Organised religion requires an inflow of money to keep the system going. It has largely done this through the giving of its members who gather on Sundays or on other days of the week. When the people flow dries up so does the money flow unless it can rely on the income derived from property, investments etc.
My observation is that much church life is about gathering people (the shrinking few) and trying to get more out of them both in commitment to the organisation and in financial terms.
The gathering I think has to focus on inspiring the living of life to the full, of providing opportunities for creativity, for reflection, for education, spiritual reflection and growth, for helping people to find ways to change the world together and so on. If there is a paid or ordained person I think their role has to be as a facilitator rather than as a provider of religious services. The gathering has to act like a springboard for sending people out to a life lived more fully rather than sending them on another mission strategy for getting people back in the church.
The key difference here for me is the difference between inward focused religious life and outwardly focused religious life. Unfortunately I think whether we have churches organised around one leader or supported by a resource minister we can be still maintaining the inward focused flow. So often the flow from the church is disillusioned hurt people like a trail of blood from a wounded dying animal rather than a flow like a river of life nourishing the world.
1 comment:
I like your ideas Trevor, th9ugh have to say in my experience it is the theology of various organised churches that directs people inward toward a very individualistic, even selfish view of themselves as the .saved'. Focussing on such individualistic piety will never get ahyone out there helping the world and loving a faith life to the full as you describe it. And sadly, often this theology is from churches that are large and lively.
Post a Comment