The Future Has Arrived

I spent more than two weeks visiting Cooperating Ventures and denominational leaders in the Lower North Island. I enjoyed it. I hope the people I visited benefitted also.

Only a small proportion of the churches I visited were led by paid clergy. Most were small, aging, volunteer-led congregations. Overall, they were positive and engaged and they were a joy to meet with. They all faced challenges yet seemed open to new ways of being and doing.

Historically, the biggest challenge has been sustaining paid presbyteral ministry. For many of these congregations that ship has long sailed. Covid, with its carnage, has provided the church with opportunities to face the future with resources many would never have dreamt of mastering. Lockdowns forced us to learn to use basic technology to allow us to provide worship experiences at minimal cost. We have discovered that nearly everything is available online to provide our people the necessaries for vital encounters with God and one another. A bit like cup-a-soup where all one needs is to add hot water and stir, so in gathering and making sure that the bits they do are meaningful and community building, life-giving worship can be readily achievable.

A colleague informed me that the New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church has 170 small rural congregations serviced by four full-time presbyters. Whether true or not it’s a great story and lays before us the future that most of our mainline churches face, if not in the immediate future, then not far away.

Over the past couple of decades the Methodist Church has consistently assessed ‘viability’ according to passion, vision and energy, not according to numbers. This is admirable. It allows congregations to take responsibility for their own life, knowing they will be supported - until they decide it’s time to ‘throw in the towel’. My hope is that UCANZ will continue to support this approach. A small and vital Christian witness can be like seasoning that gives a special flavour to all else that happens in the hosting community.