Mission Shaped Church

Rt Revd Graham Cray

- 8 minutes read - 1660 words

Mission shaped church

Chapter 1:

post-Christendom

Much of Britain’s self-understanding comes from centuries of Christian faith, but many in Britain now have minimal knpowledge of the Christian faith. Mission shaped church start of post-Christendom section

  • drop from 55 to 4% Sunday school atendence in 20th century.

  • multi-culturalism reinforces consumerism in faith—​whatever 'works' for you.

  • citation 59 no dormant faith to revive, second of third generation pagans.

  • a 'diametrically different' approach emerging from 'come' to 'go'

from 'where?' to 'how?'

Anglicanism has followed Jesus model of meeting people where they are. Perhaps how they are is more appropriate in a society not so much defined by geography (parishes).

Diversity of fresh expressions: - from cell groups to confrerences - relational evangelism to various social engagement - different days and different places

The challenge is to form communities that facilitate encounter with God and God’s people.

a moment of opportunity and the gift of repentance

the new shape of Western society will likely endure: all live in a number of different worlds. Need repentance of failing to evolve fast enough for society.

some questions for discussion

  • Day: does it have to be Sunday? What factors affect attendance?

  • What changes to way of life for local communities over 20-30 year timeframe?

  • List groups in local area, which should church be engaged with?

  • What is experience of people treating church as another consumer good? How to challenge?

  • What forms of repentence may help?

Chapter 2: the story since Breaking New Ground

  • 1978: church planting unknown in England

  • Area Family Services originated in Chester-le-Street

  • Bible Society introduced 'growth thinking'

  • expansion through the 80s

church planting heydays?

Private event at HTB expanded to annual open event on planting. 40 plants per year in 1990. 25% crossed parish boundaries, usually but not always, with agreement.

what did Breaking New Ground (1994) say?

  • Church planting is legitimate and need not erode the parish system.

  • A 'supplement' to traditional work.

parish and network are both valid

Acknowledgement that parish boundaries can be anachronisms in light of population movements (neighbourhoods). Network—​association by social or cultural bond—​is also valid. 'permission-giving, not future-looking'.

life moves on [from 1994]

  • from cross-boundary to non-boundary: fewer church closures mean fewer buildings to adopt

  • wide range of diverse approaches some not even using the words 'church' or 'plant'

  • common themes:

  • church derives self-understanding from missio Dei

  • Trinity models diversity as well as unity

  • creation affirms diversity

  • a diverse world needs a diverse church

  • catholicity does not equal monochrome

  • Election and incarnation reveal God daring to be cuturally specific in diverse contexts.

create don’t clone
starting and developing
maturity matters
death after life

~ 90% of Anglican plants survive.

thinking moves on

what is 'proper' church

Another assumption in 1994 was that plants might be bridges to 'proper' church.

Magnets are useless at attracting non-ferrous objects

plan or discern

Planning is legitimate but no longer primary.

wider church developments

diocesan survey

  • leadership is important, also ongoing training and mentoring

  • Record keeping is patchy but recommended so can capture lessons

planting and the experience of denominations
post-denominational?

  • younger generations are moving from ecumenical to post-denominational.

  • local ecumenical partnerships account for only 9% of plants since 1967, usually in new estates and towns.

  • plants begun with informal ecumenical co-operation has been higher.

is church planting passe?

  • quick fixes such as Alpha may diminish the effort put into deeper and more costly appoaches.

insights from other parts of the world

contributions from other parts of the UK

  • Papers from presbyterian church of scotland and church in Wales

contributions from the worldwide church

conclusion

Breaking New Ground was of its time. Need more radical questions.

Some questions for discussion

  • do we need more and different churches, better churches or both?

  • how did own church start?

  • what are the essentials of church?

  • how might co-operate with diocese?

  • mission diversity needs diverse church: limits? how become diverse? what needed and how to obtain?

Chapter 3: what is church planting?

Church Planting is creating new communities of Christian faith as part of the Mission of God, to express his Kingdom in every geographic and cultural context. - Rev Bob Hopkins, 1991, cited in Mission Shaped Church

Breaking New Ground argues against hybrid noun 'churchplant', creating church, but plant as verb indicates something essentially organic.

What is it? (From Breaking New Ground paragraph 2.2) - conscious evangelistic purpose - transfer of people - known corporate identity and style - formally identified leadership - intended to serve identifiable group, culture or neighbourhood.

The last means cannot know the final form ahead of time. Reference to 1 Corinthians 15 seed planted must die and take the form God intends. Also John 12.23ff. All 21st century mission in the UK should be seen as cross-cultural. A church embarking on planting must confront the idea of 'dying to live'.

Invasions by church congregations that do not engage with, or become changed by, their new context are probably not planted churches – they are church takeovers. Cray, Mission-Shaped Church, (Hymns Ancient & Modern, 2014), the use of the word ‘planting’.

Planting is a process, but unless and until the kingdom and the mission are in the DNA of the seed of the church, what is planted will prove to be sterile. If mission is not located within the identity of church, planting is very unlikely to recover it. Cray, Mission-Shaped Church, (Hymns Ancient & Modern, 2014), however …

Words to describe varieties of 'new' church

  • New forms of church: new form, same church

  • New ways of being church: more radical: discipleship not attendance; both evangelistic and social justice rather than inward looking

  • Emerging church: an evolutionary, Spirit-led process

The Preface to the Declaration of Assent, which Church of England ministers make at their licensing, states ‘The Church of England … professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation.’ Cray, 2014, words to describe varieties of ‘new’ church section, (my emphasis)

'Fresh expressions' covers both renewing existing church and sending out people to a new mission context.

why are church planting and fresh expressions of church important?

Important direction for mission, both theologically and practically.

Being faithful to the Anglican tradition

kingdom is at the core

Lesslie Newbigin says churches are signs and first-fruits but not agents—​that is the work of the Spirit.

  1. several sections defeinding Anglicanism …​

Reviewing the mission task in England

With reference to the 1998 work of Philip Richter and Leslie Francis, 'Gone but not forgotten', the identify these sections of English society that are not followers of other faiths.

  • Regular attenders: Approx. 10% of population attending 5-8 times in two months.

  • Fringe attenders: Approx. 10% 1-3 attendences in two months.

  • Open de-churched: Approx. 20%, were once attenders and are open to return.

    • may have owned their own faith but dropped out, or only had a tangential experience like youth group

    • may have Christians praying for them

    • some may return, potentially in response to today’s forms of 'relational evangelism or pastoral care'.

  • Closed de-churched: Approx. 20%, have attended but no intention to return through damage or disillusion.

    • may have become bored or disillusioned

    • may perceive or experience disagreement or lack of acceptance

    • probably the hardest group to reach

  • Non-churched: 40% never attended church except wedding or funeral

    • alien, uncomfortable, 'people I wouldn’t be seen dead with' (George Lings)

CONCLUSION: Diversity.

They are no longer 'our people'

Not simply awaiting an invitation to come back in.

Different responses are needed

Most evangelism is in the closest 30% (fringe and open de-churched). An 'apostolic church' much face the cross-cultural mission to the non-churched 60%.

There is also a time bomb

Even by the end of the First World War, the majority of children where not in Sunday school.

The Youth Strategy and Children’s Strategies of the Archbishops’ Council will seek to bring new life to the Church’s involvement among children and young people, both through the development of Church schools, and through imaginative approaches to evangelism. Ibid.

The changed missionary situation demands an outward focus: from a 'come to us' approach to a 'we will go to you' attitude. The best examples reassert the identity of the church as mission and help re-establish apostolic identity.

Some questions

Chapter 4: fresh expressions of church

Common traits

  • The importance of small groups (discipling and relational mission).

  • not meet on Sunday morning (response to societal change).

  • For a particular network of people rather than geography.

  • Post-denominational (leadership is often part of a denomination).

  • A connection to one or more resourcing networks (often outside of their area), including Soul Survivor, Holy Trinity Brompton, New Wine, Reform and St Thomas Crookes in Sheffield.

Identified types (with examples):

  • Alternative worship communities

  • Base Ecclesial Communities

  • Café church

  • Cell church

  • Churches arising out of community initiatives (both out of community projects, and the restructuring or refounding of an existing church to serve a community)

  • Multiple and midweek congregations

  • Network-focused churches (churches connecting with specific networks)

  • School-based and school-linked congregations and churches

  • Seeker church

  • Traditional church plants

  • Traditional forms of church inspiring new interest (including new monastic communities)

  • Youth congregations.

Chapter 5: theology for a missionary church

the time has come to ensure that any fresh expressions of church that emerge within the Church of England, or are granted a home within it, are undergirded by an adequate ecclesiology (doctrine of the Church). (Cray, 2014, theology for a missionary church section)o

a summary

Scarcity of buildings is not an Anglican problem.

Chapter 6: some methodologies for a missionary church

Good planting methodology asks three questions, in this order:

  • Who is the mission for? – mission goal questions

  • Who is the mission by? – mission resource questions

  • Who is the mission with? – mission partner questions.

the ‘three self’ principles

Planned progress to self-government is vital.

  • self-propagating

  • self financing (be honest and transparent about subsidy)

  • self-governing

Chapter 7: an enabling framework for a missionary church

Chapter 8: recommendations