From Stratford-on-Avon we've driven to Telford for a couple of days to visit Mark Berry and the SafeSpace community. We're staying a Madely House, a 16th century house turned into a hotel. Amazing building and fairly cheap. Apparently its haunted...
On the way we stopped at Ironbridge, the site of the first iron bridge in the world, built in the mid-1700s. This area was the production heart of the Industrial Revolution apparently (doh - it's near Birmingham...)
In the evening we had dinner with Mark Berry and heard some of his story. Mark has a background in youth work, among other things, He was asked to start a new faith community here in Telford, which is a newish, growing community - lots of younger families. Rather than starting a congregation as such, he is birthing a small missional community. The aim is not numerical growth, although that is not avoided, but rather building around the DNA of community, pilgrimage and mission.
Mark has made contact with the local football club to offer to help them achieve their mission, which is very community-oriented. He assists in a range of ways and spends his Saturdays there. Mark's wife conducts nature walks with a spiritual dimensions. These are'nt advertised, rather the hope is that people are invited by word of mouth.
The community is a rather mixed group of about a dozen, who meet weekly for a meal,communion, conversation and to share their pilgrimage. Mark sees table hospitality as central to community. The community also take seriously spiritual practices. People have come to the community by various means and cover a wide age range. The group meet in the Berry's home, which is church-owned. Mark is paid by the church as a missional iniative.
This morning we went looking around in smaller groups, and my carload visited the ruins of Buildwas Abbey and Wenlock Priory. Both of these are quite remarkable ruins, giving a sense of size and scope to monastic and church life in Norman times. It's one thing to study church history, but to be here and see the ruins alongside the floor plans of the original buildings was quite a significant learning experience for me.
Then a look around Telford to get a sense of the city, before spending the evening with the SafeSpace community. The 14 of us outnumbered them 2 to 1, and it was rather cramped. They offered us wonderful hospitality and we spent the evening talking informally with various members of the community. Back at the hotel some of us debriefed for a while.
I wonder how much effort the church should put into supporting and transforming congregations (which largely tend to sink or swim regardless of the assistance they receive) and how much into new faith communities. To put it another way - the challenge to congregations is the demise of modernity and Christendom, and we are spectacularly unsuccessful in trying to solve that. We would be better to put energy into authentic responses/expressions for tomorrow, since it's always easier to start something new than to get an ocean liner to change course...
I am quite in favour of a proliferation of base ecclesial communities, with those communities having their own local flavour and style. I agree with those who predict that the church of the future will consist of a few large congregations, who will largely exist as their own 'denominations' (as is the case now...) and many smaller communities.
I am coming to the view that the church needs to invest MUCH more heavily in sponsoring new communities. Of course, there is a limit to how many people like Mark any denomination could sponsor - a small faith community' approach can't rely on full-time workers, it must rely largely on part-time or 'volunteer' leaders. The important things is that this is not about 'models' - there is already enough evidence of models. It is about philosophy and approach - the fostering of new faith communities by one or two missional leaders is highly relational and contextual (as distinct from the Seaford-type "church clone"). We need those kinds of people, not a range of 'models'.
How do we form the Mark Berry's of this world? I have no doubt that it is important that Mark comes from a youth work background, since that breeds (i) contextualisation skills, (ii) communication and relationship abilities, (iii) ability to engage with community and culture beyond the church, and (iv) willingness to takes risks and cross boundaries. I'm also clear that if the church had told Mark to get ordained first, he would not have agreed and he would not now be here.
Whether it is called "leadership" or something else, investing in people who will make a difference seems important to me.
I'm be interested to send our new Synod leadership 'curriculum' to Mark for comment. I'm fairly convinced that we are too heavily focused on "church leadership as we know it" and that a greater emphasis on field placements will reinforce that. At the same time, I can imagine that an apprenticeship approach with someone like Mark as coach/mentor could be a significant forming experience.
We kept talking last night about the possible domestication of new initiatives. That's only a problem if you have some to start with!!
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