Another conversation this week saw one of those present make the statement, "Let's close half of our church buildings!" They went on to explain how the CofE footed the bill for more historic and protected buildings than any other body and hw we should give them to the local communities as heritage centres and museums, art galleries and whatever else they could be used for.
"The time has come to take the Church back to the houses," he cried. "We don't need buildings and all the trappings of being settled that tie us down and make us ineffective. Let's go back to meeting in homes and being the Church where it is to be found."
"Oh No," thought I, "Not another one!"
But indeed it was and we were treated to a masterclass in how Church should be done (and this is the second of those this week for I was also regaled with a lecture on blank canvases and how they [the lecturer, priest and saviour of the faith] were the paints that would bring an incarnate and intoning presence to the lost!!!).
The Church should just abandon their building and withdraw to places where low-cost, high-efficiency Church could be engaged with. No need for all the old Common Prayer stuff or even Common Worship for each would be Church as they understood it to be for their community. There were no difficult places or tough areas, no needs to great and no problem too small. Church had to return to the days of Acts and be seen in the temples of today's society sharing God's love and His word.
Got to be honest and say that I must be losing it for by ten minutes I would normally have started playing with this newly-minted minister of hope, grace and uncontainable renewal. But I didn't and as the lecture unfolded I understood that behind the theology speak and the technical terms the Emperor was as naked as I (and probably just as scared about it).
Love, Prayer, Love and more love is the key. Love those around you and make them important and the opportunity to bless what God is doing (even though they don't recognise what's happening as being God yet) becomes a reality. It takes years to get them across the threshold and even then the work is only just engaged.
Our buildings are lighthouses amidst the rock and storms of life. They offer us the opportunity to be the curator of the local memories and custodians of the histories of our communities. The give us a place for the community to use and a safe haven for us to worship our God. They provide a place of sanctuary and a drain on our resources. But we need them.
We just need to make them fit for purpose or, as I recall +Willesden doing, go to the council and tell them that the wonderful listed building is theirs as it needs loadsa money spent on it and, being listed, loadsa other stuff too.
Let's forget the high sounding theological words and silly ideas that we could live effectively for anyone other than ourselves (and believe me, I am aware of many 'house churches' who exist as cosy little worshipping and self-serving groups with little (or no) impact on their communities and the lost. House church is a part of the whole and without the whole is often the recipe for ineffective, self-serving (and often smug, self-righteous, almost sect-like) expressions of Church.
Paul got it so right when he talks of a whole body and each member being connected to the other - Kingdom thinking in the church and across the Church - and buildings aren't the threat to this.
The Christians in Acts met in the central place in Jerusalem for the worship of God - nothing's changed today, so make the building central, not redundant (and treasure our Cathedrals - they are not a threat to the local parishes but a resource and a joy).
Pax
Showing posts with label redundant buildings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label redundant buildings. Show all posts
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Thursday, 31 May 2012
We don't need our buildings - do we?
One of the most popular themes I encounter at the moment is that of 'getting rid of buildings'. Time and time again I find myself in a meeting or conversation where this issue is raised.
"Why don't we get rid of our buildings, they are a money pit and not fit for service (or services)," they cry. "We'd be much more flexible and could meet in [insert your location here], where everyone in the area would come!" Having been privileged to have planted a few churches over the years I generally sit and smile at these words and the wondrous naivety of the speakers. the problem is that they, generally, have been Anglicans for all of their Christian life and know no different. BUT . .
Not having a building is great, especially on a Sunday when you arrive with all the kit for the service (which now occupies your garage, spare room or most of the house) and, having loaded it into the vehicle, unload it. You take it into the building (one of the plants we did was up four flights of stairs!) and set up. Having done the service you then pack everything up (which takes ages) and take it out to the vehicle, load it and take it back home and unpack it.
Alongside this there is the gathering, and arranging, of the chairs followed by the stacking and removing same back to the place where they live (and they never seemed to live in the same place that you were going to do your service).
Drop into the mix the caretaker, who often appeared to be lurking somewhere that made them visible enough to let you know they'd like you to finish and clear the building so they could get back to their Sunday off!
ADD to this . . . .
The fact that even though you'd like to be doing a service on a bank holiday weekend, the building just isn't available and we'd love you to do something on Ash Wednesday but we'd love you to do it somewhere else! Christmas? Not a chance - could you do it somewhere else?
CONSIDER this . . .
The 'if we do it they will come' approach doesn't work when you're in a sports hall or a school hall. You might be doing a great job and the services may be sublime but whilst you will have your regulars the reality is that the casual drop-in visitor, the seeker of God because of some amazing epiphany and those who want a pretty 'looks like a church' venue just are going to make it. Mind you, if you are in a small place more will be aware that you're meeting (but will still want something more like church!).
THE REALITY is . .
One of the biggest dreams in every church plant I have done is that glorious day when the church has its own building and the lugging in and out of equipment ends; when there is a 7*24 presence and the ability to put something on the wall becomes more than a dream. That wonderful moment when you realise that the all night prayer meeting can happen and that almost indescribable feeling that rises up at the reality that you can walk in and everything is already set up (for those who doubt the frustration, niggle and eventual throwing out of the toys that is the bringing and taking, setting up and breaking down of kit all I can do is suggest that they give it a try for three months - and that's without the fact that it adds a couple of hours to the Sunday, EVERY Sunday).
We don't need to get rid of our buildings but we need to engage with the planners, the (never go to church but wants a say) Victorian, Dickens, 'Whoever was here' and 'whatever happened here' societies and those who want to conserve 'their' church and tell them the realities. If they want to pay for the roof restoration (£250k please) or the essential work on the organ (£75k) or rewire, replumb or whatever else needs doing (just give me all your money) then they can have a say in what is going on. BUT . .
Church is living stones and the building that houses them needs to be fit for purpose. Where we have buildings that don't do what we need, then we need to re-order them. Where we have buildings which are special because of the many generations of additions, modifications and the leaving of fingerprints, we need to preserve them and change the interiors sympathetically. But change them we must! And where this is not possible then we should perhaps bite the bullet and, as an extreme last resort, hand them over to the councils, preservation societies or the state.
Note the 'last resort comment though, for when we let go of our landmark buildings; when we leave a place without a visible (or invisible, done in some school, hall or house) church presence we are leaving that place, barring a great revival, without a Christian influence (and place of safety, welcome and salvation) for good.
Time to stop saying we need to get rid of buildings and time to start making buildings do what we 9and the community) need them to do and if this means a Post Office, newsagents and general store in the church hall (or even the back of the church or in a spare room) then so be it. Church should be seen and felt throughout the communities we serve and church buildings should serve the Church and the communities in the same way.
believe me - not having a building is bigger than you think (as I hope you'll see with the next bit).
Pax
"Why don't we get rid of our buildings, they are a money pit and not fit for service (or services)," they cry. "We'd be much more flexible and could meet in [insert your location here], where everyone in the area would come!" Having been privileged to have planted a few churches over the years I generally sit and smile at these words and the wondrous naivety of the speakers. the problem is that they, generally, have been Anglicans for all of their Christian life and know no different. BUT . .
Not having a building is great, especially on a Sunday when you arrive with all the kit for the service (which now occupies your garage, spare room or most of the house) and, having loaded it into the vehicle, unload it. You take it into the building (one of the plants we did was up four flights of stairs!) and set up. Having done the service you then pack everything up (which takes ages) and take it out to the vehicle, load it and take it back home and unpack it.
Alongside this there is the gathering, and arranging, of the chairs followed by the stacking and removing same back to the place where they live (and they never seemed to live in the same place that you were going to do your service).
Drop into the mix the caretaker, who often appeared to be lurking somewhere that made them visible enough to let you know they'd like you to finish and clear the building so they could get back to their Sunday off!
ADD to this . . . .
The fact that even though you'd like to be doing a service on a bank holiday weekend, the building just isn't available and we'd love you to do something on Ash Wednesday but we'd love you to do it somewhere else! Christmas? Not a chance - could you do it somewhere else?
CONSIDER this . . .
The 'if we do it they will come' approach doesn't work when you're in a sports hall or a school hall. You might be doing a great job and the services may be sublime but whilst you will have your regulars the reality is that the casual drop-in visitor, the seeker of God because of some amazing epiphany and those who want a pretty 'looks like a church' venue just are going to make it. Mind you, if you are in a small place more will be aware that you're meeting (but will still want something more like church!).
THE REALITY is . .
One of the biggest dreams in every church plant I have done is that glorious day when the church has its own building and the lugging in and out of equipment ends; when there is a 7*24 presence and the ability to put something on the wall becomes more than a dream. That wonderful moment when you realise that the all night prayer meeting can happen and that almost indescribable feeling that rises up at the reality that you can walk in and everything is already set up (for those who doubt the frustration, niggle and eventual throwing out of the toys that is the bringing and taking, setting up and breaking down of kit all I can do is suggest that they give it a try for three months - and that's without the fact that it adds a couple of hours to the Sunday, EVERY Sunday).
We don't need to get rid of our buildings but we need to engage with the planners, the (never go to church but wants a say) Victorian, Dickens, 'Whoever was here' and 'whatever happened here' societies and those who want to conserve 'their' church and tell them the realities. If they want to pay for the roof restoration (£250k please) or the essential work on the organ (£75k) or rewire, replumb or whatever else needs doing (just give me all your money) then they can have a say in what is going on. BUT . .
Church is living stones and the building that houses them needs to be fit for purpose. Where we have buildings that don't do what we need, then we need to re-order them. Where we have buildings which are special because of the many generations of additions, modifications and the leaving of fingerprints, we need to preserve them and change the interiors sympathetically. But change them we must! And where this is not possible then we should perhaps bite the bullet and, as an extreme last resort, hand them over to the councils, preservation societies or the state.
Note the 'last resort comment though, for when we let go of our landmark buildings; when we leave a place without a visible (or invisible, done in some school, hall or house) church presence we are leaving that place, barring a great revival, without a Christian influence (and place of safety, welcome and salvation) for good.
Time to stop saying we need to get rid of buildings and time to start making buildings do what we 9and the community) need them to do and if this means a Post Office, newsagents and general store in the church hall (or even the back of the church or in a spare room) then so be it. Church should be seen and felt throughout the communities we serve and church buildings should serve the Church and the communities in the same way.
believe me - not having a building is bigger than you think (as I hope you'll see with the next bit).
Pax
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