I think there is a lot the church can learn from this story
see here
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Monday, 20 January 2014
Friday, 20 July 2012
Decline in Church in Wales
I was interested to see the huge decline in the Church in Wales press here
Reading the article (and briefly glancing at the original report) the most encouraging thing is a recognition of the seriousness of the problem; quotes like this indicate how dire things are: "Those parishes that do have any serious work with young people are tiny compared to the number that do not."
Diagnosis is always very important and the fact that the report states there is a desire for change is hugely encouraging ,though in my experience one only sees how deep the commitment to change is when change actually starts happening
Nevertheless many of the recommendations seem radical and offer a positive way forward for the Church in Wales to reconnect with the culture in order to share the gospel. It is interesting that these discussions are happening in a whole variety of denominations and my hope and prayer is that we all have the courage not simply to reflect on the changes needed but to change
One of the histories on my own church states that a minister a century or so ago shared with the church meeting the idea that we should start evangelistic meetings in local homes , the church minutes records "The brethren thought this was a good idea and decided to defer it for another time"
It was from memory during a revolution in the 1980's in eastern Europe that the students took to the streets chanting "If not us then who? If not now then when?"
I think there is a recognition that the church needs to change. Is there a will to see those difficult and painful changes through?
Reading the article (and briefly glancing at the original report) the most encouraging thing is a recognition of the seriousness of the problem; quotes like this indicate how dire things are: "Those parishes that do have any serious work with young people are tiny compared to the number that do not."
Diagnosis is always very important and the fact that the report states there is a desire for change is hugely encouraging ,though in my experience one only sees how deep the commitment to change is when change actually starts happening
Nevertheless many of the recommendations seem radical and offer a positive way forward for the Church in Wales to reconnect with the culture in order to share the gospel. It is interesting that these discussions are happening in a whole variety of denominations and my hope and prayer is that we all have the courage not simply to reflect on the changes needed but to change
One of the histories on my own church states that a minister a century or so ago shared with the church meeting the idea that we should start evangelistic meetings in local homes , the church minutes records "The brethren thought this was a good idea and decided to defer it for another time"
It was from memory during a revolution in the 1980's in eastern Europe that the students took to the streets chanting "If not us then who? If not now then when?"
I think there is a recognition that the church needs to change. Is there a will to see those difficult and painful changes through?
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Changing church for changed times
We are about to begin a new series in the book of Daniel .As a part of the preparation for that I have been reading Gerard Kelly's stretch" Lessons in faith from the life of Daniel,"which I have found helpful and at points even inspiring. The book contains some great quotes like " The ultimate triumph of Daniel is that he does better in Babylon ,than many of his fellow Jews had done in Jerusalem" and Daniel's God is not too small for Babylon,he is too big for Babylon"
As you may guess from the quotes Kelly draws a convincing comparison between where Daniel was in exile and where the church today is in a post Christendom age and suggests that while there are differences between his time and this time, there are also similarities and therefore important lessons we can learn in not so much surviving but thriving in this new exciting time when the church is in transition
Kelly helpfully quotes Stuart Murray seven key points of transition
While reading this I also came across a post in Simon Jones blog a sideways glance which struck me as both provocative and containing some important truths for our age about living in exile
As you may guess from the quotes Kelly draws a convincing comparison between where Daniel was in exile and where the church today is in a post Christendom age and suggests that while there are differences between his time and this time, there are also similarities and therefore important lessons we can learn in not so much surviving but thriving in this new exciting time when the church is in transition
Kelly helpfully quotes Stuart Murray seven key points of transition
Stuart Murray, (cited on p.21) mentions seven transitions for the church as it moves into post-Christendom:
from being at the centre to being on the margins;
from majority to minority;
from settlers to sojourners;
from having a privileged place to being part of a plurality;
from controlling to being a witness in a culture controlled by others;
from maintenance to mission;
and from institution to movement.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Baptists and change- again!
Apologies for posting about Baptists and change again but once again the post below resonated with me
If you scroll down you will see John Dranes excellent comment too on change Press Here
John Dranes comment is below
As a Scottish person, I've been observing this conversation from afar and resisting the temptation to comment, as I know I'm an outsider. But this post has really hit the nail on the head for me. I hear all the things being said about resisting change and so on, but the reality is that every church in the land is already changing - that's why this conversation started in the first place, because things have changed and continue to do so in a rapid and unpredictable way that doesn't necessarily emerge from anything we've seen before (discontinuous change, to use the jargon). In a world where nobody knows what's going to happen next week, let alone in 20 years time, planning for a long term future becomes meaningless. From what I can see, most church people already know that in their personal lives, and live accordingly - it's only when they're in church that they seem to want to keep things as they are. Doing nothing is not an option: if we do that, change will certainly happen but it will be random and quite probably destructive. The key question for us, then, is not to resist change but to acknowledge that it's happening anyway, and to face the challenge and opportunity of being the intentional agents of change, inspired by the values of the kingdom. That sort of change will be as revolutionary as Ivan suggests in his original post here, and will require a long hard look at the whole shape of what we now understand by church life - though even as I've written that, I'm wondering if 'church life' is even the right place to start. Should we instead be starting with a more basic question about discipleship (something like 'what does it mean to follow Jesus in this time and place?') and be prepared to just hang out and see what happens organically as like-minded people and groups network in the emerging culture? There are actually lots of signs of this already happening through things like Urban Expression, Fresh Expressions, mission shaped ministry, all of which have an ecumenical dimension. Is that also telling us something? That the networks that can engage with the future may be less narrowly denominational, while learning from all strands of church life?
If you scroll down you will see John Dranes excellent comment too on change Press Here
John Dranes comment is below
As a Scottish person, I've been observing this conversation from afar and resisting the temptation to comment, as I know I'm an outsider. But this post has really hit the nail on the head for me. I hear all the things being said about resisting change and so on, but the reality is that every church in the land is already changing - that's why this conversation started in the first place, because things have changed and continue to do so in a rapid and unpredictable way that doesn't necessarily emerge from anything we've seen before (discontinuous change, to use the jargon). In a world where nobody knows what's going to happen next week, let alone in 20 years time, planning for a long term future becomes meaningless. From what I can see, most church people already know that in their personal lives, and live accordingly - it's only when they're in church that they seem to want to keep things as they are. Doing nothing is not an option: if we do that, change will certainly happen but it will be random and quite probably destructive. The key question for us, then, is not to resist change but to acknowledge that it's happening anyway, and to face the challenge and opportunity of being the intentional agents of change, inspired by the values of the kingdom. That sort of change will be as revolutionary as Ivan suggests in his original post here, and will require a long hard look at the whole shape of what we now understand by church life - though even as I've written that, I'm wondering if 'church life' is even the right place to start. Should we instead be starting with a more basic question about discipleship (something like 'what does it mean to follow Jesus in this time and place?') and be prepared to just hang out and see what happens organically as like-minded people and groups network in the emerging culture? There are actually lots of signs of this already happening through things like Urban Expression, Fresh Expressions, mission shaped ministry, all of which have an ecumenical dimension. Is that also telling us something? That the networks that can engage with the future may be less narrowly denominational, while learning from all strands of church life?
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
The church and change 1
I have been a church leader for 28 years.
I can still remember my first Sunday as Associate Pastor at Ross on Wye Baptist Church.
The church had endured a painful split,during the early days of charismatic renewal
.A split which divided Christians and also divided families ( I am delighted to say that since those days there has been complete healing of those broken relationships)
I remember being approached by a confident young man at the end of the evening service that day who told me" "I am surprised you have come here- God has laid aside this church!"
It was a fairly unnerving experience and happily subsequent events proved that despite being a very imperfect pastor trying to lead an imperfect church, God had not finished with the church yet and indeed the work continues to this day.
It would not be true to say I have loved every minute of church leadership.Some of the most painful moments of my life have happened in churches. There can be no doubt that some of it was my fault but I bear scars from those conflicts as do other church leaders.As I have been reminded the phrase "The church is for hurting people " is double edged!
However leading a church is for me an enormous priviledge and a very enriching experience.There can be no greater joy than seeing God at work in peoples lives bringing them to faith,giving them peace and purpose,comfort in their sorrows,and watching them grow as Christians.
It goes without saying that the world has changed since 1983 in so many ways, and though the gospel never changes the way the church operates to bring that message of Jesus Christ into the world has had to change as well.
Interior of church 1979
I thought over the next week or two to write a few posts about some of the significant changes that have happened in English churches and the way they have impacted the church , its leadership,its ministry and mission.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Acts 6 moment
I have just got back from a church leaders meeting.and I feel full of hope!
We spent the early part of the meeting rejoicing in how far we have come as a new church in a short time,the hurdles that have been overcome, the prayers answered ,the blessings we have known,the joys we have shared together and the journey we have travelled. It is good to reflect on God's goodness and having reflected, we gave thanks to God.
We then chatted together about the large numbers of opportunities that are opening up before us both in the town centre,where our new building will be completed either late this year or early in 2012 and in the area around the Crowmoor building. We even talked about some things we would love to do in a few years time but are unable to do yet
We finished by thinking about some of the changes we may need to make to how we do things and how we organise structures in order to take advantage of those opportunities It felt like a bit of an Acts 6 moment.
In Acts 6 the apostles reorganise the ministry of the church to allow them to keep the main thing the main thing (i.e the prayer and the ministry of the word)
We all recognise the need to develop more leaders and we are working hard to identify peoples giftings and callings
All this and I was still home by 10pm !
Busy days,exciting days but also Happy days!
We spent the early part of the meeting rejoicing in how far we have come as a new church in a short time,the hurdles that have been overcome, the prayers answered ,the blessings we have known,the joys we have shared together and the journey we have travelled. It is good to reflect on God's goodness and having reflected, we gave thanks to God.
We then chatted together about the large numbers of opportunities that are opening up before us both in the town centre,where our new building will be completed either late this year or early in 2012 and in the area around the Crowmoor building. We even talked about some things we would love to do in a few years time but are unable to do yet
We finished by thinking about some of the changes we may need to make to how we do things and how we organise structures in order to take advantage of those opportunities It felt like a bit of an Acts 6 moment.
In Acts 6 the apostles reorganise the ministry of the church to allow them to keep the main thing the main thing (i.e the prayer and the ministry of the word)
We all recognise the need to develop more leaders and we are working hard to identify peoples giftings and callings
All this and I was still home by 10pm !
Busy days,exciting days but also Happy days!
Friday, 20 November 2009
Nostalgia isnt what it used to be!
exceelnt stuff from Simon Jones blog
"Nostalgia isn't the source of missional thinking
I'm preparing a sermon for Sunday on living in the now which is the final shout in our What's God got to do with it series. I want to reflect on a couple of things - our anniversary-besotted culture (so prevalent that Radio 4 aired a documentary on the subject a couple of weeks ago) and the church's tendency to indulge in nostalgia, the desire that things return to how they once were, which tends to stifle mission.Even this morning , the Today programme is lauding the fact that Yes Minister will be thirty years old during next year's election and is about to be remade for Ukranian TV, an excuse to play vintage moments and interview Tony Jay, the writer. It is still seen as seminal political TV in a way that The Thick of It isn't (but give Iannucci's show thirty years and we'll come over all nostalgic about it).Nostalgia prevents us from living in the present and facing its challenges. This is not to say that we can't learn from the past. The past has a huge amount to teach us and we need to study it to learn those lessons. But nostalgia is about wishing we were still in the past, thinking that the present is not as good as the past and refusing to take it as seriously as our history.Nostalgia prevents genuinely new thinking being heard and adopted. I got a whiff of this in the debate about the future of Christian book selling over on the UK Christian booksellers blog (here). It's not that there aren't good ideas being expressed, but that one or two posters are saying there's nothing to be done because we're not in the situation we used to be in when people read books and had money to spend on them in Christian bookshops.One comment talks about the church being strapped for cash, unable to meet its pensions and buildings maintenance bills because of falling numbers. Well, let's shut up shop now, then. Surely falling numbers is a spur to our thinking about what we're doing and why it's not attracting people in the way it used to.The trouble is that we wistfully look back to the days when people came to our churches; nostalgia tells us the attractional model of mission works. But it doesn't. We are not attractive, very few people come out of the blue or because a friend invites them. So we have to find other ways of engaging people with the gospel.Given that large numbers of our neighbours spend a lot of their leisure in the High Street, is there not a case for thinking how we might be present on the High Street, engaging them in conversation and creative ways of sharing the good news about Jesus?If we don't get creative, we'll find it harder and harder to meet the pensions and maintenance bills. But much more important (cause, after all, the church can live without high-cost buildings) if we don't get creative lots of people will not have the opportunity to hear and engage with the good news about Jesus - and none of us want that, do we?"
"Nostalgia isn't the source of missional thinking
I'm preparing a sermon for Sunday on living in the now which is the final shout in our What's God got to do with it series. I want to reflect on a couple of things - our anniversary-besotted culture (so prevalent that Radio 4 aired a documentary on the subject a couple of weeks ago) and the church's tendency to indulge in nostalgia, the desire that things return to how they once were, which tends to stifle mission.Even this morning , the Today programme is lauding the fact that Yes Minister will be thirty years old during next year's election and is about to be remade for Ukranian TV, an excuse to play vintage moments and interview Tony Jay, the writer. It is still seen as seminal political TV in a way that The Thick of It isn't (but give Iannucci's show thirty years and we'll come over all nostalgic about it).Nostalgia prevents us from living in the present and facing its challenges. This is not to say that we can't learn from the past. The past has a huge amount to teach us and we need to study it to learn those lessons. But nostalgia is about wishing we were still in the past, thinking that the present is not as good as the past and refusing to take it as seriously as our history.Nostalgia prevents genuinely new thinking being heard and adopted. I got a whiff of this in the debate about the future of Christian book selling over on the UK Christian booksellers blog (here). It's not that there aren't good ideas being expressed, but that one or two posters are saying there's nothing to be done because we're not in the situation we used to be in when people read books and had money to spend on them in Christian bookshops.One comment talks about the church being strapped for cash, unable to meet its pensions and buildings maintenance bills because of falling numbers. Well, let's shut up shop now, then. Surely falling numbers is a spur to our thinking about what we're doing and why it's not attracting people in the way it used to.The trouble is that we wistfully look back to the days when people came to our churches; nostalgia tells us the attractional model of mission works. But it doesn't. We are not attractive, very few people come out of the blue or because a friend invites them. So we have to find other ways of engaging people with the gospel.Given that large numbers of our neighbours spend a lot of their leisure in the High Street, is there not a case for thinking how we might be present on the High Street, engaging them in conversation and creative ways of sharing the good news about Jesus?If we don't get creative, we'll find it harder and harder to meet the pensions and maintenance bills. But much more important (cause, after all, the church can live without high-cost buildings) if we don't get creative lots of people will not have the opportunity to hear and engage with the good news about Jesus - and none of us want that, do we?"
Monday, 17 August 2009
Change is here to stay!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8
Well worth looking at !The question it leaves me is Is my church doing enough on this media not simply to connect with each other but with people not connected with any church?" It will never catch on "is not an adequate response!
Well worth looking at !The question it leaves me is Is my church doing enough on this media not simply to connect with each other but with people not connected with any church?" It will never catch on "is not an adequate response!
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Vision-church
I am continuing this week with my paper on future direction and ministries for our new church,(see previous post.)
I have been encouraged by the fact that a number of people have come upto me with pretty specific suggestions . I am sure God is in this which is exciting!
Hope to get quite a bit of this task completed this week-We shall see!
I have been encouraged by the fact that a number of people have come upto me with pretty specific suggestions . I am sure God is in this which is exciting!
Hope to get quite a bit of this task completed this week-We shall see!
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Nothing changes here- but it should!
I suppose, like many people these days, I do most of my reading of newspapers online ,I was struck by this piece in todaysTelegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5811994/Church-of-England-needs-more-bishops-not-fewer-General-Synod-hears.html and particularly by this phrase "We do feel that there is a resistance to change in the hierarchical structures and staffing of the Church of England, and this lack of vision is a barrier to renewal of the church in ministry and mission, and it needs challenging."
It certainly not only the C of E that resists change! I think many people see the church as a buttress against a changing world but while the gospel never changes the way we communicate that gospel to a rapidly changing world is critical .We have to speak to people in ways and language they understand. God give us vision to see things not as they are but as they could be!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5811994/Church-of-England-needs-more-bishops-not-fewer-General-Synod-hears.html and particularly by this phrase "We do feel that there is a resistance to change in the hierarchical structures and staffing of the Church of England, and this lack of vision is a barrier to renewal of the church in ministry and mission, and it needs challenging."
It certainly not only the C of E that resists change! I think many people see the church as a buttress against a changing world but while the gospel never changes the way we communicate that gospel to a rapidly changing world is critical .We have to speak to people in ways and language they understand. God give us vision to see things not as they are but as they could be!
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