they put themselves in, have experienced difficulties with church and with faith: many speak of finding “hypocrisy” in the church, having values that differ from those of their church, encountering intellectual difficulties, and so on. Not only has this driven many (Absent Believers and Returned Believers in particular) away from church: it is also the thing that most often challenges the faith even of Loyal Believers! This theme of what we might call “the disappointing church” crops us frequently in the responses.
5. Largely because of this, fully one third of those presently involved in church were absent from church (less often from faith) for a period of six months or more, the longest “absence” being one of seven years. However, the range of reasons they leave, and the reasons they later return, are varied and (particularly in the reasons they return) often startling. This reinforces the fact that a number of people who are presently Absent Believers will likely return to church at some point. But, equally certain, some of those who are presently Loyal Believers will move away from church at some point. Of those, some, though not all, will return later. And (according to other people’s research), some will leave and return more than once.
6. A lot of people say how difficult moving from one town to another has been for their church involvement. It’s not easy uprooting from a faith community where you feel at home, comfortable, and needed to another where “none of the above” applies—at least, till you’ve been there some time.  As Reginald Bibby says, “every time people move, about half of them will stop attending regularly.”

So what might we learn from all this?

There is much to learn from these respondents. Three preliminary questions come to my mind:

a)      Do our youth groups teach their members what it means to have a meaningful relationship with God which will last and grow over the years? Do we dare to teach them spiritual disciplines, or do we assume these would be beyond the average teenager?

b)      Can we help young people, when they move to another town or city, to find a suitable church? Obviously it is not enough to suggest that Presbyterians (for example) simply look for another Presbyterian church. If they are leaving a family-oriented evangelical church, they are highly unlikely to settle in an ageing, theologically liberal congregation (or vice versa), even if both are Presbyterian. Are we prepared to think “kingdom” more than “denomination”?

c)      What can we learn from their criticisms of church? What these people are looking for in a church is not rocket science, neither is it inappropriate. They specifically ask:

• that followers of Jesus should cultivate a warm and open community
• that they should consider issues of truth, and be open to questions and discussion
• that they should be active in service to their community and the world, and
• that worship (whatever form it takes) should be done with excellence and should include thoughtful preaching.

In some ways, all they are asking is that churches should act like churches. After all, these criteria are pretty basic for any church. It seems as though, if we want young people to find churches credible, the best thing we can do is actually very simple (though deeply challenging): to take seriously our commitment to be a community of followers of Jesus. Is that too much for them to ask?

xxx

Growing up Christian: Why Young People Stay in Church, Leave Church and (Sometimes) Come Back to Church is published by Regent College Publishing (2010), and is available online from Amazon here or (at the end of March) from Chapters/Indigo, or it may be ordered through local bookstores.

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Why?  Why will this event transcend so many others?  How can one hockey game ever mean so much to so many Canadians?

It’s a question I hope to engage in the pre-game sermon I’ll be preaching that Sunday morning.  My thinking is that the God who made all things (in the Christian worldview anyway) has something to do with this game. Surely he’ll be watching.  And surely there’s some greater divine purpose at play.

But what?

In order to get at an answer I decided to solicit some professional help.  So I emailed Globe and Mail sports writer Roy MacGregor and asked if he’d be willing to help me research my sermon. His response?  “I’d be happy to,” he wrote, “if time permits.”  Following is the email dialogue that ensued.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 8:56 am

Roy,

Here’s my first/main sermon research question(s).

Why are Canadians so passionate about their men’s Olympic team?  What is it about this series that matters so much?  Can you identify the specific yearnings and desires in us that are being piqued by this event?

I’m especially interested in your thoughts on our “specific yearnings and desires” Roy.  How do they differ in this series, from say a playoff run, or a regular Saturday night game?  J

Thanks again for taking the time,

John

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 9:10 am

John,

I’ll try and answer in the body [of your email], John.

[“Why are Canadians so passionate?] Canadians aren’t known for much — even the things we should be known for. Americans say basketball was invented in Springfield (it was, but BY A CANADIAN). They say the telephone was invented there (it wasn’t — but HERE, BY A CANADIAN). We invented hockey and no one disputes this. We embraced it as our national game and we are one of a few countries where only one game matters above all others, hockey. The Olympics gives us the chance to have the world notice that Canadians truly own this game they invented.

[How are the Olympics different from other hockey series.?] It is sooooooo different.  A playoff run is only important to the city, Saturday night hockey only important to the country. The Olympics are the world’s showcase. Our specific yearnings and desires are simple. We know, in our insecure hearts, that the rest of the world, if it thinks of us at all, it is as what that British headline writer once called “That Great White Nothing.” Or if they do think of us, it is of very quiet, polite not-quite Americans.

But hockey, I believe, allows Canadians to show the world the face Canadians wish the world to see in Canada: resilient, tenacious, teamwork, hardworking, determined, filled with heart, ultimately triumphant — and yet humble in victory. (After the wild piling on and cheering, of course.)

Roy

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010, 10:18 am

Wow…  great insights Roy.

When you write, “The Olympics gives us the chance to have the world notice that Canadians truly own this game they invented…” I think about how, in the Christian story, God created humanity with the mandate to be fruitful, and multiply and fill this world (Genesis 1:28).  A big part of that filling involves the creation of culture.  And a big part of our culture today is sport.  So when we are the ones who invent a game like hockey, we’re doing a good thing that God commanded.  And when we come up with something that’s innately us – with all of the ice we have to play on, available trees for sticks, and weather resilient spirits – we’re giving back to the broader global culture something very unique, very indigenous, very us.  You’re right.  We came up with this game.  There’s something about being the first to create something that leaves us feeling very much who we are, very human, very alive, while at the same time bringing us closer to our Creator.  In Christian circles the thinking is that all human beings are made in the image of God.  So when we create one of the greatest cultural products ever conceived of, we’re mimicking our Maker.   J

Your insights connecting our insecurities as Canadians with the pursuit of Olympic gold, was a new one for me.  And I think you’re right.  We do want to be seen for who we are, as the “resilient, tenacious, teamwork[ing], hardworking, determined, filled with heart, ultimately triumphant — and yet humble in victory” people that we really are. J  As I consider these words, all I can think about is how God made us to be seen, recognized, and fully known and appreciated by him.  I think God loves every single person and culture on our planet, in every detail, in all of their unique ways of playing and being, even if we mess things up some times (like finishing out of the medals in Turin – what was that about eh?).  So this makes me wonder if our deep desire to be seen by the world for who we really are, is a pointer to an even greater yearning to be seen by God (knowingly or not).

What do you think about these spiritual connections?

John

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010, 10:41 am

I like it. I’m not a religious person at all (not anymore, anyway) but I appreciate the connections and think they work very well. Good luck with the sermon.

R

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010, 11:00 am

Thanks.  And thanks for the inspiration Roy.  I’m not sure I would have got there on my own.

Have a blast at the Olympics,

John

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Tuesday, February 02, 2010, 11:03 am.

Many thanks, John.

R

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So think about it as you watch the game.   Where is God present in all of this?  What is he saying about who you are, and how he made you…  how he made us as Canadians?   What is God revealing about himself through this good old hockey game?

“But,” I said, “the church isn’t growing much and we’re operating very close to the line financially: how can we rest? And besides, I like the busy-ness.” Again I felt God say to me, “Precisely, that is why all of you need Sabbath Rest—a whole year’s worth.”

I spoke to my wardens and my advisory board, and—surprisingly—they all concurred: it would be good to take a Sabbath Year. I then began to study what the Seventh Year Sabbath means exactly, and how it could work in our congregation in the coming year.  I discovered that there are three aspects of the Seventh Year Sabbath:

Release of the Land

God proclaimed that, in the Seventh Year, there were to be no crops planted: the land was to rest. At the same time, the land by its very nature would bring forth some produce. This produce was to be shared amongst households, masters and slaves, the needy and the vulnerable, and the stranger.  During this Seventh Year, the people were to trust in the Lord’s provision. It is this trusting in the power and provision of God that brings us back to basics, that God will “give us this day our daily bread.”

He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved all this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God, He is the one who gives you power to be successful. (Deut. 8:17-18)

This year, we have applied the concept of the resting of the land to our congregational life. For one year, we will stop the busy work, the big events, the major projects. We will step away from all of this busy-ness, and simply rest in the presence of the Lord. We want to take time to see where God is, and ask what is truly important for the kingdom in this place. Sometimes we get ourselves so overcommitted, that we just don’t have a sense of what we are really doing and why. This year we will stand back from the noise, be still, and ask what is God’s will, not ours.

Release from Debt

In the Seventh Year Sabbath, sometimes referred to as the Year of Release, there is a release from debt. The texts I read were not certain if this meant release from the entire debt (as in Jubilee) or if it meant release from debt obligations for the Sabbath Year, a year in which there would be no harvest income generated. Whichever way it was intended, one would be debt free for at least a year.

Taking this concept into our church life, we cannot (unfortunately) be free from certain debt obligations that we have. That being said, it is understood that this year we will not push our people about financial issues: this year we will have no financial campaigns, no carrying on week after week about the budget. And we have agreed to trust that our people will share what they can.

Curiously, we were tested right at the beginning of our Sabbath Year. There was an electrical fire which, although not huge, caused enough damage that insurance was involved and of course there is a deductible which understandably was not in our budget. Without asking, people have responded with donations toward this deductible.

There is another form of debt to consider. In some translations of the Lord ’s Prayer, it is written, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” As a congregation, are there people whom we believe to be in our debt, if so, can we let this sense of debt go, release our debtors, set them free? We can ask this same question on a personal level as well.

Release from Slavery

God said that in the Seventh Year Sabbath, all slaves were to be released if they wished to be. Furthermore, the slaves were not to be simply set free, but were to be given enough provision that they could begin new work as a free person, and become financially independent. In essence, these slaves were to be given an opportunity to begin a whole new life if they chose to accept their right to freedom.

We have taken this release from slavery and applied it to all of our volunteers (except the wardens). Everyone has been released from any form of responsibility or commitment to work in the church. Those who are happy to be involved and delighted to share their gifts and skills are welcomed and encouraged to carry on. On the other hand, those for whom their work in the church has become a drag and a “have to do” are released. So far, we have lost only one person—and gained six willing hearts. An unexpected outcome is the inspiring sense, when going into the sanctuary on Sunday, or attending a meeting, of knowing that everyone who is there is there because they want to be present and to participate.

Slavery, like debt, has another side to it. It includes those amongst us who are vulnerable, whose lives seem boxed in, as if they are chained to a past that has no future. How can we, with God’s help, break their chains, set them free and provide them with hope for tomorrow. This is a requisite of the Sabbath Year.

How is it going for us so far?

At this point in time we not far into our Sabbath Year. I have not as yet heard one complaint. I have, however, heard lots of reminders around: “Remember this is our Sabbath Year, let’s keep it simple and easy.”

We are making every effort too to reclaim the Seventh Day, the Sabbath Day, and, this is reflected in our worship, our communication, and our focus. Again, people are talking about it and claiming their Sabbath Day.

I have only recently become aware of the sense of mutuality that is emerging. There is a developing Sabbath Spirit: we are all in this together, supporting and encouraging each other to keep the Sabbath.

Our newcomers are intrigued by our Sabbath keeping and feel quite relaxed, coming into this atmosphere of rest and simplicity.

In my study on Sabbath Rest, I read that the word rest in its original context does not mean so much sleeping or napping as it does abiding with God. So the Sabbath Year of Rest is our time to truly be with God. It is our time to stand back and try to see ourselves, through God’s eyes.

My hope is that, when we come the end of our Sabbath Year, we will be refreshed and renewed, encouraged and energized in the power and presence of God. We will be able to define what we missed, what we didn’t miss, what is important to us—and what God is preparing for us.

My prayer for those in my charge during this our Sabbath Year is this:

May Christ make his home in your hearts. May your roots grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. May you have the power to understand, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness and power that comes from God. (adapted from Ephesians 4:17-19)

A Sabbath Year. A good idea? So far, so good. Thanks be to God.

My plane reading (Clusters – by Mike Breen and Bob Hopkins) had been preparing me for my first site visit.  St. Thomas’ Sheffield is hailed as the largest Church in the North of England.  I plugged the address into the ‘Sat Nav’ (GPS for us Canadians) from my home base in Liverpool and was taken on an early morning drive through snake pass to the British Version of a “Mega –Church”.  Imagine my surprise when I pulled up to an older building of Norman Architecture – with a remodeled interior to seat 200 and a balcony to seat an additional 50 – “This is a MegaChurch”???  (I guess I was thinking Willow Creek)

A modern sign to the right of the door communicated both the vision and mission in the form of a triangle – Meet Friends (IN – Cell) – Meet God (UP – Sunday Gatherings) – live life better (OUT – Cluster).

I was one of the first to arrive – and at an early service of 40 regulars – a very similar crowd to the 8:15 service at St. Paul’s.  Being the only newcomer I was the object of some interest.   I was warmly greeted, offered a cup of tea  (which they freshly made just for me) – and ushered to a seat.  One of the student interns came and sat with me to introduce me to the church – nonchalantly mentioning that this morning they were planting a church for students in a pub near the university – “This Lot???” – I thought cynically as I scanned the crowd.

The 9am service, apart from the Lord’s prayer, and the words of institution had no C of E residue.  Two moments in the service however bowled me over – as the minister held up the bread and wine he said “This is evidence of God’s love not just for us but for this world – this is not just for you – we are empowered here to bless and to serve the world God loves.”  After the announcements of what was happening in the church (including the introduction of a dozen students who were giving up their “gap year” to minister in the church and city!!) – we split into groups of three or four to pray for the ministry of the church – as we did so – the minister again said “This is the purpose of this service to pray for the ministry of our church” – 15 minutes of Spirit – filled prayer concluded in a song and we were dismissed.

“Alice” came up to me during coffee – note paper in hand – asking if I was new.  During the course of the conversation I ascertained that her cell group’s ministry was to connect with newcomers in a ministry of hospitality – inviting people around for tea to welcome them to the church.

After a few conversations – the church was getting ready for the 11am service – so I ducked out and walked around the block to re-enter the church again to get the “newcomer” experience – in the 5 minutes I was gone the church was flooded with 250 young families and students.  I had to go right to the front to get a seat!!

The service – though with higher energy (drums, guitar and bass, added to the worship leader’s piano – as the songs were projected on the screen) – was very similar to the 9am – however without communion.  One noteable difference was when, during announcements, the pastor pulled out his cell phone – asking people to take out their cell phones.

I know what you are thinking – I was thinking the same thing – he is going to ask us to turn them off.

On the contrary!!!

We were asked to turn them on – and text someone saying – I am in Church and God loves you – have a great day.  He asked us to keep them on through the sermon – so we could together hear the ‘dinging’ of replies.   Indeed – through the sermon we heard the dings of people responding to what they called “Instant Evangelism”.

After the service – I was again approached by members of the community asking if I was new – if I had not replied that I was a visiting minister learning from what they were doing – I would have been invited to a cluster to get connected.  As I spoke with the people – the reality of the sign on the front door began to take shape.

The Sunday morning text is discussed and prayed through, as Christians support one another in their weekly cell.  Three times a month all the members meet together on Sunday for the “Gathering”.  Sounds like a church with coordinated small groups right?

Not at all!!  On one Sunday a month the place closes for ‘Cluster Sunday’ – 2 to 5 cells meeting together in a cluster (Mid sized communities of 25 – 75) under a common vision to impact their neighbourhoods and city.  Many of these clusters have branched out to form their own “church plants” – like the pub church starting that very Sunday – and the 2^nd Church plant that was starting in October – a gathering for young families between the services – with about 100 people, many who weren’t Christians I was told.

Now I get it – I thought – This is how St. Thomas Crookes is the largest church in Northern England – it is a network of a number of different church plants that are the fruit of the ministry of cluster.

At the end of their cluster activity on that ‘cluster Sunday’ – each cluster gathers back at the Church to share what God has done in and through them that week – many said this was their favorite Sunday.

As I drove through Snake Pass on my way to Sheffield I wondered how the church would be doing after their charismatic leader Mike Breen had left years ago – would it decline like many other churches do after loosing such a leader?  On the contrary – it has continued to grow in leaps and bounds.  Why?  In my observation it is because everyone knows, believes in, and can articulate not only the vision and mission of the church – BUT – the process by which the church will get there – AND – their specific role in that process.  The greeters sought out newcomers to connect them to cluster – the cluster has vision for outreach into the city – the 9am service to pray for the ministry – and ‘Alice’ and her cell meeting people on the front steps on ‘cluster Sunday’ to meet, feed, and pray with those who forgot there wasn’t church that Sunday.

Six weeks to rediscover mission and re-imagine church.

New world, new church? Our world and our lives have changed radically in the last twenty years, but has the church adapted to this change? Do we need a changed church for a changing world? Are new forms of church really possible? If so, how can they be developed?

The aim of this course is to explore the ‘why’ of creating fresh expressions of church rather than the ‘how’. The six week course takes us on a journey looking at the ever-changing nature of our social communities and why the church needs to rethink its approach to those communities in meaningful and relevant ways.

The course is designed to present those changes in an informative and interactive way, and is suitable for both clergy and lay alike. The two hour sessions are delivered through verbal presentation, PowerPoint, movie clips, and stories with group participation.

MSI is designed to help groups to consider the ‘mixed economy’ approach to mission, and provides a link from vision days for those who wish to discover more.

Participants in recent MSI courses commented:

‘Worthwhile coming and a challenge – opened my eyes to many things that are possible.’

‘Thank you for being affirmative and challenging my thinking and at times being inspiring and prophetic.’

Mission Shaped Intro will be taught at Wycliffe College on six Wednesday evenings this fall—September 16, 23 and 30, and October 7, 14 and 21, from 7 pm till 9 pm.

The presenters will be Dr. John Bowen and the Rev. Jenny Andison.

The cost will be $60. Students may take the course free of charge.

To register, please fill out the MSI registration form and email to Judith Purdell-Lewis at judithpl@sympatico.ca.

The tradition goes back at least as far as Peter the apostle and the interior struggle that ensued when God presented him first with a triple vision on a rooftop in Joppa, followed closely by the very human invitation to enter the home of a Roman. The Council of Jerusalem described in Acts 15 similarly struggled with questions of what some would call contextualisation. Should we impose our way of worshipping and following Jesus on another culture, or should we help that culture develop its own response to the God who Jesus Christ reveals?

In the clash between the Celtic church and Rome in seventh century Britain over such world-shatteringly important matters as the “right” haircut for Christians and the ”right” time to celebrate the Resurrection, we see the very human tendency to try to impose “our” way (which to us is obviously the right way) on those with whom we come into contact. Of course, the tendency is made worse when we find ourselves part of a dominant and powerful group which has the ability to enforce “our way” of doing things on others.

At the same time, there has also been a recognition that God has a different view of diverse cultural expression. The miracle on the day of Pentecost was not so much that visitors to Jerusalem from throughout the Mediterranean world suddenly became able to understand Aramaic, spoken with a decidedly Galilean accent, but that these visitors had the “mighty works of God” proclaimed to them in their own native languages by people who were previously unable to speak (or presumably understand) those languages. For some strange reason, God appears to accommodate himself to different tribes, tongues and nations.

Thomas Cranmer picked up on this theme in the sixteenth century with the move in public worship from Latin into a tongue “understanded of the people.”[1] Unfortunately, many Anglicans since Cranmer seem to have forgotten this principle, and instead we have often imposed a foreign language and culture on people to whom we went bearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. (A particularly Canadian example of this would be the Residential Schools, many of which were church-run). At the same time this attitude has sometimes led to the trivialising, belittling and dismissing of forms of worship developed by the “receiving” group in their own language and culture.

A notable exception to this attitude is Robert McDonald, the nineteenth century missionary, and translator, of the Yukon:

McDonald travelled extensively, visiting native camps throughout the area. He had a natural empathy and respect for their culture and concerned himself with teaching them to read in their own language so they would have access to the teachings of the Bible during his absences. Two years after his arrival at Fort Yukon, he baptized the first Gwitch’in converts. Over the course of his 42 years in the North, he baptized 2,000 adults and children.[2]

The confluence of First Nations people with the Christian faith has produced some distinctively First Nations expressions of the faith. One example is the continuing American Indian hymn sing tradition, in which people gather towards dusk for a communal meal, followed by story telling and hymn singing which could continue far into the night. Bishop Mark McDonald tells us these have often been looked at by some white Christian leaders as being inferior or inappropriate expressions. This propensity to judge one cultural expression of Christianity by the standards and through the lens of another is a danger that will need to be avoided if fresh expressions of church in all cultures and contexts are to flourish and to receive the respect which they deserve.

The apostle Paul offers us this model for a different way of proceeding.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process.[3]

We are being offered the exciting opportunity of engaging with God’s mission in a post Christendom context, but this will only be realized fully if we have the courage to face the mistakes of the past, taking appropriate responsibility for them, and taking great care not to repeat them.

[2] http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/BishopStringer/english/mission-mcdonald.html

[3] Philippians 2:5-7 (The Message)