It's a revelation!

My evolving plea and vision has moved on from an observation of the reality in changes in social relationship with their leadership that faith communities face when bunched together in larger groups. From the observation of the changes that occur in the dynamics of relationship I have moved on to reconsidering how local community based church communities can find within their historic faith tradition new ways of understanding themselves as a body of believers in their local context.

Gathered churches, where members come from a wide area because they share a love of the style or practice of a particular faith community will still share some of these facets, but will struggle in the area of relating to the wider community in proportion to the degree of their gathered nature. That is if everyone travels many miles to a central meeting point and nobody lives near that meeting point then connection with the local area will be difficult as everyone in the faith community is a stranger to the local community. It follows that a gathered faith community that has some deep roots locally will fare much better in making such local connection. The outworking of gathered church communities, their contribution to the spiritual ecosystem, while supporting a tradition and encouraging members will function differently to a locally embedded faith community, that tends to look to its local area as the place to expend its energy.

There have been many excellent projects and initiatives for assisting churches to grow. Some focus on technique, of doing a new thing, others work on the basis of analysis of the health of the local church. The great puzzle for many of us in leadership is why, when we and those who are along with us press "all the right buttons" will a scheme or project that works so well in one place not work in a seemingly similar place down the road. Most leaders experience this. Or similarly an approach or strategy that has worked well, being a source of blessing and encouragement one season stutters and stalls in the next.

One size does not fit all: context sensitive mission can hatch great rewards.

The human relations approach that I have been advocating goes some way to explaining this. Any plan or strategy, any new initiative will only take off and gain momentum if it has a reliable chain of transmission. This chain is made up of the links of human contact by which encouragement, hospitality and incorporation are transmitted from the heart of the community through people in who have the trust of those on the fringe to draw them into an experience of community life that will hopefully lead to a deeper relationship with the church. The "Alpha" course for example works at the introductory stage in this way. If your friend liked it and was enthused, then you yourself are more likely to want to give it a try.

This human element in the flourishing of a local faith community is a subtle chemistry. No matter how good the course or process or community project, if will stand on the strength of the degree of connection between community members. If one person changes role it can the a whole process into disfunction, if the rest of the team involved are not well enough connected to reknit the intimacy of connection within the chain of transmission.

This fragility, often overlooked is very evident in small faith communities. Quite simply there are fewer strands to knit together. This could be viewed as a weakness, but it is also a strength. Small communities, rather like small businesses have a need to work together for their survival and security of continuance. Small in this case is beautiful! Although small church communities can struggle to rise to the challenge of national or regional/diocesan initiatives in a uniform manner, they are able to come up with innovative local solutions unique to their context. This ability is to be highly prized.

So how can thinking about how the leadership relates to their varied and diverse church communities and about the internal relationships of those in those individual communities help us?

TWO ESSENTIAL THINGS

Two things come to mind:

1. Self understanding is always good; "the truth shall set you free" he said. By understanding that the local faith community is in effect a religious community, bound together by a the simple support of a common pattern of life and shared ethic, the local community gains in its sense of being representative of Christ's body in their unique setting. Great or small, it gives the local church a renewed dignity within the sweep of the Christian story at a time when an inherited understanding is dissolving before their very eyes.

Unexpressed questioning about being "a proper church" because the vicar/minister lives ten miles away (or fifty or more in Canada for example!) and is shared between half a dozen other communities can by this means be settled in people's minds and hearts. It is OK to live in this new age, the local can still be "owned" through identity with the communal rather than a figure-head element. There is no going back to how it was forty or fifty years ago. The world has changed and although human beings are still the same underneath, the way faith, its heart and its outworking, is transmitted has changed dramatically.

For me, as an example, baptised at seven months old, the faith journey took a great leap forward when the man in black (the village Rector/sole minister) arrived at our garden gate one day during the school holidays. I remember him going into the house with my Mum, presumably for the ritual cup of tea. I was about seven years old at the time. The next thing I knew, after he had peddled up the road to my friend's house for the same ritual is that the church Sunday School and Choir had a handful of new members, self included! That was the way things worked in the 1960's. Not so now and local churches will only flourish if they can play tom their strengths in a 21st Century context, very different from that of the mid-20thC.

2. Leadership, understanding the social dynamics of the situation can also be freed from the anxiety of fulfilling traditional roles in a social situation that is beyond their physical and psychological limits. Time, energy and mental "head space" thus released can be put into service of helping the local communities gain in self understanding and helping often fledgling self supporting community life to begin to gain in confidence and to thrive.

This change in role, for which preparation is patchy both for those in leadership and for those they will be working and praying alongside in the local communities has been recognised from the time of the Church of England's "Tiller Report" of the early 1980's. In the report, looking at how ministry could be resourced in the years ahead the role of the leader of many church/faith communities was seen as a key issue to be addressed. At a meeting of a local clergy "fraternal" to celebrate 25 years of the reports publication a few years ago John Tiller, now retired reiterated that this role is still not properly understood, defined and supported.

A NEW REVELATION

Getting these two things right we need a new understanding of what a healthy faith community looks like, without a full time resident minister and an understanding of the role of overseer. Both these factors in he church of the 21st Century need to be shaped and informed by the way in which human beings connect with each other in communities with intimacy and sufficient depth to foster belonging and incorporation. If an understanding and pattern of living can be formulated to allow leadership and communities to thrive in a new dynamic balanced and reciprocal relationship I believe their is scope for a renaissance in the spiritual health of the church, both local and national. Communities now in despair or resignation could find new hope and their voice again; a voice in praise of God for the wonderful works he has done.

Small is beautiful. This church serves a pop. of 230 and often has over 100% attendance on Christmas Eve!

More to follow... some exercises to help aid local groups think anew about what it means to be the faithful people of God in their locality and to feel good about it! A bit overdue for a recipe as well...