Monthly Archives: June 2015

Our Changing World

In June and July we are hosting three evenings at St Paul’s under the title “Church – Past Present & Future.” The intention of these evenings is to explore some of the background to the nature of the church in the 21st century and how we as the church need to continue to adapt and change.

This week I’ve been reading Graeme Codrington’s latest book and include some quotes below.

Please put the following dates in your diary and come along:

June 22nd 7.30pm – Growing The Vision
July 6th 7.30pm – Christmas!

Website

The presentation that Ben Mizen shared with us on Generations took much of the inspiration from the work of Graeme Codrington. This week I’ve been reading Graeme’s latest book entitled ‘Leading in a Changing World.’ So far I’m about half way through the book and it makes interesting, and challenging, reading.

Here are some quotes from what I have read so far:

Jack Welch is credited with saying that ‘when the rate of change outside exceeds the rate of change inside, the end is in sight.’

‘The thinking that created the problems we are facing will not generate the solutions we need.’ Albert Einstein

Graeme identifies three fundamental forces that he says are causing deep, structural change in the world today: Technology, Institutions and Societal Values.

Technology has transformed the way in which we do business. Never before has so much information been available to so many, so quickly. In the past, information was powerful in so far as it was guarded.
Today, exactly the opposite is true: information is valuable only as far as it is shared.

When it comes to the institutions in which we work it is apparent that the nature of the beast is changing. Central organizational models, supported by impressive hierarchical structures, chain of command and clearly defined functions are giving way to decentralised models … The values and mechanisms used to keep this status quo well-oiled and functioning are a thing of the past.

We need to consider shifting social values … Generation X and Y’s behaviour, driven by their underpinning values, stands in stark contrast to that of those with whom they share their workspace … A simple example of this difference is the contrasting way in how the different generations approach authority and respect. For Generation X respect has to be earned and has nothing to do with title or position. Of course this isn’t the case with older generations for whom title and position garners immediate respect … The new generations need change, flexibility, informality and information. They are individualistic and are asking different questions of their employees.

Deep structural, disruptive change is the norm in the world at the moment. We are living through more than an era of change – we have reached an inflection point in history, and are now living in an era where processes, systems, structures, products, services and careers no longer change — they transform. The bad news is that this era is not going to go away. We firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of change we’re going to experience in our lifetimes is still ahead of us.

Every few hundred years in Western history there occurs a sharp transformation… Fifty years later, there is a new world. And the people born then cannot even imagine the world in which their grandparents lived.’ Peter Drucker

If we’re living in a new world, then new approaches to leadership are required. But are we really living in such a new world? Isn’t this just a blip in history that will soon be over? Isn’t history always changing anyway? It’s easy to think that maybe all we need to do to survive this crazy world we live in right now is just grit our teeth a little bit longer and wait for sanity to return, and then our existing models will still be valid. Hopefully soon, we think, the current madness will subside and then we can get back to ‘business as usual’.

But this is not going to happen. The signs are everywhere and they’re all pointing in one direction: we are living through one of those moments in history when all the rules for success and failure get rewritten. We’re living through a period of structural change and realignment. Every so often, history stops its relentless forward march, takes an abrupt turn and heads off in a new direction. This is often linked to a new technological development, which changes how people live, interact and work. We name these moments in history to mark their importance: The Industrial Revolution, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the Renaissance.

A dependance on what worked in the past, coupled with the assumption that ‘we have been here before’ – will prove fatal.

We unwittingly employ old practices in the face of new problems – with disastrous results. Invariably all that is accomplished is that we end up digging the hole we are in, faster!

If it is true that we are living in a world, society and community that is changing rapidly, and some would say out of all recognition – then what does this mean for the church? How, if at all, does the church need to change? What is there that we should stop doing? What new things should we start doing? Are we willing to experiment and take risks, knowing that many will result in failure? What are the essentials that must be retained and how can we do that at the same time as trying new things?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Graeme’s book you can download it here: Leading in a Changing World – Chapter 1

More information about Graeme and his organisation can be found here: www.tomorrowtodayglobal.com

I look forward to seeing many of you on Monday evening as we explore these areas together.

 

 

Growing The Vision – Indicators Of Growing Churches

In June and July we are hosting three evenings at St Paul’s under the title “Church – Past Present & Future.” The intention of these evenings is to explore some of the background to the nature of the church in the 21st century and how we as the church need to continue to adapt and change.

Below I highlight some recent research that the Church of England has done. Please do complete the survey you will find at the end of this post. The more responses we get the more helpful it will be!

Please put the following dates in your diary and come along:

June 22nd 7.30pm – Growing The Vision
July 6th 7.30pm – Christmas!

From Evidence To Action

Between 2011 and 2013 the Church of England conducted a research project on factors that influence church growth. The focus was to look at areas of ministry that were growing numerically and find our why. It may, or may not, surprise you that this is the first study of this sort that the Church of England has done!

In the introduction to the findings Archbishop Justin Welby says:

“As Christians we believe that the best decision anyone can make is to decide to follow Jesus Christ. It must then be of primary importance to us that so many people live their lives unaware of Jesus’ invitation to follow him. How we as a Church help people hear, experience and respond to the call of Jesus is the most urgent of our priorities.”

So what did the study reveal? It identifies eight areas, some of which growing churches were likely to have in common.

  • A church that has a clear mission and purpose and whose clergy and congregations are intentional about growth
  • A church that understands its context, actively engages with it and with those who might not currently go to church
  • A church that is willing to change and adapt
  • A church which is welcoming and builds on-going relationships with people
  • A church that has clergy and lay leaders who innovate, envision and motivate people
  • A church where lay people as well as ordained clergy are active in leadership and other roles
  • A church that actively engages children and young people
  • A church that nurtures disciples

We will look at some of these together when Charlie Peer leads our evening together later this month. In the meantime it would be really interesting and helpful to know from as many people as possible how you think we are doing against the descriptions above.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE SURVEY YOU WILL FIND HERE it will help us greatly as we prepare for our evening on the 22nd of June.

You can read more about this research here: From Evidence To Action

 

Things I’ve read this week:

 

 

 

Why does the Church exist?

In June and July we are hosting three evenings at St Paul’s under the title “Church – Past Present & Future.” The intention of these evenings is to explore some of the background to the nature of the church in the 21st century and how we as the church need to continue to adapt and change.

The first of these evenings was last Monday when Ben Mizen led a great workshop on Generations and Church. Today I’m starting to point our thoughts towards our next evening on Growing The Vision.

Please put the following dates in your diary and come along:

June 22nd 7.30pm – Growing The Vision
July 6th 7.30pm – Christmas!

William Temple

Archbishop William Temple said: “The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” One question that is helpful to ask, and difficult to answer, is how do those outside the church view what we do and how/when we do it?

It’s a questions that the church has struggled with since the earliest times. The early church was accused of cannibalism due to the way they celebrated communion with the body and blood of Christ. The question of how others view what we do came home to me in a previous parish. In the normal order of Anglican communion the Peace is in the middle of the service. That Sunday we had a couple who were visiting as they were due to be married in the church in a few months time. When it came to the Peace they started to walk out of the door! Why? They assumed the service was over – quite a natural conclusion as everyone had got up, people were milling around and chatting to each other.

As we think about the life of our church we need sometimes to look at ourselves through the eyes of the outsider. Are there things we should stop doing altogether? Are there things we should continue to do, but in a different way? Are there new things we should start doing?

Perhaps our answers are different depending on our perspective as to the purpose of the church. Does the church exist primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet it’s members? Or perhaps, if we are really honest, do we think it exists primarily for those of us who are already part of the church?

Based on this let me ask a few questions:

  • On what day and at what time should the church community gather for worship?
  • Should communion be the main focus of our worship gatherings?
  • Does The Peace make any sense to those who are outside the church?
  • If someone is part of a small group but doesn’t come to our Sunday gatherings does that make them any less part of our church?
  • If our whole education system has moved away from lecture style teaching to participative learning what future is there for the sermon?
  • How often does someone need to come to our worship gatherings to be part of our church – weekly, twice a month, once a month, whenever they can?
  • Are we prepared to give financially to support parts of our church life that we may never see and never benefit from?

 

Things I’ve read this week: