Parochial - what we don't want it to mean!

Just had a rather splendid conversation with a colleague about the word 'parochial' which has two meanings and my colleague managed to use both when discussing those they minister too in the same sentence - boy was I impressed!

And then they explained how both definitions fitted and my goodness me, was I depressed!

The sentence was this,

"Gosh, the parochial church council was really worked up by some of the goings on around them this week but when we started to scratch the surface they were so parochial I understood why some had rung their bell and got them going!"

The first use of the word 'parochial' in which it relates to the Parish (a geographical area served by a church) and the word 'parochial' which in this sense means being in possession of a rather limited or narrow outlook or understanding.

The big problem when we are parochial (in the limited sense) is that we can become rather myopic and limited in our understanding and engagement as Church (which means universal or much bigger than the limited geographic parish entity). This manifests itself in a number of ways:

Sometimes, where a parish consists of more than one church there is an attitude that is one church is preeminent or predominant and that all, and any, others within the geographic patch are much less than them. This is sometimes found where there is one historic church from which the others in the area have come about (in this case the preeminent church is called the patron or 'Mother' church) and this  church, being the eldest or the biggest or being in possession of some attribute considered to make it of worth to those within in, decides that it is therefore also the most important. This is sometimes found where, being a team, there is one church that is home to the 'Team rector' and the attitude that says. "We must be important because we have the senior cleric in our church," applies.

Sometimes it occurs when one church in the parish is well off, pretty or in possession of some other trait which those who attend it consider to be enough to make them the star.

The bottom line is that regardless of the reason for the attitude the attitude is ALWAYS wrong! From the youngest to the oldest church building, the richest to the poorest, the nicest to the most awful patch served  these truths apply:

There is ONE Church and this is the Church of Jesus Christ!

In a parochial system there are many parishes but regardless of how many buildings, or how rich (or poor, they are - each is equal and and equally important!

'Daughter church' is not, and must never become, a negative! Neither is it a statement of rank and never is it a putdown - it just means that it was planted from another (which we call 'Mother') church. Regardless we must never regard the 'Mother' church as the preeminent or most important church in the patch either to the detriment of any of the others in the locality - they are just different and that's all there is too it.

The same applies to those churches that abut our parishes or reside within our Deaneries (a collection of parishes within a geographic area such as a town) or dioceses (a collection of parishes across an even wider geographic area) - regardless of where they are: posh, poor, urban, rural, suburban, estate church or cathedral - each has it value and its merits and is to be considered of equal merit but different!

Sadly the person I have been speaking to has had their fill of the one true church and its battle with the poorer, and of much less merit than them, other churches and has decided that they are going to throw in the towel and seek pastures new (apparently they've seen it and applied already). This is a shame because they've been doing (if what they tell me is true) some really good stuff where they have been. It is a shame because those they are leaving will probably never change their views regarding their ancient pile with its diminishing numbers and increasing financials demands and will never support the younger upstarts who are doing the stuff and being effective where they are monumentally ineffective.

Sadder still is the fact that they aren't moving sticks to somewhere near me (would have loved to have them nearer) and that they are wounded and broken by their experience thus far.

So here is a plea:

PLEASE pray for those clergy who struggle in divided parishes.

PLEASE pray for unity in parishes and between all churches in our towns and cities praying, as Jesus' prayed in John 17, that this might be seen and made real in each and every church and between each and every church:

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.  My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

As someone who is out there trying hard to get people to do stuff together I struggle with churches (meaning the building) and those who inhabit them who seek to pull down others and exalt their pile of bricks to the detriment of the Gospel.

Can I just say:

STOP IT!

Evangelism - it's not about 'converting' people

As our town moves nearer to Street Angels being a reality I was told of a conversation with a 'fellow Christian' (I'm sure you'll understand the inverted comma in a minute) regarding the opportunities it presented 'the Church' to get involved with those who are in town of an evening.

Their first response, having been told a bit about Street Angels, was, 'When do you convert them?' This was met with the observation, 'I don't think that we are there to convert or tell them about Jesus, but that, for that short time, we are there to be Jesus for them; to pick them up and help get them home safely.'

So they asked another question, 'What do you do the following night?' The response to which was, 'We pick them up again, and get them home, again!'

It was at this point that they declined to be involved on the grounds that what we were doing with Street Angels wasn't 'doing enough to grow the Kingdom' - And this is the reason why you will find in some churches see no real fruits because where they want scalps where Jesus wants servants.

The saddest thing is that many of those with attitudes like that displayed above are repositories of everything that is weird and off-putting to those outside and pretty distasteful to those within to as they live in their pathetic little 'holier than thou - avoid the unholy brethren' huddles! (Can you tell I'm frustrated? Problem is I've met it so many times with missioner hat on and yet I'm still shocked and frustrated as if it was the first time :-) )

So, for those of you in our area who have a servant heart for, and of, God - Street Angels is ready, willing and waiting for us to take up the challenge to minister God's grace (alongside those of no faith) because that is what Jesus would have us do. For in doing so we look, smell and act like Him.

We are not called to sit in our pathetic little huddles 'protecting ourselves from the world, the fallen and those whose theology and thinking we disagree with' - that's called being a cult!

(Yes, I am definitely niggled :-)  )

Jesus calls us to be salt, light and balm to the world - to take up our cross and follow Him, denying our sensibilities to cross the road and minister (ever read the 'Good Samaritan'?) to those who are neither of our faith or our friends.

This is how we fulfil the calling we have - not by hunting scalps and sharing the Gospel without first sharing bread, showing love and making Christ real!

Pax

Church or Parachurch?

It seems to me that some of the people I have engaged with today have a real struggle before them when it comes to the issue of 'Fresh Expressions' in that so many are labelled (by those outside) as parachurch rather than church. The question is, what makes for a valid expression of church?

Church, for me has to be Sacramental - this means:

Eucharistic - this is the reason that Church has continued to continue to exist because it met weekly to break break and drink from the Chalice.

Baptising - A super comment I heard on a course was, 'You can tell when a fresh expression's arrived as 'church' because it starts to baptise new believers!'

It also needs to be Proclamatory - which means they preach from the Bible, teach from the Bible, uphold Biblical principles and tell people why they are doing in, and in whose name, and that means Jesus gets mentioned - for it is in His name we go out to do the stuff.

The 'Parachurch Clubs' label is rather harsh and perhaps a little unkind but then again I find some telling me that Fresh Expressions and new forms of worship, understanding and being church are the only hope the Church has. The old traditional church stuff is strangling whatever growth there is and the clericalism of the past is nothing more than the clergy trying to maintain their monopoly and their veto on what would otherwise live.

The problems is that as rigid as the old structure is the new isn't for it presents a flimsy house built on little more than sand! The bricks might withstand the wind and the waves but they are emptying as the inhabitants grow old and die.

'Better to have a thriving parachurch than a dying established church,' said one person as they defended their new project, pointing to the people who were content to diminish in numbers as long as church could continue to be what they wanted it to be.

'Better to be faithful in our worship than be blown by every wind of change down at a coffee shop!' came the reply.

And you know what - they are both wrong and are equally right at the same time. The tattoos, piercing and all the trendy stuff mean as little as the grey hair, BCP services and traditional services when it comes to being a stumbling block, after all didn't Paul say that we must be all things to all men (except of course accommodating and accepting everything to the point of being permissive) and so this is surely a red herring.

And speaking of red herrings I was told last week that older people can't reach the young in the way that they, of course being young, can! so taking this to its logical outworking only black people can lead black people into faith, women likewise for women, redheads for redheads and so on. Wearing a clerical collar prevents us from being engaged in effective ministry with anyone under the age of thirty and unless you have a great worship band no one can really worship (which of course displays a paucity in the understanding of what liturgy is all about)!

We need to understand what being missionally minded and sacramentally sensitive is all about - after all it wasn't that long ago that I was taken to task because I wanted to see something billed as 'renewal' offered to the high church churches. Silly me, I had apparently forgotten that renewal was the sole property and right of a certain type of Christian!

We need to preach the Gospel in and out of season, in places where it is popular and unpopular and engaging with as many as we can to make it take root - bear fruit - be sustainable.

We need people who wear 'Pioneer' badges to encourage others to learn about what being 'missionally-minded' means and to encourage them to learn - there's a Mission Shaped Ministry' course somewhere near you (and if not, then there can be) - to be that person who works with others to build the Kingdom (note: This is dangerous because it might not mean building your piddling self-obsessed expression of church that you are so fixated with) of God.

So, pass this message on to the people you know - and don't know. bang the drums. Blow the trumpets. Bang dustbin lids together. Shout in your Chapter meetings and telephone your bishop and get people enthusiastic about sharing the Good News, making friends, winning family, plundering hell and populating heaven. Ring your Archdeacon and tell them to forget about the Common Purse (Parish Share) and remind them what the Kingdom of God is like (There's loads of those 'the Kingdom of God is like a .... ' stories in the Bible).

Who gives a monkeys whether clergy are pioneers or not - stop worrying about it and get pioneering!

Am I bothered that pioneer ministers aren't leading people to  the water and offering them one of those wonderfully happy Eucharistic 'Happy Meals'? Blinking right I am - stop making friends and start thinking about how you make disciples - numbers are great but only when they're counting the people who can say they're saved - all else is froth and folly!

Now you have to remember that all the words above come from someone who is the minister of 'a church in a phonebox' - yes that's right, a small church in an interesting estate in and challenging place in even more challenging times. I'm not clever or accomplished or any of the things that others around me are or will be - but I'm a member of a church that is full of wonderfully broken, flawed, failed and redeemed people and this is what it's all about.

Loving, sharing, giving and living together as people who know they're loved, forgiven and fit for purpose.

Now stop, take a look and tell me what you can see around you and  in the mirror - and then praise God, because you're loved, valuable, valid and ready for service too should you take a pace forward and volunteer.