Sunday. 10.55am.\n\nPeople spread across a church building. Capacity 250. Occupancy 25.\n\n11.05am. The vicar (late) gives the notices (10 minutes) and announces the first hymn.\n\nOther liturgical stuff until\n\n11.30am. Sermon (obscure and opinionated), but with no adrenaline to power it all collective energy has dissipated.\n\nEveryone – vicar, organist, congregation – slogs through the next 45 minutes.\n\n12.15pm. Coffee (cool) … (no, that’s really, cool, as in tepid).\n\nThen home (phew!).\n\nThank goodness that’s over for another week.
Category: sustainability
Measurement of Mission
Number of Carol services per year: 4\n\nNumber of Guests at Carol services per year: 400\n\nNumber of Social evenings per year: 3\n\nNumber of Guests at Social evenings per year: 15 (spouses, usually husbands)\n\nNumber of Guest Services per year: 2\n\nNumber of Guests at Guest Services per year: 4\n\nNumber of People who became Christians through this church this year: 0
It’ll never happen …
It turns out that even being a glass-half-full person doesn’t stop me saying without prompting …. ‘It’ll never happen …’ when the following are suggested :\n\nwe’re going to get rid of the pews …\n\nwe’re going to upgrade the PA system …\n\nwe’re going to refurbish the minor hall …\n\nwe’re going to do a church plant in ….\n\nwe’re going to get everyone behind a mission …\n\nThe ingredients needed for these sort of changes are so significant and so self evident that if they are missing then long reflection on the matter isn’t required.\n\nIt’ll never happen …\n\n… and there are better conversations to have.
Demographics
78% of clergy are Introvert. That is, they are only happy in groups of no more than 30 – 50 people. Which is no doubt why the average size of an Anglican church is 54* That should make us think, don’t you think? The average age of the Anglican parishioner is 68. But that’s a different problem. * from the English Church Census, Evangelical Alliance