As the Church of England struggles with the problems left by the pandemic and declining belief and attendance, there are other churches, some of them new to the UK, that we may learn from. They too have problems in a society in which religion is in decline but they are spared the historical complications that beset the Established Church.
Free Churches and Dissenters have been an influential part of English Christianity for centuries. We now have a new batch of independent churches, some of which are part of international movements, some of which have purely local histories. Trends in the Church of England have resulted in people switching their allegiance.
The fellowship of Evangelical Independent Churches, founded by E.G. Poole-Connor in 1922, celebrates its centenary this year. It has 639 churches. Sunday morning attendance amounts to 39,000. The FIEC came into being to make a stand for traditional Christian belief. Its basis makes that clear, so clear that sympathisers find some difficulty in accepting the three words ‘as originally given’ that define their view of the biblical documents. Other independent churches (and some Church of England churches) accept the same formula. But the stress on traditional belief and the appreciation that hearts are in the right place over-rides any hesitation. The blog has dealt with this issue in past postings.
A newer arrival on the scene are the Cornerstone churches. These are found in Nottingham, Liverpool, Bournemouth, St Albans and other centres. The Nottingham Cornerstone church describes itself as a thriving church with 750 children and adults worshipping on Sundays.
Identification marks? Key-phrases are ‘Bible-based’ and ‘Spirit-led’. Leaders and members are youthful and alert for student members. Excellent web-sites and leadership by married couples – Mike and Esole Duff from South Africa at Newcastle and Gateshead – are the norm. Church buildings are little more than a roof over worshippers’ heads. The message is all. We do well to take lessons from our new-style Christian friends.
New-style Christians do not scoop all the big numbers. We must also remember traditional Anglicans overseas. A recent morning service at Nairobi Cathedral was watched by 612 online worshippers.
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