At our local Church tomorrow there are to be meetings that could decide if the Church continues or not. I deeply believe it ought to continue, but we have a revue group from Presbyterian hierarchy who are to research the current position of the Church and its activities and make a recommendation. I am aware that there are others, tired with the long hall that work in a small church can be, who would gladly declare it as not a viable Church. We were given a few questions and were asked to give our thoughts bouncing off these. I share a bit of an abridged version of what I sent in to the revue committee as our response...
1) What role, if any, does Emmanuel have in the Sawyers Bay and Port Chalmers community in 2020 onward?
· A faith “presence”. Even the building where active worship is maintained reminds the people of the neighbourhood of deeper aspects of life. (This would be lost or even tend to reinforce a negative message about the gospel if we shut down- “Jesus is outdated” When I have shown people around an empty Iona Church that seems to be the message people get. “I suppose religion has had its day.” was one typical comment.) I see empty churches as sad memorials and reminders of the inability of the Church to rethink/reword the faith in changing circumstance, to adapt and keep on adapting. I think it was Einstein who said something like, “Evolution shows that it is not necessarily the strongest species who survive, but those who have the ability to adapt.” The Church is a way behind. (It is not just fiddling with music or three-ring-circus-type services - people in churches do not often experience our faith as a “spirituality” – it is more an “add on” in life.)
· The building is an ideal location. We can use it to have gatherings where people can relate constructively and in a caring way. E.g. we have “Afternoon teas on Tuesday” We have had "Rumpus room” “Christmas Neighbourhood barbeque” and possible Parenting seminars or other things could be held there … I believe the caring relationship is important… not a place to “Bible Bash.” Building “community” and offering hospitality is an important service the church can offer. There are lonely or desperate people or people who at different times are “Lonely, friendless or desperate” in our community and I would love for our church to be seen as a place of supportive friendship where people can be genuinely “met”.
· We are providing a worship place for the community. Our experience of Emmanuel has only been in the last 6-7 years and in that time the group attending has been added to by 8 people and there is another who has come once who is very interested in continuing. Without too much active outreach these people from the community have come. If we as an active Church were not here it is possible many of these would not have involved themselves in a worshipping community. (In terms of percentage of the congregation, if most Presbyterian Churches in NZ had a similar “growth” we would be reasonably pleased?) In that time though 6 others have died, left the area or stopped attending because of age. – though there are others who have visited and not returned.
· I would like to see us be seen as a loving community, willing to help meet needs. Members do meet needs in the neighbourhood in an individual way. People have shared garden produce with local families, transport, hospitality, firewood, (Russell & Cathy with Richard and others want to do this more intentionally) etc. It would be good if we could look for opportunities to serve needs in our community. (A quick idea – since the community could not “celebrate” ANZAC day this year, what about a “Remembrance Day” service we invite the community to? …Just thinking out loud.) The Church in today’s world needs to earn its credibility.
· I believe we could in non-threatening ways share spiritual/gospel values with people. E.g. Movies with meaning. Parenting seminars etc.
My theme would be to see Emmanuel as a place of hospitality where people are met with friendship, acceptance and love. This can be in worship but through other opportunities to meet and share with people.
2) What are the major challenges facing Emmanuel?
· We are mostly elderly folk.
· Currently our Session Clerk is retired and nobody wants to take her place. Personally, I think we make things much more complicated than we need to. Our active membership would be a group of just 20-30 people, but we continue to operate as if we were a much bigger Church with all the processes.
· I know just a little bit about the Fuel Church in Fairfield. The Fairfield Church essentially closed but East Taieri Church has taken it under its wing. There are greater resources, innovation and some of the burdens of running the Church have been taken over. Could not something similar be arranged with say – Opoho or Leith Valley?
· We have a burden in that we have to be custodians of the historic Iona Church building. This involves expense and people’s energy and contribution.
· Consistency in the nature and quality of our worship. E.g. we cannot do a series because we have different leaders each week. E.g.It also prevents the weekly consistent “conversation” as the lectionary readings follow each other – Gospel themes cannot be easily developed.
· finances
3) What could be done to encourage attendance and participation?
· As above consistency in worship quality.
· Relating with the community. “Christendom” has gone. The Church can no longer just hold worship and hope people will attend. The Church in NZ needs to earn its credibility in finding ways to serve and relate with people in the community in which it is placed. We simply need to find avenues of service, offering hospitality and relating. (Listening)
· Encourage participation? - Our experience (and others have mentioned it too) has been that the established leadership welcomes people getting involved but it seems to be that new people should “continue with business as usual.” Don’t challenge existing ways of doing things, don’t rock the boat. “Come and do stuff for us, but do it our way” is the message we have felt. – Business as usual hasn’t worked for many years, we need to keep trying different things… there needs to be the freedom to try and fail and encouragement to keep trying.
· Other examples of things that tended to discourage our participation…. (There I include a couple of examples where we had explored change ideas but the process of looking into them seemed stacked against change happening)
· There seems to be a reluctance to discuss at depth the directions of the church.
· More effective signage out the front at footpath level.
4) If resources were not an issue, what would you consider to be the important things the church should be doing or involved with?
Because I believe 3 things;
(i) Small Churches have strengths to offer people and communities that are part of being a more intimate group;
(ii) and that small Churches ought to be able to operate differently and have a different approach to functioning and worship and the things they offer;
(iii) and that our Church building is in an ideal position to provide hospitality in our community.
If resources were not an issue, I would do a renovation of our buildings to make them more welcoming and suitable for “hospitality”.
In the Chapel I would carpet the floor, have flexible comfortable seating to give more options for worship and other gatherings and do away with the current “fenced pulpit”.
In the hall (perhaps that is the only place we would be permitted to touch) I would make a neat storage area down the harbour end of the hall for tables etc. (Stained plywood cupboard space) Carpet the hall (maybe.) with carpet from Iona hall. Tidy the cupboards, paint walls, ceilings etc. and have a heat pump. Maybe some more comfortable seating. It is tidier than it has been, but there are broken cupboard doors, spouting stored on the floor and old chairs. – We would not have these things in our home lounges.
(I realise that it would be nice to renovate the kitchen and toilets etc. but I think to have the public areas looking welcoming is a first priority)
If resources were really not an issue, I would hire a minister. She/he would have to have passion, be outward looking and innovative in their thinking and passion, be able to be involved with people in the community in an open, friendly way, and lead positive warm friendly open services.
5) Any comments you would like to make for consideration.
· Theology Prof. Paul Trebilco Speaking to St John Chaplains a few years ago, said that “ in New Testament times all the Churches, with the exception of perhaps Rome, had memberships of less than 20 people! They were home churches and had to fit into relatively small houses.” These days we would write them off as “not viable” and yet these Churches turned the world upside down. Small Churches have advantages big Churches do not have. Even elderly people have things younger people cannot offer. Isn’t it true that many of us when we get on in years have just about worked out what is truly important in life? ( but nobody wants to know) We often have perspective and wisdom to offer. (I have seen grandmothers informally help dysfunctional families and stressed mums just by chatting over coffee. I have seen old guys entertain, befriend and support unemployed “street people” -some with mental health issues- just by chatting of their experiences and listening) I do not think we should sell ourselves short because we are small and most of us are “seniors”. We have valuable stuff to offer.
· BUT small churches with elderly memberships should not be run in the same way as a bigger established church would run. Systems and priorities may be different. Different ways of working and worshipping should/could be explored. E.g. Cathedral type worship may not fit, but more relaxed conversational type could be more appropriate?
· We are 10k away from the nearest Presbyterian Church. It is the “establishment” denomination for Otago – if we were not to continue it is a considerable failure for the denomination and people would have to be keen to make a regular trip to a church in town. Our community needs an active Church, open and flexible to demonstrate the love of God for people. (incarnating God’s love as the Body of Christ)
· We need to be a Jesus-centred Church … not “Churchianity”, Denominational focused, or “Religious” culture. “What would Jesus do?” is a simple but relevant question.
While I am retired and cannot now do all that I would like to do, I still feel passionate about the way of Jesus and still see it as relevant for NZ people today. I have long had a “love/hate” relationship with the Church, and feel that it is a distortion of all it should be. I have, however, stayed in ministry (though many of my colleagues have left it behind) because the Church is the only place the story of Jesus is kept alive.
All the best for your work in Christ.
Dave & Jean Brown
After thought...
On my way home from visiting fire stations I stewed on tomorrow's conversations. Again as I sat in front of the fire with mindless TV going, I stewed some more.... I ought to have said that as followers of Jesus the main question we ought to be asking is....
"We are a group of Christians in this congregation together. As followers of Jesus who calls us to be loving servants, salt and light in our community, with the resources we have (the buildings, our selves etc.) how can we best serve the people of our community?"
Maybe I'll slip that in tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment