Many Clergy believe that the Church of England will ride out the present storms and still be here for another millennia or two. I don’t feel quite so optimistic. The demographics are against us. In Bredbury, nearly all our new members are people over the age of 50 who went to Sunday School as children. In Mission Shaped Church there is a graph which shows how Sunday School attendance dropped drastically in the last century. Our fishing pond is getting smaller.
As a junior officer in the Church of England, I feel a moral obligation to do what I can to save the ship. There are others who are trying as well. Bob Jackson, the Archdeacon of Walsall has written a couple of books suggesting ways to plug the gaps and keep the ship afloat. Hope for the Church is a book full of statistics which suggest that decline is not inevitable.
The Road to Growth outlines certain strategies that can stop the haemorrhage of numbers, and even see growth. Briefly, these are 1) minimize overheads 2) create a growth fund to invest in fresh expressions of church 3) use Church Commissioners money to fund mission 4) have a Parish share system that does not “tax” growth 5) recruit younger ordinands 6) appoint people who will lead mission 7) keep vacancies short 8) invest in morale 9) make Continuing Ministerial Education growth focussed 10) find new opportunities for older clergy 11) employ lay people 12) train and authorize lay people.
If these suggestions are followed maybe we will stay afloat. The holes will be patched and we will be able to limp along for a good many years yet. There will be a small Parish Church in most places, but it will continue to be irrelevant to most of the population.
Some in the Church believe that we can become a mixed economy of “inherited mode” and “Fresh Expressions.” The picture that comes to mind is that the Titanic encourages its adventurous passengers to get into lifeboats and then celebrates as the entire flotilla chugs along together. I will be encouraging these fresh expressions. If the Titanic does sink most of these will stay afloat. The message of the Kingdom will continue even if the Church of England founders.
2 comments:
Last two blogs have spoken to me immensly. with regards to the Church of England being the Titanic I can see where you are coming from. My frustration around this is that Yes there are a perhaps only a few willing workers trying hard to plug the gaps, but for those on the outside who want to become a plug for any of the holes in the hull seem to have to jump through numerous time consuming hoops before they will even be considered for the team. It's like being on the lifeboat next to the sinking titanic trying to assist in the emergency but being held at bay by the crew of the ship until you can flash the correct boarding signal.
In fact some of the passengers are probably pushing you off also because it's "just not done this way"
I think that to be "saved" you will have to assist in the plugging of the holes (in whatever way appears to work (fresh expression)) or you may have to just get in the lifeboat with those who can't flash the correct boarding signal, even if they know how to help save a few passengers in their own way.
Hi Craig
I think that some folk on board think that Fresh Expressions will help to plug the gaps and/or keep the old ship afloat. There is some truth in this, but it is not directly obvious. True fresh expressions of Church will be encouraged to develop their own identity. Only a few who join these will become loyal to the old institution. Instead they will see themselves joining the small boat alongside. Most will see no point in spending a lot of time and money on a hopeless cause which seems to be sailing in waters where noone really wants to be.
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