For me, the turn of the millennium has brought home the impact of change on our world. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, has written,
"We are living in the greatest revolution in history, a huge, spontaneous upheaval of the entire human race .... this is not something we have chosen nor is it anything we are free to avoid."
In this age of transition, there is a need to be culturally bilingual, to be able to speak the language of where we have come from as well as learning the language of the new reality which is emerging as society rapidly changes.
It was exactly this question that was at the heart of a major conference for church leaders from the whole of the Principality held in May 1999 in Abergavenny. The subsequent report Good News in Wales challenges the Church in Wales to cultivate passion for honesty, to see things as they really are. "Things are very serious," said Archbishop Rowan, "we can't go on wittering, hoping things will get better."
The latest figures published by Christian Research reveal that over the last twenty years, although there have been an average 6 new churches starting each week, a further 7 churches a week have had to close their doors. In addition, church membership in the UK has declined by an estimated 21% since 1980. The Church of England is losing 1,000 children and young people every week; in Wales only 47 out of a possible 583 groups of parishes are growing numerically. Little wonder that the church has been reported as "bleeding to death".
The leadership of St.Edmund's, conscious of this crisis, has been seeking guidance in finding a way forward. Robert Warren's book on Spirituality and Mission 'Being Human, being Church' has helped enormously. He speaks there about the choices we have regarding ways of 'being church'. He describes two basic models:
The Inherited Church
Characteristics:
"It requires that the church makes the journey from the guard's van of society into the vanguard. Instead of being at the rear, for ever looking mournfully at disappearing mountain peaks or frantically pulling on the brake to slow down the pace of change, the church is called upon to be pioneers of a new way of living. The true attractiveness of the New Testament Church was the inner vitality which enabled it to live the answers to the questions people were asking. Our calling is no less, no different, nor - by God's grace - any less attainable."
So he goes on to describe the church in another way.
The Emerging Church
Characteristics:
The Christian community is meant to make visible the gospel that God has a purpose for his creation, for the poor and weak. for the rich and strong. It is his purpose to make us fully human, to be creative, celebrating, listening, loving people.
"The life of Jesus makes it abundantly clear that such a way of being human happens not as a result of superhuman effort but rather by faith-filled dependence on God as gracious Father. Jesus' living out of the fullness of his humanity was sustained by the constant weaving of a listening obedience to the Father, into the fabric of daily life.'
What has been written in this report gives good reason to conclude that the people of St. Edmund's are entering the 21st century with a vision of a church in emerging mode where being a Christian is seen not so much in terms of being "religious", but in becoming human; church is not somewhere to go, but rather a community where we belong. mission arises out of listening to the questions which life and culture are asking of all people. It is the participation in God's response to the hurts of each person's heart.
May God grant us the will to be still, to listen to the cries of this world and the stirrings of His Spirit, and then the grace to act with his love and compassion.