Mission Shaped Church Changing times needing a … Presented by The Sheffield Centre Church Army’s Research Unit

Changing Times – the headlines  Sunday has changed  How we relate to others has changed – neighbour and network  Culture is now diverse and church is not central in the mixture  Christian faith is less known  Spirituality is in, Religion is despised  Today we have to start at a different place – and further back

Changing Times – the headlines 1.Sunday has changed Sport leisure / hobbies time to chill out from work shopping visiting wider family split families Other days and times can make what’s on offer less churchy and more accessible

Anglican Churches Meeting Midweek The Todmorden Story

Changing Times – the headlines 1.Sunday has changed 2.How we relate to others has changed – neighbour and network

“A Vision: of Territory Neighbourhood and Network” All these groups of people are our Anglican responsibility a de bc f Parishes a-f- parochial Network X - relational - geographical Neighbourhoods 1 and 2 onetwo X

From neighbourhood to network … In which community do we grow church? Surely not just where Melissa sleeps ! 27 Railway Cuttings Meet Melissa

Network Churches ActonBirmingham BloomsburyBristol DealHuddersfield Loudwater Manchester Nottingham Sandwich ScarboroughSheffield StokeTelford ThanetWestminster

Changing Times – the headlines 1.Sunday has changed 2.How we relate to others has changed – neighbour and network 3.Culture is now diverse and church is not central in the mixture

England has changed – so must we  UK is becoming more diverse – in many ways  to be a Church for the nation is a call to embrace the diversities  Most of the faces we face are cross cultural mission  No one form of church will do

Post-Christendom Shifts – Church From  Centre …….  Majority ….  Settlers …..  Privilege ….  Control ……  Institution..  Complusion..  Temple …. To ?  Margins  Minority  Exiles  Plurality  Comment  Organic  Voluntary  Tabernacle Amended from ideas in Anabaptist Newsletter 2004

Stepping Stones  A precarious story  Crossing to where people are  Not asking them to come to us  Where the Christian story is little known

Changing Times – the headlines 1.Sunday has changed 2.How we relate to others has changed – neighbour and network 3.Culture is now diverse and church is not central in the mixture 4.Christian faith is less known

Is everything still OK ?  72% of English people believe in God  I wonder what sort of God they mean.  The Junior School girl story ….

Faith in Britain: Research from Robin Gill Churchgoers Britain Non church folk BritainNI “I agree that...” 84% 68% 77% 86% 81% 87% 86% 21% 8% 27% 42% 28% 16% 29% 48% 20% 40% 62% 42% 30% 24% There is a God who concerns himself personally with people Life is meaningful to me because God exists Right and wrong is based on God’s laws There is life after death/ heaven There are religious miracles I pray once or more a week Describe myself as religious Gill : Church Going and Christian Ethics CUP 1999: 128

10% ‘Regular’ at church Attend monthly or more 10% ‘Irregular’ at church Attend less than monthly 40%: The De-Churched: Used to come but don’t now. 20% are open to come back 20% are never coming back! 40%: The Non-Churched: Never have come Different Mission Fields : Adults in England Our Evangelism

Non Church & de-church adult attitudes I know God really exists & have no doubts or have doubts and still believe I don’t believe in God nor that there is a way to find out I don’t believe in God and never have The bible is the actual word of God or inspired word of God I never pray I pray at every fortnight Non church As child 40% 27% 6% 32% 41% 13% 19% 54% 40% 13% 70% 6% Child weekly At church Gill : Church going and Christian Ethics p 132

Changing Times – the headlines 1.Sunday has changed 2.How we relate to others has changed – neighbour and network 3.Culture is now diverse and church is not central in the mixture 4.Christian faith is less known 5.Spirituality is in, Religion is despised

Frequency of Report of Religious or Spiritual Experience in Britain –from Hay &Hunt *This includes totals for respondents to two additional questions asked in 1987 about ‘a presence not called God’ (22%) and ‘awareness that all things are One’ (5%), i.e. the total of 76% for the year 2000 is quite likely to be relatively speaking an underestimation Rise A patterning of events Awareness of the presence of God Awareness of prayer being answered Awareness of a sacred presence in nature Awareness of the presence of the dead Awareness of an evil presence Cumulative Total 29% % %

“you have got to be joking” “get a life” ?

Changing Times – the headlines 1.Sunday has changed 2.How we relate to others has changed – neighbour and network 3.Culture is now diverse and church is not central in the mixture 4.Christian faith is less known 5.Spirituality is in, Religion is despised 6.Today we have to find different starting points – and further back

Please note the time bomb MSC pp De-churched: Approx 30% Non-churched: Approx 60% Attending: approx 10% ___ = % Pop Attended <15 yrs ____ = Attended In 1998 The % of people furthest away from living contact with or effective knowledge of the church is growing. Age % Most existing churches are not aware of this, nor shaped to meet it 76% of “converts” come from dechurched

The Big [tidal] Change  “Come” to church is flowing away  “Going” to others is flooding in

Just a few questions…  How do these changes affect your family, your community and your church?  What other changes can you think of which are not mentioned here?  What different cultural and social groups are you aware of? Are there already any members of your church from these groups?