Question. If you combine a group of church leaders from across the denominations, all of whom are experienced in mission and fresh expressions, and the desire to encourage new work in any form, what do you get? In Peterborough, one response has been For Starters, a series of events (well we have had two now), intended to encourage anyone who feels called to start – something. Anything in fact, from a toddler group, to a drop-in for pensioners, to a new form of church. For Starters reaches out to anybody; you do not have to be in a leadership role or even see yourself as a leader. The only requirement is that you have a sense that God is calling you to follow Jesus in mission. This is empowering stuff; never mind your insecurities; just be honest about what God is saying to you.
Why I was not bored
I must confess (after a decade of living by the rule of Fresh Expressions – six of which were spent in research) that nothing turns me off more than hearing glib examples of new things that are happening, without any acknowledgment as to the challenges that people face when starting new work. There is almost something dishonest going on when this happens. For Starters got the balance right. The presentations were energised but honest and this, in turn, encouraged people to say things that they might not have had the confidence to share elsewhere. I heard real-life frustration from people who longed to see their church grow but despaired of the fact that whilst newcomers might value fellowship, they recoiled at the idea of being invited to something that felt religious. (We still have much to in helping break unhelpful stereotypes of what church looks like and feels like). I heard questions from local leaders about how they could encourage local development when one or two staunch church members belonged to the ‘not over my dead body’ brigade. These are the very people that we need to equip and support in our churches, and one of the things that For Starters is doing is helping build confidence by setting local people next to experienced leaders who can listen and guide.
For Starters also appeals because it offers new insights that I had not heard before, or if I had heard them they were put forward in a way that gave them real weight. Thus, I thought that it might be helpful to share my own reflections. I found seven new insights to consider when starting something new.
1. People are not so much afraid of change: they are afraid of loss.
Ed Olsworth-Peter (Adviser for Fresh Expressions of Church and Young Adults, Ely Diocese) offered guidance to how church leaders might help the PCC – or in our case, church councils – understand why we need to invest in fresh expressions. Ed began by pointing out that people are not so much afraid of change, but of loss. The danger is that as new work is proposed and begins to flourish, other members of the church start to feel threatened, as if investment in one thing will mean the active neglect of what they have been doing. Ed talked about the need for a ‘blended economy’. This seems like Rowan William’s ‘mixed economy’, or my own idea of a ‘mixed ecology’. Irrespective, the principle is similar. Rather than working in opposition, what is inherited and what is emerging can only flourish if they support each other.
The key to heading off resistance may be for leaders (specifically those who chari meetings) to point out that we all want the same thing, that we are all committed to the Church, irrespective of when it happens and what it looks like. God calls us to build his Kingdom, rather than our own empires. And lest we think that fresh expressions only have one way of doing things, there is considerable breadth in what this looks like. Projects can incorporate the traditional, the sacramental, or patterns living that draw from monastic disciplines. They can be for everyone, or aimed at one group of people – older or younger – especially if they are intended to address a specific need.
2. If the numbers attending your ‘life’ services (especially baptisms) are not resulting in increased church attendance, then you need to be honest about how you are inviting people, and whether what you are offering is suitable.
OK, I admit. This is not new. Fresh expressions are here to stay, and are very much alive and kicking. However, there are times when it is patently obvious that the familiar ways of working are not….well, working. What did strike me as new, and perhaps often overlooked, is the scale at which our outreach as a church can become disconnected with church attendance. Sid Bridges (Holy Trinity, Orton Waterville) shared about the growth of Refresh, which effectively, looks like a blend of Messy Play, Messy Church and a Worship Service. Prior to this, Phil’s church was conducting eighty infant baptisms a year, and preparing 10-20 children from the local school…but guess what…the uptake in terms of new families coming to church was poor. This looks like family fun and fellowship that is wholly ecclesial in nature. It is not just a toddler group with a prayer at the end. The most revealing thing that was said? Kids are disappointed if they cannot go.
3. Fresh expressions are contributing towards the costs of ministry.
One other observation from Refresh (and the same could be said of some of our own fresh expressions) is that the concept of taking up an offering or inviting people to contribute to the costs of ministry, is beginning to become embedded within local projects. Some of those who attend Refresh are opting to give towards the work of the Church. The question for Phil has been whether money given to the church by those who attend the project should be ring-fenced and reinvested into Refresh, or whether it should go towards the broader costs of Parish ministry. At present, what people give contributes to the whole.
4. God is already speaking through those who are not yet part of the church: be attentive. Listen and act on what they say.
Helen Crofts (Circuit Mission Enabler, Peterborough Methodist Circuit of Churches) gave examples of the importance of what Fresh Expressions would refer to as ‘360 degree listening’ when thinking about how to discern the way forward. Listen to God. Listen to the Church. Listen to yourself. Ask, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Walk and pray. Get to know people. Most of all, be attentive to the voices of those who are not yet part of the Church. The bit that had me on the edge of my seat were the examples of how some of our everyday encounters and conversations that might appear random, turn out to be the seed that starts something new. Helen gave one example of a Messy Play that started when an older member of a local community noted that there was ‘nothing for children in the holidays.’ Think also about what is already happening, and how this could develop. If parents are reluctant to leave each other after dropping their children off at a club, and hang around chatting, you probably have the basis for something else, perhaps for the whole family. What might become of your coffee-morning, or your small group that is exploring faith?
5. Can you picture the faces of those people who you will invite to something new? If not, you may have a problem…
Charlie Nobbs (Pioneer and New Initiatives Trainer, Peterborough Diocese) spoke about knowing who we are going to invite to new events. Can we picture their faces? For me, this was a powerful question. So often we just put up a poster and expect people to arrive. Or we expect others to invite people on our behalf. If there was ever a time when we could rely on this, those days are now long-gone. I took from this that if we cannot picture the people who we are intending to invite, then we may be a step too far ahead in our mission. Much of our experience and the research evidence that I have seen to date, suggests that people come to faith through the relationships that they have with other Christians. And with relationships come trust. And with trust comes the willingness to be honest about matters of faith.
6. We might not like engaging with people through social media, but social media is here to stay, and we need to learn how to use it.
Yes, like it (no pun intended), or loath it, social media is here to stay. Despite the scepticism people might have about what friendship means on social media, platforms such as Facebook are proving incredibly useful in terms of building community. In fact, as I reflect on our own practice here in Peterborough, Facebook is becoming far more effective than local websites on advertising what is happening in the life of our churches. One other feature is that social media allows us to take pictures and show what life is like beyond those big wooden doors that people cannot see through. Whilst there are churches who have replaced wood with glass, this remains a valid point. And before I forget, another key factor is that you do not have to be a member of Facebook to view a Facebook page online. I see a link here with how John Wesley, the founder of Methodism found open-air preaching unpalatable – detestable even. He did not like doing it, but he felt compelled to do it because there was no other workable solution. Sometimes you must move outside of the church and meet people where they are. Social media looks like the digital equivalent.
7. Churches propose alterations to their buildings. A minority of local people – many of whom do not attend the church – object. Nonetheless, we need to make changes so that our churches are fit for purpose.
Richard Ormston (Archdeacon of Northampton) shared a wonderful example of how someone, deeply perturbed by the proposal to incorporate a working toilet into a rural church, asked the question, ‘What on earth are they going to use if for?’ Enough said. Seriously though, Richard’s support chimed with our own experience within the Northampton District, and the ‘Property for Mission’ approach within our own circuit. The basic message is that whilst churches need to preserve some of their historic features, the requirement to be fit for purpose in a missional sense is equally important. With some creative thinking, it will be possible to do both. Thus, beware the person who suggests that we cannot do ‘this and that’ because our building is listed. Probably, this comes from a general resistance to change rather than the reality. After all, many of our Anglican churches did not start out with pews in them. You could always, as Vyv Wainright (Anglican Reader and Surveyor based in Oakhampton) has done, train to be a conservation officer and play people at their own game. Whilst an MA in the subject might be a heavy commitment(!), it is surprising how much misinformation is out there about what people can or cannot do to our buildings. In some scenarios, all we need to do is to introduce the possibility that some changes are possible, and that those who oversee the preservation of our buildings are very much on-side when it comes to finding solutions (and I dare say funding) to enable the church to live in a missionally authentic way. After all, nothing is more damaging to the preservation of a church building than underuse.
In conclusion
Vyv’s presentation, on his Little Angels Toddler Group, served as a reminder that new does not necessarily mean having to engineer something that has never been done before. It does, however, mean taking mission and pastoral care seriously, and being attentive to the opportunities arise. (This very much echo’s Helen’s observations). What really moved me about Vyv’s presentation were the pastoral encounters that surfaced in Little Angels, and how the church was exercising a deeply significant ministry in helping people navigate through some of the most difficult periods in their lives.
The change in the demographics of who attended Little Angels (from what we might have seen twenty years ago) was no surprise, with Dads, grandparents, and single Mums bringing their children. But the story of how this community became aware of those who were struggling – a Mum who developed breast cancer, and another young boy (whose family was known to the group) who died from cancer – these stories reminded me of how we as the church have a role, an obligation, to provide space where people can meet and ministry can happen. When I think about some of the arguments I have witnessed about toddler groups and pre-schools (not within my own circuit I am pleased to say) – of how they might leave mess, or occupy the building when others could be using it, I am reminded starkly that we, the church must remember that our purpose is not to protect our personal fiefdom but to do allow God to do His thing. The church does not belong to us, it belongs to God.
Almighty God, Your Kingdom Come, Your will be Done…
Just show us more of what we need to do for starters.
