Synod ministers (both
working and retired) met together at West Denton on March 6th for what the moderator described as “an
opportunity for ministers to talk together about issues of concern generally
but particularly about where God’s generous nature has been revealed in
community and church amidst the financial downturn”. She added, “As
someone once said ‘A budget is a theological document. It indicates who or what
we worship.’”
Perhaps
the issue is wrongly focussed. Poor financial situation a symptom of a wider
problem not the major issue. Finance and other resources should follow the determination
of what we are about as a Church/Denomination. In stringent times prioritising
even more important.
Priorities
Where
then is the URC going? Is it about ecumenism
or is it about mission? The two are linked but where we put the emphasis
determines policy.
For me,
the key is the mission of the church. URC has been described as a pioneer
denomination. Let’s blaze a trail for the renewal of the mission of the whole
church and be experimental and risk takers. (Leaving things as they are is an
even bigger risk!) Invite our sister churches to come with us. But we do not
have the luxury of waiting nor of negotiating of positions on the way
ahead. We must do it anyway, even if it
is ecumenically inconvenient.
A definition of the
URC’s task: to Share the Way of Jesus:
to Live the Way of Jesus
So, find relevant ways of sharing and
demonstrate the Way by the quality and integrity of our common life. I suspect that many people today are
suspicious of ways of power in society and they are suspicious of organisations
like the church that use/misuse power. (vide child abuse scandals of last
decade)
Question:
Do people in our communities want to know about the Way?
Answer: evidence = roadside shrines, full
retreat centres, demand for teaching on spiritual pathways (BUT not so much
Christian!) popularity of books/websites on spirituality. Not conclusive evidence but suggests still real
interest. If this is the case why are we concerned as much if not more for the
plant and buildings than for the spiritual and mission dimensions of church
life?
We have a Gospel to proclaim (and live.) How?
Find ways to bring Christian spirituality
back into the forefront of our church life. We have a treasure that is
insufficiently being offered to both the church and the community around us.
True spirituality will guide us into action for peace and justice at every
level.
Practicalities:
Privilege the mission of the church over the
maintenance of existing structures.
Fit resources to agreed tasks. Any task that
falls outside the agreed agenda for mission ruthlessly jettison or put on back
burner pending more generous times.
This would mean………
Buildings – Identify congregations
that are in inappropriate buildings and persuade into rented halls or house
church groups. There will be resistance and this will need to be sensitively
handled. A policy as a Synod = agree not
to further subsidise outmoded buildings. If necessary let these wither on the
vine whilst maintaining pastoral care of congregation.
Adapt, for whatever
uses are envisioned in the locality, remaining buildings. Sell all superfluous
buildings and put money into mission projects and people.
Ministry – Effectively already
down to 1 FT Minister per MP. No further reductions. The current situation is creaking
and giving rise to stress and anxiety among remaining ministers.
Use FT Ministers as
supervisory agents of the mission of their local MP, training local ordained
ministry (one to every congregation) on apprentice model, acting as senior
ministers chairing local team of FTM, NSM , LPs,Elders and providing vision, direction
and encouragement.
Set aside ministers
(or others?) with gifts of communication and getting alongside others to simply
be in a spirit of presence and availability in their localities. (Models from
the past – the Celtic wanderers). Current model = the role of the Holy Island
director.
How?
Set aside a gifted
person for this ministry under SCM as a Synod missioner available for periods
of time to go to a MP to practise and promote presence ministry.
OR use gifted ministers who have retired and
could devote a percentage of their time
voluntarily
Either way – such a
person under discipline of responsibility to Synod via Ministries?)
Required: a
retraining of all categories as well as congregations in this new pattern of
ministry. Expectations must change if any new way is to work!! This
developmental work to be the prime function of Synod
We are weary in well
doing (often with poor results.) We all need
encouragement! Ministers might find this in more frequent times of worship
together with opportunity to share in a relaxed setting issues, problems and
ideas. Try monthly ministers meetings
for one year? No fixed agenda – just
being and relaxing.
Congregations – why
not regular worship together in some of our larger buildings –s ay quarterly.
Nothing encourage more than than the occasional large gathering – we are not
alone!
Simplicity – An
antidote to notions of power.
Simplify our
structures – only those groups and committees essential to maintaining staffing
and promoting the mission of the church retained at every level of the
structure.
Simplify our local
church life – stop trying to run churches of today like the large
organisational set ups of the Edwardian era. Only attempt to maintain those activities
which enable worship and mission. Scrap everything else.
Simplify personal
discipleship – living simply and sacrificially with the notion of sufficiency
and no more – antidote to the overweening culture of having material prosperity
at huge cost to others and to the planet.
Today is an opportunity to let God reshape
the church into something that can speak by its life and witness to our time
and culture.
‘Now is the acceptable time. Now is the hour of salvation.’
