rural mission - celtic methods

A typical small settlement Now ► Nine households ► 20 people ► Land ownership shared ► Manor house divided, plus small plush dwellings ► Commuters, professionals and self-employed ► Variety of world views and aspirations 100 Years Ago ► Five households ► 14 people ► One landowner ► Manor house, plus small simple dwellings ► Worked locally, skilled crafts and labourers ► Shared Christian world view

Welcome to missiondom ► Christendom has gone  No longer a wholly Christianised society ► Ongoing cultural shift  No simple return to ‘pagandom’ ► Living in a twilight zone  A mix of pagan, agnostic, theistic and Christian world views  Waiting for a clear post-Christian world to appear

The Church in missiondom ►W►W►W►We retain the trappings of Christendom ►2►2►2►216 Anglican church buildings in Shropshire ►P►P►P►Parishes cover every inch of the county We are present for people everywhere  It’s all ours: power and ownership ►T►T►T►The church continues to own the people BBBBut the people have disowned the church

Two mission principles ►P►P►P►Pilgrim Principle GGGGod’s distinctive people TTTTravelling through the world ►I►I►I►In the world but not ‘of’ it ►I►I►I►Indigenising Principle EEEEngaging with the world, understanding its culture ‘‘‘‘You can’t go and tell until you’ve been and listened.’ ‘‘‘‘Listen to the patient, she is telling you the diagnosis.’ ►N►N►N►No longer enough just to know what we believe

Two examples of listening mission ►J►J►J►Jesus – on the Emmaus Road LLLListened to the disciples AAAAsked them questions BBBBefore he explained the scriptures ►P►P►P►Paul – in Athens QQQQuoted from their poets UUUUsed their belief in an ‘unknown god’ HHHHe was ‘culturally relevant’

Time to change church? ►T►T►T►The church has changed throughout history ►I►I►I►It is Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and for ever… ►‘►‘►‘►‘As the Father sent me, so I send you.’ WWWWe are called to be incarnational ►A►A►A►As Jesus was ►T►T►T►The traditional parish system IIIIs it time to ‘morph’ it?

The countryside is… Getting older Becoming unaffordabl e Losing access to services Changing employment Ruled by consumers Less about farming

Addressing the hidden pain ►T►T►T►Traditional residents LLLLost a way of life LLLLiving in relative poverty WWWWant the countryside to develop ►I►I►I►Incomers CCCCommuters, not community DDDDesperately seeking ‘Eden’ WWWWant the countryside to stay the same ►T►T►T►Tension between them PPPPlace of work ►‘►‘►‘►‘We want our way of life back.’ PPPPlace of play ►‘►‘►‘►‘We don’t want mud on the roads…’

Role of the rural church? ► Incarnational ► Unifying ► Open-doored ► Celebratory ► Light on structures ► Buildings taken seriously ► Culture of nurture and growth ► Spiritually growing people  promoting spiritual life and a relationship with God

What village people want ► LSE study on human happiness ► stable relationships ► stable communities ► safe communities  Christian faith has important things to say about these things ► ‘Recovering a profound sense of community is one of the major tasks of mission anywhere.’ ► Michael Langrish, 2004

What village people want ► Five most valued facilities? 1. Pub 2. Village hall 3. Local shop 4. Primary school 5. Church! The Church is on the list! The Church is on the list!  The Church is low on the list… Where should Christians spend most of their time? spend most of their time?

Mission Communities Can we learn from the Celts? Some distinctive marks: ► monastic communities ► conversational evangelism ► wholehearted dedication

Monastic Communities Formation of strong community A great variety of types of ministry High level of commitment Involvement in the local community Ministry of presence and availability - relational Constant ministry of hospitality

I sense that the renewal of both the Church and Society will come through the re-emerging of forms of Christian community that are homes of generous hospitality, places of challenging reconciliation and centres of attentiveness to the living God. Brother Samuel SSF Mission and Community BFBS 98 Monastic life may seem utterly out of tune with the spirit of our times, yet if we are entering another Dark Age, it may be to the wisdom of such a way the Church of today needs to turn … A re-monking of the Church ?

‘The only hermeneutic of the gospel is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.’ Lesslie Newbigin (Gospel in a Pluralist Society)

Churches are meant to be places where people can begin to understand to understand and feel and feel and experience and experience what a community might look like that really lived in Jesus’ kingdom. that really lived in Jesus’ kingdom. Graham Tomlin (Provocative Church)

Conversational evangelists Aidan ► working in a context similar to today – pagan and lapsed ► Started small ► walked the lanes of Northumbria ► listened and spoke to people about faith ► Confidence in God’s ‘prevenient’ spirit ► a positive attitude towards people ► followed up contacts

Wholehearted dedication ► prayerful ► simple lifestyle ► Compassion for the poor ► Servant attitude

rural church of the future? ► …rediscovering our apostolic roots: ► Small, but powerful full of creativity ► Passionately committed engaged with the culture ► Based around relationships unburdened by buildings ► Minimally structured a place of refuge ► Lightly led unafraid of emotions ► Connected with life missionary by default ► Holistic in outlook (Nick Page) (Nick Page)