“And lo, after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse of Decline had ravaged the Church of God, there appeared on the horizon the Four Horsemen of Growth. They stalked the land offering terrifying hope, and succour to the needy”.
There are only a limited number of ways that a church can grow. These apply both to denominations as well as to local churches.
Last week I was at the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church where we were asked to engage with the idea of becoming a growing church.
So far as I can see there are only four major ways in which this can happen. The Four Horsemen of Growth have names. They are Immigration, Conversion, Assimilation and Procreation.
They do not always arrive individually or sequentially. They tend to arrive in one another’s company. They are social. They are amiable. They enjoy one another’s company.
The pathway to becoming a growing church is not one that is simple. It is not a trivial task to bring this about either in a local church or in a denomination. And I think that it is important to get to know the Four Horsemen of Growth and to become their friends.
One of the first things that I would say about this is that I am talking about visible, measurable numerical growth. Yes, I believe that spiritual growth matters. Yes, I believe that serving the needy matters. But sometimes we do need to talk about actual numerical growth and decline in the life of the church. I sit with groups regularly who have to decide where best to spend the resources at our disposal. As I do so, I bear in mind other forms of growth but I am aware that spiritual growth and other non-numerical forms of growth will be wiped out without thinking a little bit about how churches can or can’t grow numerically.
When thinking about this in my context, the first thing that people need to do is to put on their Hats of Holy Humility and take a long hard look at church statistics. They offer little for our comfort. This is not to say that there isn’t hope. There is hope and it is important to be able to identify where it is hiding and bring it out into the open. The reality though for my denomination is that it has been declining at a fairly steady rate since the 1920s. The patterns of decline that I live amongst were already in place long before I was born and long before I joined the church. Shifting them is not a trivial task or a quick fix. The most likely thing is that those patterns are here to stay.
But let us grab hold of a bit of hope before thinking about the names of the Four Horsemen of Growth.
There is something that I think need to be said clearly and unambiguously. This is that church growth is possible both in individual local congregations and also in denominations. My own congregation is bigger than it was 20 years ago when I came here. Significantly so. I can easily name other churches that have grown over a timescale of decades. Ps and Gs Church in Edinburgh and St Mungo’s, Balerno are two within my own denomination that have stories to tell about how they grew significantly. Note that those of us who do have those stories to tell also have stories to tell about how difficult things have been since the pandemic and would probably all note that it is too soon to say what the effect of that major disruption has been. But there are signs of hope in individual congregations even since that time too.
I rejoice that there is obvious renewal and measurable growth at my neighbouring Episcopal congregation – St Bride’s, Kelvinside. (Which isn’t in Kelvinside for reasons involving a traction engine). I know of other churches in this diocese that are talking about growth as something that they are experiencing too. St Oswald’s in Maybole is another one with a story to tell. And there are others too.
I can see growth in congregations of different sizes and which worship in different ways.
When we think about denominations, I am aware of confidence in at least some parts of the Free Church of Scotland. I am aware of significant interest in Orthodoxy too though that remains relatively small when looking at the bigger picture of faith patterns in this country.
I have a fairly fundamental belief that it might be important to listen to the voices of those who can speak confidently about their congregations growing.
I also have a fairly fundamental belief that where there is weekly worship in which people encounter God in a way that is transformative for their lives and meet clergy whom they would like to spend an hour a week with then growth is very likely to happen.
This is one of the reasons why I always want to talk about worship and clergy whenever we have conversations about growth and mission and all that stuff. Some people really don’t want to talk about those things. But I know that I do.
But where revival comes, how does it come?
Well that brings us to the Four Horsemen of Growth.
Let us deal with them one by one and name their names.
Firstly the Horseman of Immigration.
One of the ways in which churches can sometimes grow is through the movement of people from one place to another. This is not a growth in the number of Christians in the world but it can look encouraging locally.
There have been historic attempts to harness the horse belonging to this horseman but not always successfully. In this diocese there was a huge effort put into building churches for immigrants to the area from Northern Ireland. (Several were not that far from me, particular the church in Anderson built to serve the docks). Scottish Episcopalians spent quite a lot of money putting up churches to welcome these workers new to the area. However, these workers new to the area seem to have preferred the rather more reformed charms of the plain local Kirk to the exotica of Scottish Episcopalianism. Most of these churches are now long gone. It was a bold attempt to do something and we should be bold in our doings. In the long term though, the demographic changes didn’t lead to lasting change.
However, more recently, there have been hugely positive changes to some local churches in which the Horseman of Immigration has played his part.
In my own congregation, Anglicans from Africa – particularly from Nigeria have arrived and enriched our experience of church hugely.
Even more recently, there have been arrivals from Iran who have become beloved members of our local fellowship.
Our life is greatly for the better for those who have arrived from afar.
Here in the West End of Glasgow it often feels as though we are our own Anglican Communion with people present from India, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Mexico, the USA and West Africa.
The Horseman of Immigration is our friend in these parts.
Some of those arriving in my own congregation from both near and afar though have not always been Christians, never mind Anglican Christians.
Their arrival is due to the work of the Holy Spirit stirring up their hearts at the prompting of the Horseman of Conversion.
Conversions still happen. I see them fairly regularly. This is a surprise to many people.
A couple of years ago I started to notice an interesting change in the pattern of people being baptised here. For what I suspect was the first time in the modern history of this congregation, the number of people being baptised as adults (or at least as children who could answer for themselves) was greater than the number of children being baptised as babies. I suspect that it is possible that we’ll soon see a year when all the baptisms here are of those who can answer for themselves.
People still choose Christianity as a way of life. People still choose Christ. People still find themselves, sometimes to their surprise, looking to the church to find spiritual nourishment and a way of living.
I can easily point to people who have arrived from other countries who have wanted to explore the faith of the country in which they have found themselves. (The Horsemen of Immigration and Conversion are the best of friends). I can also point to people engaging through online encounters with the church finding that they have faith where previously they had none. It used to be that I knew more people who had tried yoga, Buddhist practice and various new age expressions of faith before pitching up here. I still encounter them but now I find myself meeting people who arrive having tried to find a thoughtful way of living through exploring philosophy but now find themselves looking for something more.
The Horseman of Conversion is surprisingly active these days and has not grown nearly as old and weary as some would suspect.
Trotting next into view is the big, bold Horseman of Assimilation. He’s the one about whom we most rarely speak.
This aspect of Church growth (again not the building up of Christianity but of local expressions of the church) is all about people having been brought up or having encountered other expressions of Christian faith and finding themselves drawn towards a new one.
Here at St Mary’s the Horseman of Assimilation has blessed us with many joys over the years.
When we do our Rough Guide to St Mary’s afternoon, something we do every three or four months, we find that most people who come to it do not have much of a background in Episcopalianism or Anglicanism. We also find that they are astonished to discover that people such as themselves make up the majority of the congregation. And when we tell them that this is also the experience of most of the clergy that they encounter including the Provost and the Vice Provost, they fall off their chairs in amazement. (Well, they teeter on the edge of their chairs in amazement but I exaggerate a little for comedic and holy effect – comedy and holiness being a pair of friends that we may explore more in another post).
People come to us from other churches. They tend to be looking for a relatively small number of things. They are looking for worship that makes them feel more alive and which allows them to experience joy and which will provide a comfort for their sorrows when comfort is needed. A big signifier of that is the musical life of the congregation but it isn’t the only signifier by any means. They are also looking for an open, inclusive and welcoming ethos. Here and hereabouts this tends to be signified to them by an explicit acknowledgement of LGBT equality and of women and men having equality of opportunity and practice in the congregation and in our denomination. They are also looking for a faith that is neither represented by finger-wagging nor an anything-goes free for all. In some things we are in the middle of the road and in others we are very much on one side of the road and not the other. And people know what they are looking for. If they don’t find what they are looking for here, I’m very happy to help them find it elsewhere. There will be plenty more people in this world who are looking for what happens here.
The Horseman of Assimilation is nudging people our way all the time. But we don’t talk about it much and in my denomination we are a little afraid of making it clear that those who have first encountered God in other churches are welcome to bide with us whenever they want to walk through the door.
The Horseman of Assimilation may find his work easier to do now that ecumenism is changing from the expectations of the 1970s to something fresh and new. In the past it was harder to keep company with this horseman because lots of people thought that denominational boundaries and distinctions were going to melt inevitably away leaving some kind of new uniting church that would hold everyone together. This hasn’t happened and the expectation that it will is on our rear horizon not the one that is in front of us.
And so finally we come to the Horseman of Procreation.
We can grow the church by having children and bringing them up in such a way that they find faith compelling in later life. This is not a short term strategy for growth!
Many of our expectations about growth depend on this Horseman. Many of these expectations will not be met in our lifetime.
I found myself looking around at the General Synod and wondering how many of those present would be able to engage meaningfully with embracing this Horseman of Growth as the major driving force behind real growth in the congregations that they come from. I have a feeling that the Horseman of Procreation has his work cut out amongst us at this time. Contraception has made his work a little harder. Modern ways of being men, women and other people have made his life a little more complicated. But he’s still at work. Children are still born. Children are still baptised. And in churches which draw them into active participation in the liturgical life of the congregation, children are part of God’s bountiful growth.
So there we are. Four Horsemen of Growth whom we should befriend, as they befriend and help one another. If I’ve missed any other means of growth out, I’d be interested to hear about it.
And when we talk about becoming a growing church again, though some of them may seem to be in the distance, I’d like us to be talking about which of the Horsemen of Growth we see galloping enthusiastically towards us.
37 responses to “Keeping the faith”
It was an inspiring recitation. Following the English translation in the service sheet provided added insight to the life of Mary. All the more so as the cathedral is dedicated to St Mary. You are reminded of Mary every time you walk into the building with the Gwyneth Leech mural over the High Altar.
Kelvin is quite right. The very self-righteous defenders of the Bible (including the ones who trolled a brave young Muslim woman, for days, with the most vile language, and those who did not reprimand them) totally ignored the Biblical instructions for raising concerns with a brother in faith (Matthew 18:15; 2 Tim 23). Very practical instruction too! As anyone who has ever lived in community can verify. Could all these obsessive men *please* stop trying to divide our communities in Glasgow. We will not be divided. At the first sign of trouble we rush out to embrace one another. These abusers have much to repent of, even if *just* standing by while others throw stones.
I HATE it when the wrong tune is picked for a hymn … it is simply an abomination before God.
However, helping people to think about how we share hospitality, welcome and learn from each other is the WAY of God! Blessings on you Kelvin.
Some reasons why this time was different:
1. The other quaran recitations you mentioned happened at Nine Lessons and Carols, or special ecuminical and interfaith events. While 9L&C was originally a modified Evensong, nowadays it’s usually considered a seasonal community musical recitial with a religious tinge, so having a Muslim from the community recite something from their faith would seem natural enough. Civic and interfaith services will likewise naturally include representatives of every faith in the community. By contrast the Eucharist is the central act of Christian worship and people expect to hear ONLY Christian doctrine proclaimed in the Holy Eucharist. In other words, this was the wrong venue for showing hospitality to Muslim neighbors. You did not intend to practice syncretism, but I think the outcome was syncretic despite your good intentions.
2. Post Brexit (and post Trump) British Muslims are now seen as alien invaders rather than fellow members of the community.
3. Because hostility to Muslims is now fashionable, the Express and rest of the gutter press decided that this was a story worth reporting. Since conservative Americans often read the online editions of the British gutter press, the story then went global.
4. Because you are gay and out, your every action is scrutinized for any possible hint of heresy by GAFCON and Co.
Of all these reasons, only reason #1 is a legitimate criticism, but I hope you do think about criticism #1 as well as defending yourself from other, illegitimate criticisms.
Thank you for your comment Whit J – all the more because it is a thoughtful criticism.
I’ve plenty to reflect on about the how and the when we do things like that and I do hear loudly and clearly that many people think this was an inappropriate context. Though of course, I’d be bound to say that some are saying that the Eucharist is precisely the place indeed there are some saying that is what it is for.
I’m not going to get into a back and forth with all the comments on this post and I’m deliberately not letting through things that have already been said but be assured that I’ve heard the criticism and will reflect on it not simply now but over coming months. (I’ve learned a lot about where God is this week that will take a long time to process). I’m grateful for the way you’ve made your point.
I think there is a good deal in what Whit J says, although I am not sure the effect actually was syncretic. I think one does perhaps have to be a regular worshipper at St Mary’s to understand how totally orthodox the worship there is, and how much Jesus is the focus of worship – how utterly unlikely it is that anyone there would make the mistake of thinking he was not revered by the congregation as a whole as very God from very God. It would be impossible for them not to realise that all the clergy there rejoice in this belief. The congregation saw the words of the Qu’ran in an English translation which portrayed that book’s far-from-easy-to-follow account of Islam’s view of the conception of Jesus, in which there was nothing offensive, and heard a very beautiful voice singing in a strange and glorious language. These were clearly indicated to be the beliefs of another faith. We certainly neither saw or heard or understood any insult to the person of Christ. I am sure none was intended, either. Whereas, and this bears repeating, I am totally sure that many of those commenting (not of course by any means all of them, and nobody whose comments are published here) simply wish harm to relationships between the great faiths in Glasgow.
I have spent my whole adult life in dialogue with people of other religious traditions, it has been deeply rewarding. However I feel that what happened at this service was profoundly wrong. When we are truly ourselves we allow other people to be profoundly themselves. The truth of Christianity is not compatible with any other religion. To avoid that incompatibility is to avoid reality. Worship of Jesus is the fountain of our faith the Qu’ran is opposed to that. I love Jesus and therefore cannot conceive of reading the Qu’ran in an act of worship – no problem doing so in other contexts but not in worship. I am profoundly disturbed that you cannot see this Kelvin.
There are so many things aren’t there, not just around this issue which we hold dear in faith and which we can’t see from another perspective?
I can hear and see that people are upset by this and clearly there are many people not upset by it too. And obviously, at least I hope obviously, I love Jesus too.
The trouble with religious questions and the questions that religious people have I think is that so often that our love for our faith can make it impossible to comprehend others who also claim to love the same faith but who take different views about things. We can hear them claim that love but be intellectually unable to process it because it leads them to different conclusions.
I’ve found the same thing to be true in the sexuality debates very frequently though I perceive that to be changing sometimes now. Similarly with other identity issues and some political issues. Israel/Palestine conversations for example often seem to be conducted (when they are conducted at all) by people who seem to behave like ships passing in the night.
I happen to have views about Church Schools which are pretty intransigent and negative. You are one of the few people, no the only person, who ever made me really think there might be a point of view about them other than mine which might have an integrity I could respect. And I’m very grateful for that.
Kelvin, thank you for your reply. I have enormous respect for you. I have no doubt that church schools can be argued against from perfectly respectable positions. Worship of Jesus is simply a different order, it cannot include a reading from the Qu’ran. Worship is one thing, study, dialogue, relationship something else.
I am really grateful to Richard for the phrase “When we are truly ourselves we allow other people to be profoundly themselves” which reflects my experience of interfacing with sincere people of other faiths. Is a Christian Eucharist a place this should happen? I can understand some Christians feeling it is not, but as long as everything was clearly labelled as what it was and the integrity of the liturgy was intact, I can also understand some feeling it is.
Brother Kelvin,
Although I do not agree with allowing the Koran to be read in our Christian churches, I truly appreciated your firm and resolute stand for the deity of Jesus. He is our great God and Savior and I love Him very much. Blessings from Tennessee.
Just as a perhaps amusing point of reference, the 1982 hymnal of the Episcopal church in the USA has “Brightest and best of the STARS” (caps mine) “of the morning,” apparently so as to avoid offending any daughters who might be present, and the two tunes included are “Morning Star” by James Proctor Harding (1850-1911) and “Star in the East” from The Southern Harmony (1835). The Harding tune was also in the 1940 Hymnal, wherein the word “sons” was still used.
I am not clear as to whether the hospitality at St Mary’s anticipates infinite extension of parallel lines between Islam and the Church in Glasgow. Are you planning some opportunities for Glasgow Muslims to understand the Christian faith and prepare for Baptism and the glorious liberty of regeneration by the Holy Spirit? (In whichever order; no axe about that!) As you move around the Glasgow community and meet more Christians of Islamic background, why not invite such to participate in groups for new Muslim enquirers? The testimony of an ex-Muslim can express vibrantly “How I know He lives” (as your SA brethren would sing). You might find not only new hearts from a divine work of grace among your Muslim neighbours but in other neighbours too. Amen. Inshallah!
There are a small number of people in St Mary’s who are converts from Islam to Christianity just as there are a small number of people in local mosques who are converts from Christianity to Islam.
St Mary’s regularly puts on events and courses for people discovering and exploring Christianity. Most living religions do the same thing.