5 responses to “Diocesan Synod”
-
I fight this every stinkin’ time I’m in church. The average age of our Vestry is 47, the eldest is 69 and the youngest is 28 (*waves*).
However, all I hear about is how we are a ‘grey’ church in fear of dying.
I think it’s too much trust in statistics and not enough in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I will beat that through their heads if it KILLS ME.
-
Conversations about mission that assume the Church is dying are bad enough, but at least the subject is being talked about. It’s worse when the mere idea of having a conversation about mission causes consternation and retreat behind the brocaded curtains.
If such a conversation is to get going at all, however, we need to be prepared to rethink radically our ecclesiology. It may not be strictly inevitable that decline will continue, but we need to be realistic about the prospects (such as they are) for future provision of ordained ministers and stipends to sustain them. All churches are facing a decline in these areas.
-
P.S. – I’m not leaving the Holy Spirit out of the reckoning, simply saying that sober and realistic thinking is one of the less trumpeted gifts of the Spirit.
-
I was feeling much the same Kelvin, I was starting to believe all the doom and gloom merchants and wasn’t looking forward to another 3 days of it. I didn’t really think it was the case but when the dripping tap just keeps on going eventually you start to wonder. LYCIG gave me the kick up the backside I was needing to stop listening to the negative and concentrate on the positive and there is lots of that about. If we keep talking about decline we will talk ourselves into it, we need to stop it now!
-
Mary Sue,
Perhaps some parts of our church are glad to be grey.
But seriously, while I applaud the resistance to ‘sociological determinism’ (i.e. decline is inevitable), I think we can also think creatively about our demographics before we chuck out the baby, or the bathwater. It’s time to recycle the grey water.
Some recent thoughts I had are here:
http://www.dunc.info/?p=94(I don’t know how to do that clever trackback thing…)
Previous Posts
-
Teaching
Off to teach a class in a school today. Remarkably, the first time I’ve been asked in all my ordained years. Usual topic, of course.
-
All of the glory, none of the angst
Its Ascension Day today. (Its always a Thursday, you know). One of the best of the Feast Days to celebrate. All of the glory, none of the angst. Bishop Gregor is keeping it in St Mary’s tonight at 7.30. The music will include the lovely Little Organ Mass by Haydn.
-
Sermon preached on 9 May 2010
Here is what I said yesterday – text to follow later.
-
Hung!
Well, you heard it here first – I was predicting a hung parliament in January. Its not quite the result that I was hoping for, but I’m pleased that neither of the two larger parties can simply do as they like. So, what’s to come today? David Cameron says that Labour has lost its mandate…
Leave a Reply