ANGLICAN PARISH OF UPHAM

Seven Questions Every Church Should Ask

2012-01-24T00:47:00.000-04:00

Seven questions every church should ask

By The Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi

"The church will need to learn to speak the language of culture while maintaining the language of faith
The Canadian Jesuit philosopher Bernard Lonergan began his seminal work Insight with this statement: “When a dog has nothing to do, it goes to sleep. When a man has nothing to do, he may ask a question.”

A good question unleashes imagination, provokes curiosity and expands our vision. Some questions are so full of complexity that no adequate answer is possible, but that does not prevent us from considering multiple perspectives, surface more possibilities and ask the “what ifs” that result in different scenarios, responses and outcomes. In the end, inquiry beats certainty every time.
With that in mind, I want to suggest seven questions every church should ask itself.

1: What would be lost, and how would the world be worse off, if our church ceased to exist?

Today, secular organizations are providing many of the services that the church used to fulfill. From social service agencies to seniors’ gatherings to self-help groups to yoga classes, many of our physical, emotional and relational needs are being provided by a plethora of organizations, none of which are religious. What then, is the unique purpose of the church that no other organization can provide? Why does the church exist? What would be lost if the church ceased to exist?

2: How does our church add value to people’s lives that they cannot live without–whether they know it or not? Most secular businesses understand that the products they make need to add value to people’s lives – otherwise their products would not sell. Think of people standing in line for an iPhone because of the perceived value of the product. When my family went to the Cheesecake Factory in Buffalo, New York for dinner recently, we waited 80 minutes for a table. The place was packed, and I thought, “Gee, would these people wait that long to attend church?” What value are successful businesses offering that the church is not? And just as important, what can we do about it?

3: What challenges in the fulfillment of mission does our church face and what can we do to bring about that new thing God wants our church to be?

There is something subversive, disruptive, playful about this question, because it is asking us to consider what rules and regulations are presently setting boundaries in how we do church. Do these rules and regulations make sense in light of today’s missional challenges? And if not, why do we continue to do them? What if we had the freedom and flexibility to move beyond these rules and regulations and reshape the way we do church? How would that enhance our ability to engage in mission? To put it another way, is our present way of doing church generating the results we want? If not, why not – and what can we do about it?

4: What are the barriers to seeing reality that our church needs to move beyond?

Hindrances to effective ministry are often the result of our own restrictive thinking. They are more mental than actual, more inward than outward, and based on outdated assumptions rather than present reality. Every time a new way of doing church arises, someone inevitably insists, “We can’t!” But why? What if we said, “We can!” What if we gave ourselves permission to imagine, innovate and create something different that has the potential to connect the church effectively with Canadian culture? Perhaps we ought to consider what our church would look like if it were a new church plant. What would be the ideal design for mission and ministry today? What would our church look like to most effectively reach people in our community?

5: What issues does our church need to face within the next year so that five years from now, we won’t have to say, “We wish we had…”

This question creates a sense of urgency. It is no secret that demographic trends are not favorable to the church and that many of our parishes are living on borrowed time. And yet, we believe in a God of resurrection. What if we began to act as communities of resurrection–faithful and fearless, willing to risk and try some new things, putting our emphasis on ministry and not maintenance, and seriously engaging a new generation that does not sing the Lord’s song as we do? Could we reverse the decline? I don’t know, but isn’t it worth a try?

6: If money were not an issue, where would you like your church to be five years from now?

Here is an invitation to envision a new kind of church for a new kind of world. Remember George Bernard Shaw’s observation famously quoted by Robert Kennedy: “Some people see things as they are and ask ‘Why?’ Others see things as they could be and ask, ‘Why not?’” Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, says, “Vision is a set of guiding principles and practices and shared pictures of the future that provide energy that draws us into the future.” Any true vision will deal honestly with reality, no matter how brutal or unpleasant, but also give us hope that tomorrow can be better than today. Think of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and you have a fine example of vision. In developing a vision for your church, it needs to inspire and motivate people to sacrifice, serve and give generously. The end result needs to be worth the present effort. Above all, people must sense the purpose and will of God for the future of the church.

7: In what ways can we affirm “Jesus is Lord” without appearing to be bigots?

This is the evangelistic question for the church as it ministers in a secular, multicultural, multi-religious Canada where our neighbors are just as likely to be Hindus, Moslems, and Buddhists, agnostics or atheists as Christians. In this highly pluralized world of ours, how do we communicate the truth claims of historic Christianity without appearing narrow-minded, intolerant, or exclusivist? The church will need to learn a new kind of bilingualism: speaking the language of culture while maintaining the language of faith.

There you have it – seven questions that every church needs to ask itself. No one has all the answers to these questions. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that there are no “one size fits all” answers, but that each church will need to develop its own style of ministry in connecting with its own unique environment. This is a “bottom up” rather than a “top down” process that needs to be discerned at the local level rather than imposed by any hierarchy. Churches that can rethink their assumptions of ministry, reformulate their mission strategy and re-examine their way of doing church are more likely to revive and renew than the ones that do not. These “missional” churches will lead us into the future–confident and resilient, open and affirming, life-giving and liberating, with a compelling gospel message that centers on Jesus combined with flexible methods of ministry.

The Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi is the rector at St. James Westminster Anglican Church in London, Ont.

Annual Meeting January 29th 2012

2012-01-15T20:37:00.001-04:00

Our Annual Parish meeting will be held on January 29th, 2012

The meeting will be held following our Family Service and lunch.

Meeting to begin at 12 noon and everyone is encouraged to attend.

Everyone is asked to bring their thoughts,ideas and prayers

Attendance is encouraged to help make our Parish flourish.

Let's continue to make this a vibrant Parish.

Family Service with Holy Communion January 29th at 10am

2012-01-15T20:25:00.004-04:00

We are delighted to have Canon Rev George Ackerly leading our

monthly Family Service on January 29th at 10am.

This will be a service of Holy Communion

at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Upham.

All are welcome to attend and worship with us.
Fellowship continues with lunch

following the service.

A Little Daily Humor

2011-10-12T17:56:00.030-03:00

Creation

An atheist scientist came to God and said, "We've figured out how to make a man without you."

God said, "OK, let me see you do it."
So the atheist bent down to the ground
and scooped up a handful.

But God stopped him and said,
"Oh, no you don't. Get your own dirt!"

Parish Cookbook

2011-10-11T13:54:00.006-03:00

There are only about 20 left so,
if you are wanting any please contact
Jennifer ASP!!

The price of the Cookbook is $12.00!!!

For more information contact Jennifer Moore 832-7815

Thought for Today

2011-09-25T20:41:00.072-03:00

Today, consider the state of your spiritual house. If people look beyond the beautiful outward display, will they discover an authentic heart?

Hypocrisy is a common sin
That grieves the Lord above;
He longs for those who’ll worship Him
In faith and truth and love. —Bosch

God desires that our actions be a reflection of a pure heart.

Please hold Marshall Fowler and his family up in prayer as he undergoes surgery today
Tuesday January 24th.

A mighty army can accomplish many things and with the Greatest Healer

ever at the head we can fight a good fight.

Contact Information

2011-07-13T08:53:00.009-03:00

Contact Warden Philip Sherwood at 832-7463
or Stewart MacDonald at 832-7253.
Voice mail at the rectory will be checked regularly
Layreaders will be leading Morning Prayer

After School Programs

2011-06-21T17:00:00.018-03:00

Monday 4 - 5 pm at St. Peters. Sheep to Shawl. Learn the fine art of fiber art.

Friday Night October 28th Junior Youth Group GRADES 6-8 7-9pm at St. Peter's Church in Upham.

Saturday Night October 29th Senior Youth Group GRADES 7-9 7-9pm at St. Peter;s Church in Upham.

Youth Groups will be every other week

Please pass this along to the youth.

For more information call Bernadette at 832-7897
Needed adults to assist with some of the activities.

Parish Breakfast Second Saturday of the month.

2011-06-21T16:00:00.006-03:00

Buffet style bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, beans and toast.
Or just come and have coffee and toast and visit with your neighbor.
Set up at 6:30 pm Friday evening.
.Everyone is welcome to come and help with setup lots of hands make less work. Let's all work together..

Building Fun and Funds

2011-02-17T10:30:00.020-04:00

Wanted: people who have ideas that will generate fun and funds.

A list was stated in December 2010. We culled the list and discussed it at the annual meeting. Now we need people to help put the ideas into action.

Some of the ideas are listed below

Variety Show

Summer Festival (Bernadette Fowler)

Golf and/or mini golf tournament

The ugly sweater

Another Fashion Show

Chinese auction (Wanda Allaby)

If you are following the blog you will see that some of the ideas have been removed, the reason for the removal was because these things have become a reality and are in bloom. that is progress..If anyone has any other ideas please do not be afraid to suggest them.