BuildingBridges

[42.1] FUTURE SHAPES OF CHURCH CONFERENCE

The Revd Terry Tennens, coordinator of BBH, recently spoke at an important Cliff College conference exploring the future shape of the Church.

130 delegates had gathered, largely Methodist, with a scattering of Anglicans, Baptists and Reformed (URC) Christians. The Revd Dr Martyn Akins, Director of Postgraduate Studies at Cliff College spoke about the future shape consisting of the following:

*The future will see a variety of Shapes with permission by denominations to explore
*Increasingly a horizontal hierarchy of governance with increased participation and ownership, with a different laity and clergy
*A church with a servant heart, not simply offering a service
*People more than property
*Faithful risk-taking.

Peter Phillips, Dean of Studies at Cliff, led a session on the physical shapes of the church, with an illustrated talk on actual shapes of church buildings. Exploring the from the synagogue of first century Jerusalem to household churches to basilica to Canterbury cathedral.

Peter explored recent shapes from megachurches, to cell church to seeker church. He suggested the hallmarks of a future church will be:

*Community shaped
*Use of both historic buildings and new community orientated buildings
*With the re-emergence of the Household church

The Revd George Lings, Director of the Sheffield Centre (Church Army), spoke of the value changes over the next fifty years. He led us in a tour that included:

*A shift from uniformity to diversity, ranges of sizes, models and philosophies, to venues and days of meetings
*Developing a living coporate spirituality with the Trinity as the model of a loving community
*As Christians become the exiled community in Britain and Ireland, so the church offers an attractive alternative society
*From territorial based shapes to people networks, so doing church from where they sleep to how they live
*Apostolic mission, from everywhere to everywhere which will mean cross-cultural skills and Christians will be crucial
*Church life and growth will be both attractive and messy
*The redundant churches will be allowed to die and central denominations downsizing, challenges of lay presidency at communion will arise and fresh Christian expressions of community emerge.

Nick Spencer from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity spoke about a piece of research of current beliefs in Britain called "Beyond Belief" which he conducted in late 2002. (See www.licc.org.uk)

He highlighted the barriers to belief, these were broadly put in categories:

>Cultural barriers: a healthy hatred of insitutions and consumerist spiritualities
>Personal barriers: gueralla morality, so try a pin down what they do believe, goodness in no longer the domain of religion and the god of tolerance which becomes intolerant
>Intellectual barriers: from the Bible, to science, to suffering, multi-faith questions "well who is right?"

Nick also suggested that bridges to belief do exist with

*The desire to believe
*A sense of the numinous
*Immortality of the soul

But this will be tempered by a pick'n'mix culture.

The churches focus on engageing with myth busting, action-orientated discipleship, providing oasis, sacred space and a recovery of confidence in being the church for the world with a clear message.

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