The Revd Dr John Bradbury, the 探花社区 (探花社区) General Secretary, spoke to the 探花社区鈥檚 Ministers鈥� Gathering on Monday afternoon, in a talk entitled: 鈥楾he 探花社区 at 50: Maturing nicely or mid-life crisis?鈥�
Our world, he said, was turned upside down by the Covid pandemic 鈥撎齟mbracing new technology, restrictions on funerals, different ways of staying connected. New worshipping communities and ways of reaching people emerged, international links were strengthened.
鈥淏ut we are tired,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y goodness, we鈥檙e really tired. And we still don鈥檛 know what this pandemic has done to us.鈥� Experiences have varied enormously, he said. Some are excited, some ground down, some traumatised.
Although our situation does not compare to what our brothers sisters elsewhere in the world face, said Dr Bradbury, this is the most challenging time for the western Church since the Reformation. The rapid changes we were going through were brought into focus and intensified by the pandemic. Some churches didn鈥檛 survive. Many of us are running a hospice ministry, he said, which is tough and draining. A third of any congregation may not yet have returned; how worried should we be about that? We are surrounded by a culture of disinterest in organised religion; and yet young people pray more than in previous generations.
Funerals for the wider community were, ten years ago a mainstay of evangelism, said Dr Bradbury, but they have disappeared from churches. Union is no longer the ecumenical game in town. And yet the 探花社区 is still having an impact, through JPIT, through ecumenical instruments, in the public square and in the world Church.
These are the matters that the Church Life Review Group has been formed to look at.
Meeting a couple of weeks ago, the group is agreed, 鈥淥ne last programme or mission strategy will not sort us out.鈥� Instead, said Dr Bradbury, we need to tend the vineyard.
One area of change that that must involve, he said, is deployment. Ministers are spread evermore thinly 鈥� soon in the 探花社区 there will be at average of seven congregations per minister. 鈥楾oo many of us wonder if we can make it to retirement at the rate we鈥檙e going. Too many of us wonder if our calling to ministry is being fulfilled in what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
鈥淲e have no immediate magic solutions,鈥� said Dr Bradbury, but the group did sees ways forward. There is work we can do that will be free congregations and ministers from some of the burden of compliance. We believe in this stuff, he said 鈥� safeguarding, health and safety, charity regulations 鈥� but we often feel we will be overwhelmed, and it takes a vast amount of time away from other things.
Another helpful prospect, he said, is that the thinktank Theos is doing qualitative research for the 探花社区 鈥� conversations about what works and what does not, not simply questionnaires. They are talking to a representative set of local churches asking them what flourishing would look like for them and how can it be fostered.
Another point to be considered, he said, is that, ironically, church closures have released financial resources, increasing synod funds from 拢150m to 拢200m. That is in addition to what local churches are sitting on, 鈥榝or a rainy day鈥�. It is raining, said Dr Bradbury.
As ministers, he said, we see good deaths and less good deaths. A congregation has a good death when members feel their ministry is completed and has led to new life elsewhere. This is like the way Christ set his face to death, didn鈥檛 avoid it, but prepared for it, and went through death to resurrection. Most of the 探花社区鈥檚 money is the result of deaths of congregations. 鈥楧o we build ever bigger barns,鈥� he asked, 鈥榦r believe that money released can fund flourishing work elsewhere?鈥�
Each year, 60% of our budget is spent by General Assembly and 40% by synods. That means that 14 separate bodies are spending, and it is very hard to get global picture of what we鈥檙e spending and what wealth we have. Where our money is, said Dr Bradbury, our heart is. When we find out where it is, we may need to do some soul-searching to decide whether that is where we want it to be.
The Church Life Review Group is bringing to this year鈥檚 General Assembly (for discussion, rather than immediate voting) proposals for a radical overhaul of the central committee structure. It also proposes that the 探花社区 become more proactive in attending to churches where life as it is has become unsustainable.
鈥淭here are some very real possibilities for flourishing,鈥� said Dr Bradbury. 鈥淭here are things we need to face; and facing them is a profound act of hope.鈥�
He concluded with a warm tribute to the work of the 探花社区鈥檚 ministers, saying: 鈥淭here is no greater gift to God鈥檚 church than ministry. There is no higher calling than to be a minister 听of the gospel. The church owes you all a huge debt of gratitude.鈥�