Creating the Future of the Church

A Practical Guide To Addressing Whole-System Change

Keith Elford

• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780281070787
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Church

What are the conditions that allow organizations and those within them to thrive? What happens when those conditions are applied to the Church? Deeply aware that more could be done to guarantee a successful future for the Church as an organization, Keith Elford explores the challenges it faces and urges us to take a more coherent approach to the way we think about and 'do' church. In recent years, research and practical learning have taken the Church a long way from the managerialism about which many people are understandably sceptical. Thus the aim of Creating the Future of the Church is to provide a practicable framework and process to allow readers to find their own answers to ensure the Church's organizational health and effectiveness.

Part 1

Understanding the issues

1

Face the facts

The Church is one of the world’s most successful organizations yet also extremely vulnerable in the West. The Church of England is deeply embedded in the social fabric, is still a major force in the land and does have its success stories – but it faces many problems and cannot, on the basis of recent and current trends, contemplate the future with a great deal of hope.

This chapter describes the challenges facing the Church and clergy and bishops operating in the current environment. It acknowledges that there has been change, intended to respond to shifts in that environment, and recognizes the potential evidenced in growing churches and dioceses. It sets out the contention that, overall, changes have been too local and piecemeal to constitute an adequate response, and argues that what is required is a more fundamental, strategic, rethink of the Church’s role and operation. The chapter begins with some remarks about the Churches more generally before concentrating on the Church of England.

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Cameo 1: Some of my own recent experiences and impressions of the Church

Working with the ministry team of a united benefice in Lincolnshire that consists of three groups – a total of 24 churches covering over 100 square miles, served by three full-time clergy and a number of voluntary lay ministers. Not sure whether to regard this as evidence of a dreadful decline or an exciting new model of rural ministry – probably both.

Reading Rowan Williams’ remarks about the coalition government pursuing policies that electors did not vote for and thinking that his critique would have more weight if the Church of England did not appear to be so dysfunctional itself.

Looking at the agenda of the July 2011 General Synod and feeling some despair at the endless list of committee reports – but rather encouraged by the devotion of a whole morning to more informal work in small groups.

Sitting in my own parish church on a Sunday morning, hearing fine music and thoughtful preaching, and feeling encouraged by the numbers of people in the congregation.

Talking to a bishop who confidently and energetically described his commitment to working strategically in his diocese. According to him it is both true that the Church is in big trouble and that there is no reason why it cannot survive and thrive by grasping and shaping the future now. But then, he remarked, ‘I am something of a lone voice.’

A conversation with a vicar – I said I probably would not return to stipendiary ministry, to which he responded with a rather despairing sigh: ‘You don’t need the s**t that goes with it, do you?’

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Challenges arising from a changing context

The Church is still at the centre of many people’s lives. There are many who find it a haven and a blessing in times of great difficulty, and many who cannot imagine life without it. And many like it just as it is! Some of my own recent experiences of the Church are recorded in Cameo 1.

What are yours? And how do you interpret them? Every part of the Church will have its particular concerns, but how would you describe the issues facing your part of the Church? What are the challenges and what are the opportunities? A great deal in the Church is admirable and even exciting, but there seem few reasons to believe it is likely to address its many challenges successfully. The world in which it operates has changed – so has the Church, but has it changed comprehensively enough? I do not think so.

Still a powerful force

The Church’s achievements are immense. We know how long it has been around (for a business, even 50 years is an exceptionally long life span), and what organization has done more to shape British life? There is much to admire in the Church now. The Church of England has a presence in every locality in the country it serves. Its churches generate funds of £900m¹ annually and rates of giving are rising. In 2005 there were 3,018,800 people attending Christian churches on Sundays in the UK.² The Church of England has 28,000 people in active, licensed ministries.³ Church organizations provide a vital contribution to the provision of care for those who need it in this country and beyond. Church schools are highly sought after by parents for both their values and their good academic results. The Church is the principal source of a large proportion of the volunteers on whom other third-sector organizations depend. Its leaders still have political influence. At regional and local level the Church still has a valued civic role. For all that the Church does not have the wealth or power it once possessed, it is still a substantial operation. The vast majority of Britons will engage with the Christian Church at some stage in their lives – even if it is only the final stage.

The way many of the Churches are structured is often seen as a weakness because of the problems it creates for control from the centre and for media people anxious to find out what ‘The Church’ thinks. It is equally possible to argue that the Church provides an example of just the kind of distributed leadership considered so desirable by many management experts. The Church of England, the Methodist Church and many others give enormous discretion and independence to their local representatives and rely to a large extent on their energy and initiative. Although this approach creates many difficulties, it has been, and remains in many ways, highly successful.

Declining attendance and belief

The Church undeniably faces a number of problems, however. Although it is frequently valued and effective at local level it is a fact that attendances have been declining over the last few decades. The numbers are alarming: according to the Christian Research group, half a million people stopped going to church between 1998 and 2005.⁴ It is often countered that patterns of churchgoing are changing and that more people are attending monthly rather than weekly, also that there is a shift to churchgoing during the week. This is true, and recent figures suggest that, overall, decline is slowing. But however you measure it, the trend is still relentlessly downward – average weekly attendance in the Church of England declined by over 10 per cent between 2000 and 2010. And if the current trend continues it will get much worse. Anyone who attends church regularly will have noticed that congregations tend to be composed of older people. The majority will be over 50 or even over 60. It is the loyalty of these older people that is keeping the numbers as high as they are, but what will happen when this generation passes? The projections of the church statisticians envisage a calamitous further decline so that by 2040 the Church will have become a rump, in business only because of its considerable historic assets.

Attendance is not the only issue. To what extent does Christianity have a real grasp on the public mind? Newspapers may have a lot to say about the Church’s politics, and many people still identify themselves as Christian in surveys. Nevertheless, although the evidence may be anecdotal, many will find it hard to disagree with Monica Furlong that:

Children who do not come from churchgoing homes – as I did not – now grow up largely ignorant of Christian ideas in a way unimaginable half a century ago . . . The comments about religion by journalists in the press and on television . . . suggest that even the basic Christian ideas are no longer understood by university-educated people, still less by others. Indeed even churchgoers can reveal an ignorance of the main elements of Christian belief.⁵

Nearly all Christian activities are less well supported than they used to be and the Church’s beliefs and ideas are less well understood.

Declining finances

Inevitably the decline in attendance has had a negative effect on the Church’s finances, especially in the York archdiocese, although increasing rates of giving have softened the impact considerably. How long can the Church rely on increases in rates of giving to make up for the decline in the number of givers? It seems unlikely that it will be able to maintain the full range of current parochial, diocesan and national ministries. In a number of dioceses, centralized ministries have been reduced to save money. There has been a heartening increase in the number of ordinands in the Church of England but there are fewer full-time, paid ministers – partly because many more offering themselves for professional ministry choose to be ‘non-stipendiary’ and partly because the Church cannot afford to pay for them. The provision today of adequate pensions for clergy is, of course, absolutely necessary, but it absorbs a great deal of the Church’s resources – for dioceses (funding new pensions since 1998) and for the Church Commissioners (paying out on those from the pre-1998 scheme). The Church has an extremely valuable asset base, particularly in property. It should perhaps consider how best to use these assets to generate growth before it finds itself critically short of people and cash.

Inward focus

When all the factors are taken into account, it does not seem unduly alarmist to say that things could become much worse yet – the patient may not survive. In this context it is mystifying to outsiders that the Church has become preoccupied with internal squabbles over matters that are often seen as largely settled in the rest of society – the status of women and of homosexuals. These debates absorb a great deal of energy and are very damaging to the Church’s reputation. The internal focus is a classic symptom of lost direction and confidence.

Uncertainty about role: the impact on church leaders

Burdens on the clergy

The difficulties facing the Church create heavy daily burdens and dilemmas for those whose task it is to lead the Church. There is a cost associated with the confusion and uncertainty that exists. Many ministers, especially Church of England parish priests, still find themselves valued and respected members of their local communities, though this is not universally true. The majority of clergy are dedicated, conscientious, imaginative and intelligent and have effective ministries. It can be terribly hard going, however. The minister now operates in a world that has become more complex and more demanding.

One major consequence of the changes in the world served by the Church is that clergy are far less clear on their role. Many see themselves as pastors or priests as against leaders of organizations. Yet in practice they find themselves pushed ever more into the latter role. Financial pressures mean that the smaller cadre of stipendiary clergy find themselves with larger responsibilities (such as several churches), have to shoulder a considerable administrative burden and may have less assistance in discharging it. The benefice I worked with in Lincolnshire (see Cameo 1) is an extreme but not entirely untypical example. This is a completely different model of ministry, heavily dependent on lay ministers. Rectors are more like ‘mini-bishops’ – one diocese is consciously adopting that model.

Much of what clergy do may not be what they believed they were ordained for. They are surrounded – in their congregations – by people who know what they want and keep saying it. The majority of people beyond the Church do not know what the minister does. Most are curious, friendly and open-minded when they actually meet the minister, but in a large parish will only connect with the Church infrequently. Clergy are uncertain whether their role is primarily to ‘run the Church’ or to represent the faith in the wider community – it is increasingly difficult to do both. The Churches may be less influential than they were, though they are probably busier.

One of the inherent challenges of Christian ministry is the difficulty of measuring success. Priestly or pastoral ministry does not lend itself to clear outcomes – it is all much more nebulous. The negative impact of this feature of ministry is greatly intensified today. As a result of role confusion, ministers are working long and stressful hours and are often unsure what they are achieving by doing so. Most clergy feel under a pressure to perform, to have an impact, and consequently – whatever they may say to the contrary! – are anxious about the numbers of people in the pews because it is the default measure of success.

Some ministers I know seem stressed, perhaps depressed, and many are remarkably paranoid about their congregations and about their superiors. It appears, fortunately, that this is not what clergy actually report. A 2011 survey suggests ‘a more optimistic picture of the experiences of ministry than many would have previously thought’,⁶ and relatively high levels of engagement and low levels of burnout compared to people in similar occupations. The clergy life is rewarding if ‘exhausting and demanding’ in the words of one survey respondent.

The impossible lives of bishops

To get a sense of the life of a bishop you have merely to contact a diocesan bishop’s office and try to arrange an appointment. You will be lucky to find a gap in three or four months’ time. If you ask what the bishop is doing the answers might include: conducting a deanery visit, sitting on a committee, visiting a local company, on duty in the House of Lords, chairing a national body, officiating at a confirmation, meeting his rural deans, holding a staff meeting, meeting a journalist – and so on. Most bishops are passionate about how they define their role and will speak eloquently about the meaning of episcopacy. In practice most are juggling a range of voracious demands on their time. Most see themselves as ambassadors for the Church in their diocese and so will devote a lot of time to engaging with the wider community – though this typically involves many functions with the great and good it will also involve attempts to engage with the lives of ordinary people through visits and supporting local community projects. Bishops also soon acquire national responsibilities – chairing church bodies or religious charities or taking a seat in the House of Lords. A diocese has a significant structure of its own and a bishop will soon find diocesan synod, board of finance and bishop’s council taking up time and attention. And as there is the natural desire of parishes to receive a visit from their pastor-in-chief, a programme of visits is rapidly organized. And as bishops take their responsibility to their clergy seriously too (whatever many may think), there will be any number of one-to-one meetings. The bishop also has a critical liturgical role, reflected in the round of confirmations and ordinations.

This is an immense job. A diocese is an organization with a budget of several million pounds and a workforce of many hundreds, and leading it is a considerable challenge, especially when one considers how little direct authority a bishop really has. Most dioceses face financial difficulties and the constant pressure to do more with less.

Bishops also have the unenviable task of acting as a focus of unity in an increasingly factional Church. They may well find that many of their chur...

Table of contents

• Cover page
• About the author
• Title page
• Imprint
• Table of contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part 1: Understanding the Issues
• Part 2: Taking Action
• Notes
• Further reading