taking out the pews?
+Alan Wilson is on fine form this morning, talking about how teams work, and what to do when they don’t work. All with a good ecclesiological twist.
Sometimes I feel slightly despairing when cultural and sociological models are recommended wholesale in Church just because they seem a good idea, or they "work". It’s not that I think we shouldn’t be concerned with whether things are working or not – quite the reverse; I think it matters a great deal. But if we import ideas from various arenas we should do the theological work to ensure that we are not simply going with a fad, or trying to fix a problem but using the wrong solution. If the drains are broken, putting in a shiny new bathroom suite won’t help.
+Alan Wilson intriguingly suggests that there may be a metaphorical sense in which "the pews need to be taken out". When faced with problems of decline in Church, rather than rush to find a dramatic tangible solution, perhaps we should work harder with the idea as metaphor first of all. Why do we want to rip the pews out? What difference would it make, not just to our comfort, or our appeal, but to our understanding of God, and our expression of who we are as Church? Some hard work on theology and ecclesiology may well lead to quite a different set of solutions to the fabric of our buildings. Removing the pews, or putting in carpet, or moving out of Church to the pub down the road – any of these might be a good way forward for a local Church community. But they should be thought through theologically, not just latched onto as a lifejacket of a good idea.
Go read: Bishop Alan’s Blog: Aircrew or Snakes on a plane?.
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
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