Thanks to Fr Simon for sharing the clip on twitter.
Mar82012
Mar62012
Guest Post: Moving On | The Theory Part 1, The Questions
A couple of months ago I asked Tim if he would like to write a few guest blogs. Never one to shy away from controversy he has started to explore the issue of “what happens when you stop going to the same church”. It is probably best if I hand straight over to him and invite you all to join in the discussion.
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Every once in a while, one of my church-going friends will move away from their current church and (probably) begin attending another somewhere else. And every time, every single time, I hear the same complaints from some of those left behind.
Apparently, anybody not completely satisfied with the way things are at their church is caught up in the morass of a consumer church mentality; anybody attending a church for any length of time has become part of that congregation for better or for worse, ‘til death do them part; anybody who moves away other than for reasons of distance or ‘being sent out’ is ‘scum’ and ‘we’re better off without them’.
All I know is that many of my friends have found themselves unable to carry on attending their current church. I refuse to believe that they’re all flighty flim-flams who turn tail and run at the first sign of difficulty. So, why does the remaining congregation take a huff in such a fashion? Where does this attitude of ‘once you start you can’t stop’ come from? It seems dangerously close to the ‘disfellowshipping’ or some of the practices as reported about Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill establishment.
Does the church have any responsibility to those in its care? Is it wrong for those who feel let down and failed to look elsewhere? Is a congregation automatically better off without those willing to even consider leaving? Are we meant to blindly follow our church leaders because we believe they’ve been put there by God?
In brief: yes, no, not remotely, and no. More detailed answers will be following in the near future…
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So what do you think about the issue of moving church? What are your experiences of people leaving? Why not share them here and see if the discussion bears fruit?
Feb282012
Entertaining Angels
Three years ago I was released from theological college into an unsuspecting world. The bishop placed his hands upon me in the cathedral and my life changed forever.I’d like to tell you that I was instantly transformed into a confident and competent minister at that very moment. The truth of the matter is that I was a very daunted and bewildered young man wondering what the future may hold. What was God thinking sending someone like me? What if I made a complete mess of things? What if I wasn’t on the same page as everyone else?
One of the first things I did in my mew role as a minister was attend a day long meeting in which we were invited to discuss one of the key roles of the church. During that meeting I spoke at some length with an older cleric who listened patiently to my thoughts, views and beliefs about the issues of the day.
Those of you who know me will know that I can be quite animated in my dialogue. It is something that causes me constant internal struggle. It certainly isn’t what the wider world expect of the clergy in The Church of England ™. I recall putting forth my opinions about what I believed to be “the heart of the gospel”. The older cleric said some words that I in my insecurity took to heart;
It is heartwarming to hear you say this. don’t ever lose the passion that you have for the gospel. As the church faces the future we need more people speaking out about where the heart of our faith lies.
I thought no more about it but those words have stuck with me. They offered reassurance as I came to terms with the plastic collar I now found myself wearing. They have enabled me to develop a sense of authenticity about who I am as a person and the priest that I am called to be.
Forgive me for skipping forward three years. This morning I was asked to look something up on the internet. As google pulled up the results I found myself staring into that familiar face of three years ago. The cleric who spoke words of reassurance at the point where I needed to hear them was staring back out of the monitor at me. There was of course a notable difference in the image I was looking at. This cleric was wearing a purple shirt and a pectoral cross, the marks of the office of Bishop.
Be careful when entertaining strangers as you may be entertaining angels unawares.
– Hebrews 13:2
Feb272012
The Wilderness
Sten has come up with a lovely little clip of Jesus in the wilderness using lego. Bravo! Encore!