Well, it's official, and somewhat shocking - I live in the wealthiest post code area in the United Kingdom. I knew that I was moving up market when I came at the end of 2003, but I didn't realise quite how far up market!
I shouldn't really be so surprised. After all, you don't have to look very far to see the very visible signs of wealth - the slant of the advertising, the size of the houses, the types of cars. The indicators aren't purely physical though. Running through the random, and less random, conversations it shows in the comments, the culture of the place, if you like. Parents who won't think twice about sending their children to private schools from the earliest age. The holiday destinations. The prices people are willing to pay for goods and services, in common with much of the county so far as I can tell. I'm no stranger to a comfortable upbringing, so I can recognise the signs.
The irony: the headquarters of the Charities Aid Foundation is based here. The organisation founded on the premise of increasing charitable giving.
The relative values of this place are interesting too: the questions about what people are prepared to live with, and without. We have one good-sized, well-stocked and, let's be honest, budget supermarket., one pub, with good beer, at a price. The new facilities of "Lunacy" Square (sorry, "Liberty" Square) mean that you won't go hungry or thirsty for a price, and can get you prescriptions. Everything comes at a high price, from the flowers to the beauty treatment, the hairdressing to the delicately manicured nails. Even the Community Hall where I hold most of my services and seem to be a fixture has to pay a hefty lease to the developers. The schools are good- one full, and one growing rapidly. I'm sure there won't be enough capacity as this place continues to grow.
But no Post Office - folks like us just hop in the car. And no church - all terribly passe - but lots of alternative therapies and broader "New Age"isms.
So where do I fit in? Who am I to comment? Possibly the one person privileged enough to live and work in Kings Hill without paying a penny on a mortgage or rent..
Truly, "Lord, I am not worthy"
73% complained that Christan faith wasn't explained properly. ("A lack of apologetics" to be theological.)
80% cited the decline in home visiting and reduced pastoral care.
75% noted how many people who believed in God (the "vague theism" which forms folk religion in this country, perhaps?) thought there were no expectations of behaviour, faith or church attendance.
And as if that wasn't enough then there were problems with the nature of the services themselves - the way they were conducted, the liturgy, the teaching and the fellowship.
Why is this in my mind at the moment? Simple - because I've just been out doing one of those things that is tremendously important, but also near impossible: visiting.
I'm not going to roundly support the old cliche about the visiting pastor making the church-going people, though, because in my experience it isn't true. Or at least not enough to be quoted as the Golden Rule of Pastoral Practice.
I'm not going to deny that I enjoy visiting, either. I do - and not always for the coffe and biscuits that often appear. Visiting can do you good too - it can be a chance to receive from others as much as to give.
I'm thinking more about how difficult it is. Not so much the issue of having the courage to go - although for some that is true. More the fact that you can spend all day trying to visit and find no-one home. Is it any wonder that visiting by clergy has declined when most houses are empty during the day? In my patch the average age of residents is the early-thirties. While it is nice having a congregation and population younger than I am (and I'm still sub-40) this does pose difficulties. If they're not out at work then the chance is that they're off at yet another of the many Childrens and Toddler-related activities. If they are at work many don't even get in till after 8 - and who really wants the vicar to turn up in the evening?
I could go on, but it would look dangerously like whingeing, which isn't really the point. The point is about how we engage with both the church memebers and the rest.
Most, but not all, of the issues raised in the survey seem to come from the point of view of the Church-insiders. That is, they are issues of maintenance rather than mission - of maintaining what we have (in ever dwindling numbers) rather than going fishing and helping folks to realise that Jesus lves them, loves them for a purpose, and that it all matters.
There was some good news to the survey - churches with vision are growing, succesful (choose the words you wish). I have vision. I know where I want to be. All I need to crack now is the way to implement it... and a few faithful folks willing to take the risk in this bold, new venture that is Kings Hill. It may not look to "emergent", or heavy-duty "new way of being church" - but somewhat scarily it is! ¶ 4:34 pm 2 comments
