Our United Church is doing some major soul-searching these days because we are keenly aware that while we haven't had to haul out the defibrillator quite yet, the patient is not well. The other evening at Oshawa Presbytery we listened to a presentation from the principal of what was Queen's Theological College and is now the Queen's Centre for Religious Education. We were told that more than 75% of UCC ministers are over the age of 50, a higher percentage than I thought. There are just too many of us geezers! And of 2700 United Church clergy, only 14 are under the age of 30. Yikes! There may have been that many under 30 in my graduating class in 1980.
Today is Pentecost Sunday and I wonder about the prospects for this aging denomination, both in terms of the people in the pews/seats and those in the pulpits. But I don't want to get stuck in the bad news, since we are Good News people.
I have a bulletin board with a bunch of encouraging choices taken by other congregations and denominations. There is no point in being in denial, but I like to think about the exceptions to the rule because the Holy Spirit is at work.
There is a church in New York called St. Bart's which was resurrected from near death by following a number of Principles and Assumptions:
Grow or go
Radical Welcome
52 equal Sundays
Powerful worship
Loose around the edges, solid at the core
Bias toward the next person through the door
Not a club
Belong before you believe
Add clergy before growth
Growth, not maintenance
I like 'em all. They are hopeful and enlivening. Any of these strike your fancy?
Belong before you believe. Being asked to believe in something you haven't had the chance to explore yet isn't helpful. So I like this one. It's an open door with a welcome sign on it.
ReplyDeleteThey all strike my fancy! I do think that there is change "a brewin'" and perhaps we should look on it as an opportunity to be/do better . I would love to see St Paul's be on the "cutting edge" of this change and be one step ahead. How? Well, of course, I don't know but I do know that talking about the way things were won't move us anywhere but backwards. How exciting to see so many people in church on a long weekend. Accident? I don't think so. Exciting? You bet!
ReplyDeleteI like that one too pupil, and it is important in a day when there is less conventional religious background. I think the balance is soft around the edges, solid at the core. It's important for the faith community to be flexible yet understand who is at the centre.
ReplyDeleteI agree Lynn that all of them together form a healthy picture of what a church can be. And I too was pleasantly surprised at the number of people in church, including lots of children and young people. A couple of those answers to the childeren's time were downright brilliant. A good reminder that we should strive for 52 equal Sundays in terms of preparation.
I graduated with one of those 14 people under 30. And I now live about a half hour from another one. As someone under forty, I am very aware of the lack of colleagues my own age.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that church is not a club. Sometimes I feel as if we speak in our own language, have our own rituals and handshakes, and insist on membership fees. Sometimes, these practices can leave someone unfamiliar with the church culture out in the cold.