PART ONE: PREFACE BY THE BISHOP continued
1.2 From Decline to Growth
I believe that God speaks to his Church at a time of crisis. The word crisis does not mean disaster, it means a ‘decisive moment’ or a ‘turning point’ and the financial crisis facing us is just that—it is a moment to be seized as we seek to turn from managing decline into promoting growth. If we do not seize the moment with prayer and action, then we shall face God's judgement, but if we allow God's power to work within us, we shall discover that through us God ‘is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine’.[2]
Bob Jackson, now Archdeacon of Walsall, has led two special Diocesan Conferences to show us where we are in terms of decline and growth. He has also shown us ways in which we can grow—both traditional ways and new ways (often referred to as ‘fresh expressions of church’). I know that both conferences were very well attended and many people went away with enthusiasm and a desire to go for growth.
God wills his church to grow, and he can make it happen—indeed, some of our churches are growing. The church is a living organism and living organisms grow naturally providing they have the conditions they need in order to grow. Jesus used many parables from nature to show that fruitfulness and growth are central to his will for the church and the kingdom. The vinedresser prunes his vines to make them more fruitful, a grain of mustard seed can grow into a mighty tree, and the seed in good soil brings forth a rich harvest. But growth requires the right soil, the right care and the vision of a future harvest.
1.3 The right soil
Spiritual and numerical growth cannot take place unless we are right with God. The fourth gospel uses the expression of ‘abiding in me’. Unless we are abiding in Christ we shall not see growth. Jesus said, ‘Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.’ [3] Growth will not take place without spiritual renewal, so we need to become a more prayerful church, not a busier one. We need to be drawn into the scriptures to hear what God’s word is saying to us today. We need to be real eucharistic communities that are thankful for the saving acts of God in Christ and we need to discern where the Holy Spirit is at work so that we might receive his anointing and empowering for mission.
Our biggest challenge is to create a culture of discipleship where converted people ‘abide in Christ’ and where we seek to deepen our own spiritual lives and long to share this spiritual treasure with others. We cannot introduce others to Jesus unless we first know him ourselves.
Some of the work that the Revd Robin Morrison[4] has been doing with the Area Deans involves getting to know our local landscape so as to be able to recognise mission opportunities.
We can prepare the ground. Only God can give the growth.[5]
1.4 Pruning
Apart from preparing the soil, Jesus makes it clear that pruning is necessary for healthy growth—He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.[6] The financial restraints that we are facing and the reduction in the number of stipendiary clergy should not be seen as simply a cost cutting exercise but as a process of pruning that will release new energy for growth. The difficult part of pruning is not the removal of dead wood—that is easy—but the cutting back of healthy growth in order to produce more fruit and prevent the plant from becoming over-extended.[7]
As I have explained at Deanery Conferences, when we are looking at making cuts across the diocese there is the danger of making cuts in areas where there is potential or signs of growth so, in some cases, I have to make a strategic decision to put in leaders where there is a missionary breakthrough.
As we plan for fewer stipendiary clergy, we have asked deaneries to produce their Deanery Mission Plans. In the future, stipendiary clergy will need to lead Ministry and Mission Teams of non-stipendiary priests and deacons, evangelists, readers, eucharistic assistants, youth leaders and lay pastoral assistants. It is important, however, that such teams are not established solely as a means of filling the gaps created by fewer stipendiary clergy because that will lead to decline. They will need to explore new ventures in mission and church-planting if we are to grow.
1.5 Nurture
Growth takes place when plants are fed and watered and absorb the energy of the sun. Christians grow when they are fed by word and sacrament and have times to absorb God's love and forgiveness. Parishes need to have bible study groups and other groups that encourage discipleship. They should have a ministry of healing and quiet days, pilgrimages and retreats. People need to be encouraged to see that Christian giving is an important part of Christian discipleship and a source of great blessing.[8]
Within our congregations, we need to discover the gifts that God has given to his church. We are all called and we are all gifted but Anglicans have not been good at identifying the gifts of the laity. We have become too clergy-dependent and we use people’s gifts in a limited way, so we need to encourage the accountants and teachers and others with particular skills to share their skills with others so as to build up the body of Christ.[9]
We shall need to foster vocations to both ordained and lay ministries, but vocation often begins by someone planting the seed and asking, ‘Have you ever thought about ordination/becoming a reader?’ Although we are having to reduce the number of our stipendiary clergy over the next eight years, we also need to encourage young, able people to consider the priesthood because our projections show that we shall have a serious shortage of stipendiary clergy after 2020.[10]
Footnotes
2 Ephesians 3:20,21
3 John 15:1-7
4 Church & Society Provincial Officer
5 1 Cor. 3:6
6 John 15:2
7 Towards a Strategy for Growth Diocese of Lichfield. ww.lichfield.anglican.org/documents.htm
8 2 Cor 9:6-8
9 Eph 4:11
10 Whilst we need to reduce the number of posts, we also need to have newly ordained stipendiary priests to (a) fill the available posts and (b) to have a better age spread of clergy.