The Lead provided a link to this interesting post on the blog of Thomas Brackett. He speaks of how examining the past is easier than grasping the gravity of the present moment. Brackett applies this to his experience of conversations about the lack of health found in the Church of England. This is my description, not his. His point is that the exclusion of younger people in leadership 20 years ago is part of the sad state of the C of E now.
Growth and health are not accidents. Growth and health are gifts of the Spirit. We can accept the Spirit’s offer or decline it. Too often we reject. We are too comfortable or too afraid to accept the new life offered us.
What if parishes were communities of exploration and experimentation? What if we shed tired programs that feel like burdens and tried new approaches? What if we were to encourage new people in the community to make suggestions rooted in fresh vision and experience? What if we were prepared to share what God is doing in our lives and why Church matters to us? What if we were to recognize the few things we can do well and do them? What if we were to become serious about worship? What if we were to become intentional about the formation of the next generation of leaders?
These questions and more will determine the state of the Church, we enjoy, as we look back to this moment.
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2 comments:
Chris,
Thanks for linking to this post. As you know, language is so important in these conversations. The use of the word, "Parish" hooks us back into the Roman (Empire) DNA of the word. It invites some anachronistic references to the "Gathered" and all so easily sucks us back into the age old concerns about attracting new members for the sake of preserving the institution.
What if we move to greater intentionality about the words we use to speak of communities of faith?
Thanks again for posting this!
Tom
Cute Tom. :)
Thx!
Chris+
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