I borrowed this from Steve Taylor's blog 'emergentkiwi'. I thought it was good and something, especially, for anglicans to think about.
“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less”.
A quote, not by some emerging, missional hipster, but General Eric Shinseki, now President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Chris
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About Me
- Chris McLeod
- Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- I'm a 50 year old Anglican Priest who values family, friends, community and good food and wine; 60's & 70's 'guitar rock' and a bit of 'prog', theology, Australian Rules Football and exploring contemporary ways of being Church.
2 comments:
A reflection on connecT, St Jude's and Australian Soul [Religion and Spirituality in the 21st Century], by Gary Bouma.
This afternoon I have been reading and writing some reflections on a book by Gary Bouma. It says some interesting things about the Australian experience of religion and the changing social tides. While he is clearly not awestruck by what the Churches currently offer, he is optimistic about the future spiritual health of the country. In chapter four, that focuses on the Churches and theologies of rational Vs feeling, Bouma sees good futures in two very different Church models- both of which seem to have something to say to St Jude’s.
The first is the move toward the house-churches and smaller gatherings in informal spaces. I have seen some of what happens at 'connecT' in this model- with some genuine synchronicity with first century expressions of Christian community and worship . Bouma sees this in part with a new model of D.I.Y. God.
The second model (that Bouma less champions, so much as affirms it’s success) is the Catholic parish model of working in with Schools. Bouma says this link between Church and nearby school helps to weather the cultural storms of mobilisation and changing compositions of the suburbs. St Jude’s is linking with the nearby School and reaching out into the community. I have not fully thought through all the implications in his work for the St Jude’s situation- but I found it cheering that somebody who is ostensibly reviling against hierarchy and institution of Church sees growth and prosperity in two possible vehicles that are both accessible to us.
Thanks Sophie for your reflection. I have read a little of Gary Bouma and he is a good observer, but obvioulsy coming from a 'sociological' perpspective. The thing about models of church, I think, is that they need to remain flexible to be culturally relevant. Providing, they serve Jesus they can be adaptable. We can pick them up and lay them down again. Building and serving community (in Christ) is the guiding principle. Bouma's models may not need be mutually exclusive but, both, can be responses to the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world.
Chris
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