Creating churches where you are

Creating and building new congregations is not rocket science but something much more difficult indeed. I don’t think it should be, but that’s the reality.

The problems which present at the very start of the process (rocket or church) dictate the path taken. The problem is that too many people assume that all that’s required to bring about the desired outcome is the use of the amazing ‘one size fits all’ solutions when they glibly talk about planting new churches. Wouldn’t it be great if the Archbishop of Canterbury, the bishop of Burnley (or some other worthy) could just pass over a handful of their magic beans and then, having watered then, had us all stand back to watch the new church grow?

But, to quote Jan Struther’s marvellous hymn, “Back into storyland giants have fled, and the knights are no more and the dragons are dead.’ We have no time for the distractions or empty hopes and forlorn last ditch stands wrapped in sensational and dressed up in empty hyperbole; for hyperbole is never to be taken as anything meaningful or real - it’s just a smoke and mirrors extravaganza!

If we are to engage in planting churches where there are none (something I desire and long for) then we are going to have to go to places where ‘church is not’ in a style perhaps more suited to the desert fathers and those Celtic types who took themselves off to the wild places. This is about going to the places where ‘God is perceived not to be’ looking to make Church a reality for those who are not!

This is what we have been trying to sell to the established church as ‘Fresh Expressions’ for what seems like a very long time. But for those for whom this is new (and having met a cleric very recently who claimed never to have heard of the term) let me give you a stock definition:

‘A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church. 

It will come into being through principles of listening, service, incarnational mission and making disciples. 

It will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context. 

Fresh expressions of church: serve those outside church; listen to people and enter their culture; make discipleship a priority; form church.’ [and that church is a sacramental reality - my words]

Would that there were really such a thing as the 'Church in a Box' product. But the reality is that there really isn't a ‘one size fits all’ solution. What's more, putting aside the hopes views of some that the cavalry, in the shape of a church plant (which appear to be more often than not church partnerships or adoptions), will be coming over the hill to save us, we find ourselves in a wonderful position of opportunity to do something amazing for God and our nation.

We have the opportunity to create ‘intentional’ (a term I so often dislike as it is so misused) and unique expressions of Church in our communities. I’ve obvious read too much of the ‘series of unfortunate events’ as I feel the need to say, “Here, dear reader, the word ‘intentional’ means ‘done on purpose - being desired and intended’. We need to engage with communities, get in step with the mission dei, and serve those we find around us who are not Church.

A real opportunity to win our estates for Christ :-)

Having had the fifteen-minute timer ping (meaning it’s s time to stop splurging the contents of my brain on the virtual paper) I’m going to draw stumps here and go make some tea and do some praying, for there is fuel enough thus far for a month of ‘God bothering’.

Apologies for typos, weirdness and ‘vicisms. ’. I leave Jan Struthers with the final words:
“Let faith be my shield and let joy be my steed 'Gainst the dragons of anger, the ogres of greed; 
And let me set free with the sword of my youth, From the castle of darkness, the power of the truth”

Think I need to focus on ministers and ownership when the next mist descends

Pax

Confirmation: Beginning not end!

A very old Church joke goes like this:

An archdeacon is called to a church to examine a serious problem with the building. When they arrive they find that the bell tower is full of bats which (because of protection laws) cannot be removed from the space. Not missing a pace the Archdeacon says the solution is readily at hand, all that is needed is for them to get the bishop over.

'What on earth can the bishop do to get rid of the bats?' asks the Vicar.

'He'll come over and confirm them and once that's done, you'll never see most of them again!'

Now, as funny as it is, the reality behind this clerical humour has been seen and felt by many clergy over the years; the reason being that we don't understand what confirmation is about and this misunderstanding is costing the Church dearly+!

Controversial words I know, but this is what I honestly feel and here's why:

I recently encountered some congregations, each with few children, each with very different attitudes. In all of them there were children who had expressed a desire to take communion and the differences in attitude of the church (here 'church' means the people in charge and these were not necessarily the clergy or wardens) resulted in:

i. 'You're only 'n' - come back when you're 'n+x'
  (let's make n=10 and x=4; arbitrary values randomly chosen for the purpose of this exercise)

There were three distinct thoughts behind this (and I know because I asked).

The first was that confirmation is a rite of passage - marking the transition from child to adult (like bar/bat mitzvah in the Jewish faith).

The second was that confirmation made the recipient of that rite a 'member' and 'n', 'Was just too young, for at that age they are tomorrow's church!'

The final bit of thinking was that confirmation is akin to a graduation ceremony and marks something very special because it's about having reached the end of a journey.

ii. 'Let's get together and talk about it'

So they met with the child and discussed what they knew and understood about God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), The cross, resurrection, new life in Jesus, Pentecost, Church, church and being a disciple (without any of the technical words). What they were doing was exactly what the good old catechism classes of days gone by never did (well mine didn't - it was a bored cleric reading a dogeared SPCK Catechism booklet to a bunch of equally bored and disinterested fifteen years old)! The child was engaged with and a dialogue, and an understanding of their position and thinking gained, and the imparting of great understanding made.

iii. 'Of course, let's do it!'

Now this was a risky approach because the 'Yes' had been issued before a full understanding of the place the child was in was made theirs. The thinking behind this was that the child was known and the view of the family (active and engaged church members) was sought before the encounter where they were properly asked (simple really - the desire was voiced and the response was, 'Great, let's talk later/after the service/sometime soon*' (and the parent were then asked their views before returning to them).

My response to the above scenarios is this:

The first is, in my view (and it might be wrong) pure and unadulterated folly on many levels!
If a child of 'n' comes and is told to come back and 'n+x' then my experience is that by the time 'x' has passed you have lost them and even if they come for confirmation the danger is that it's become a rite of passage and what could have been the beginning of a journey is actually the 'sending off party' for someone who is effectively leaving!

The reality is that confirmation is the beginning of the faith journey, the taking upon ourselves the backpack of faith and the roadmap that leads us to the cross. I would rather see a child of 'n' confirmed and taken forward than put off and put off! This is a dicey path because it requires commitment, energy, engagement and some real conflict with some in the church who will trot out their 'tomorrow's Church' mantra and in so doing destroy today's Church!

This story ends with the child deciding that they didn't want to come back later and the reality is that their attendance is looking less likely as the parents have been told they don't enjoy coming with the result that, because they don't want to force them to come, probably means that the Sunday football or rugby team are likely to have a new member shortly!

The second is about engagement and taking the child seriously. This payed dividends in that the child answered some stuff well and was corrected, guided and after some few sessions together was confirmed. Youth Alpha and Emmaus courses were of use here and what has been seen is a young person on the lower slopes of discipleship fast approaching the steeper section and passing some of the older pew-warmers (which will be interesting to watch)!

The third engagement was quite exquisite in that it didn't put the child off but made space to canvass the parent so that they could respond in a positive and informed way in partnership with the parents. The child was engaged with in a way that involved the parents from the beginning and not only sought their views and permission but brought them into a place where their own faith might be challenged and enhanced bringing a real win-win-win result. The child was confirmed and the ongoing, shared, discipleship is being made real in this family because of it.

Confirmation is not an ending but the beginning of a discipleship journey (which is why we call upon the empowering of God's Holy Spirit as succour for the journey - Spiritual Kendal Mint Cake)

Confirmation is about us acknowledging membership of the Church and taking responsibility for the person being confirmed

Confirmation is not about becoming a member (we don't have members, we have parishioners and communicants)

Communion does not make us an adult - goodness me, have you seen how childish and inane many of those who have been confirmed are?

Confirmation is not about knowledge or age or anything but the desire to go forward and be fully part of the Church - it is Church and communicant taking mutual responsibility for the journey to the cross and is about accountability on the part of Church and believer. How can we expect the baptised to fulfil their baptismal calling if those of us who are called to be their pastors do not take our role seriously?

'Suffer the little children to come to me,' says the Boss.

Are we listening ?

+ And this is the whole Church because many of those who find themselves in other denominations and groupings beging life as Anglicans and is we don't give birth to them the others won't be winning them later ;-)

* delete as applicable

Being Collared (3) - All Member Ministry

Being ordained is an interesting reality because there are so many people out there who see Church as a clerical entity. The old days of 'Father knows best' may have (thankfully) gone but there are many who would like it to continue, albeit in a modified form, and not all of these wear dogcollars!

I get to talk to quite a few people who are keen to see the clergy:

• Bring people into the church
• Build up the congregation's numbers
• Manage the finances such that the Parish Share is paid

and more besides.

On the other side of the line, there are many clergy who would like to see the congregation members:

• Fulfil their baptismal calling - reading, praying and sharing the Good News of Jesus, the Christ
• Witness to those around them and bring them into the church family
• Pay just a little bit more so that the Parish Share can be met

And, again, more besides.

Recently, engaged with a rather tired and frustrated cleric I realised that the goal of the all-member ministry church where the tasks are taken up by those in the pews who are seeking to find their calling, ministry and passions and engage with them to build up the Church and themselves is not the universal 'holy grail' I had hoped it was. 

For this person's understanding of all-member ministry was: 'Do what you want!'

Interestingly, their understanding of 'being collegial' was: 'I'll let you!'

Now, it may come as no surprise to find that the cleric in question was one of those exceedingly clever clergy who had managed to 'get their church down to a manageable size' by the exercise of their visionary ministry. When pressed further the familiar mantra that 'it's easier to do the job yourself' was to be heard - and this is true, for:

• sharing the needs
• demonstrating what's required
• watching someone else have a go
• watching them fail
• picking up the pieces (and making it work)
• picking up the volunteer and dusting them off
• explaining it all again
• doing it with them
• watching them do it (knowing you could have done it quicker, better and . . . )
• dealing with the 'concerned' people (who could have done it better but never volunteer)

All takes time. After all, who else would do this sort of thing with volunteers?

Oh yeah, Jesus!

For many years I have heard church members tell me how much they wish the Vicar didn't do 'everything' (some have added 'so well') and have moaned at whosoever would listen about how they could do it (and better). Now I have tried for years to get them to do that but invariably the money has never been put where the negativity and moan was. In fact, some of the most promising people have been the biggest curse in this area - for having ability and opportunity and still managing to step aside from the task and take up the moaning role is, I'm sorry to say this, nothing less than a curse.

Now, if you're a church member and have thought you could do something in church were you given the chance - God has heard your prayers and delivered 'All Member Ministry' to the building you call 'church'. 

Clergy - open your arms, put down your heavy loads and take the time to teach the people how to do the stuff that needs doing (yes, I know it is harder than doing it, but this 'lazy man's load' will pay dividends later).

Congregations - look at what's going on and where you see a need you can meet, stick your hand up and shout, 'Pick Me!' You'll struggle (even if it's only because of the dogcollar) but you'll soon find yourself equipped, released and seeking others to work alongside you (because there's no point in starting a mini clericalism model now, is there?) and the church will grow and be a place of joy.

 . . . and the Vicar can go fishing ;-)

Blue Sky Thought - Righteous

Now this is one of those thoughts that starts fights - so let's get it on:

So priceless you couldn't make it up!

One of the interesting things about the wonderful world of education is that these days with all the talk of 'hostile takeovers' and 'competitive provisioning' it is increasingly becoming an aggressively competitive sector.

Not that it wasn't competitive before  of course. When I was a schoolboy back in the dark ages there were always 'good' schools that some parents clamoured to send their children to and there were the schools to be avoided. Then, as now, some parents chose to take their children to the 'good' and leave the local school to become a receptacle for the low-attainment families - yes, there have always been 'sink' schools too!

The thing was in those days it was always done in a more 'off the radar' manner - we knew it was happening but we somehow never chose to notice, especially if our kids were in the better schools (and if they weren't the parents perhaps didn't care or had them at the school because of dogma and ideology!).

A few weeks ago I happened to visit one of the new academies and had the disconcerting experience whereby the person we'd come to visit managed to:

i. Avoid any eye-contact with everyone  else in the room (so it wasn't just because my ugly mug scared them!),

ii. Take a couple of calls and engage in conversation with them (mind you, from the conversation it appeared the person on the other might not have had the grades they needed to send them to university. The, 'If you get offered a place, call me!' seemed to underline this impression!),

iii. Misunderstand what was being asked (but they weren't really communicating, they were just in the same room as us).

I left feeling that I'd managed to completely waste their time and ours - Perhaps they were just having a bad day (I thought trying to be charitable)!

Anyway, I had the opportunity to revisit this person to inform them that one of their charges was transferring and to say goodbye to them and their institution (politeness personified or what - although there was the question of a signature too!). Entering the room our heroic head of something or other greeted the person I was with, 'Hello Tom, what's this I hear about you leaving?'

What an excellent gambit, engage the person and, having been in their company for a year, use their first name to win a point and create a warm feeling. This, ladies and gentlemen is an example of Transactional Analysis for indeed 'a stroke is a unit of recognition and stimulation' (see I did listen to the lectures!!!) and here we have such a thing most excellently enacted. Well almost because there are both positive and negative strokes, the former being empowering and joyful and the latter being debilitating and painful.

Sadly for our hapless hero the focus of their communication was not a 'Tom' at all and therefore by their very (still eye contact-less) encounter had caused a sense of impotent and uncared for ill-being. What made it worse was perhaps the ignoring of the faux pas and this was the moment when the cherry was firmly affixed to the cake (which had by them been wonderfully baked and iced)! Mind you, the cake was then wrapped and presented to [not Tom] as he was told that transferring to a different school was a mistake for a number of reasons, namely:

i. it was a different school (yes  - that was the idea behind them leaving!)

ii. they'd never worked at a better school than the one being left (is that reflection of the school, the teacher or perhaps both?)

iii. it was further away from the school they were leaving (distance is sometimes a great thing)

Now contrast that with the response the same person got at the target school:

Having arrived for the first time to register the head of school, who was merely passing by, stopped and acknowledged them by name (using the words, 'I assume you're [not Tom]!') and engaged them with eye contact and a smile.

Since this is a parable for Church I have to ask you:

If you were [not Tom] which school would you choose?

If we changed school for church would anyone notice?

Buried a member of a local church recently and they hadn't been visited by their Vicar (even though the family had requested one) - not even once during the time they'd been in hospital or a nursing home (and this was a significant period).

Eye contact - can we look people in they eyes (do we?)

Names - do we know the names of those who come to our churches?

Do we know what's going on in the lives of those around us so we can be engaged, helping and praying?

Pax

Modern Church Service Parody

Absolutely hilarious - just wish I didn't recognise it so easily!

Is this really any better than the BCP, choirs, anthems and stuff that so many of my colleagues are trying top claim is 'the real thing'?

Enjoy

Pioneering and Empire

One of my favourite reads was Brian Stanley's 'Christ and the flag'. This book looked at the rise of Empire as a function of Christian missionary zeal. The missionaries made the tracks into Africa and the traders, explorers, colonialists and others followed. Conquest and exploitation of natural resources (including of course people) came about as a result of the Church's actions but not its intentions. The problem was (is?) that people saw the results of Empire and blamed the Church for providing the means by which they were brought into being.

Taking this as an example, seems to me that the key to pioneering is that we need people to be where, in this case, Church is perceived not to be awaiting the arrival of those who come to conqueror (for Christ). Just as Empire used the paths trodden and the places inhabited by missionaries, so to do Pioneers. This means that when we send Pioneers into a place, there needs to be people who have established or settled that place beforehand so that there is a core membership of any groups that come into being. There aren't there to run things as leaders but are there to add normal Christians who by being salt and light bring the kingdom of God (basiliea) into that place.

One of the big problems with some aspects I have seen with pioneering is that there is a tendency towards being so much unlike 'Church' that the groups that come into being are also un like Christians. Rather than draw lines and preach 'hardline' Christianity, there is at times something that feels rather syncretic and unable to correct lest those newbies feel judged or corrected. The Empire-builders had no problems with this and their evangelistic zeal (including teaching the national anthem) did them much credit, even if it was misplaced and ill thought through!

So here's a bit more thinking on the pioneering front, hope it is proving useful, challenging, funny (perhaps in an "Oh my, look what he's written now!" sort of way!).

Pax