‘There is more than one way of killing the cat than choking it with cream,’ said Humpty. He was reminding me that the main-line churches are not the only players in the game.
He is right, of course. Nottingham provides substantial evidence. In that city you will find a number of churches that have come into being in our lifetime offering an interpretation of Christianity – and particularly its worship – other than that offered by main-line churches.
Cornerstone church has 600 people attending its Sunday morning service. It is now housed in a £3.5m building dating from 2012. Traditional labels are eschewed. Instead the congregation has a lead minister/elder (John Russell), directors of ministry, an operations director and a team of other specialists. The term ‘worship leader’ is accorded to the person in charge of proceedings. He or she is likely to be a song-writer. As with other newish churches in Nottingham, the vehicle of worship is musical. The worship leader is likely to be an instrumentalist amongst others. The church is affiliated to the Evangelical Alliance and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.
Trent Vineyard church has been in Nottingham since 1996. It belongs to the Association of Vineyard Churches, which claims 2,400 churches in 95 countries. It dates from 1974. It favours words like ‘vibrant’, ‘creative’, ‘contemporary’. It prefers the word ‘empowered’ to the word ‘charismatic’. Its website features a young woman jumping for joy as she guides the viewer through an introduction to the church. John and Debby Wright are in charge of the Nottingham church and are also national directors of the Vineyard movement.
Grace church has a membership of 600. Founded in 2002, it sees itself as ‘thriving’ and seeking God’s best for everyone. It aims to be like the Church in Antioch (Acts 11-13) and is led by Ben and Emily Topliss. It belongs to Grace Connection which has churches in Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as two in Malawi.
‘There’s something happening here that cannot be ignored,’ said Humpty. ‘When I think of the Church of England, I think of choral evensong. And decorum. These Nottingham churches make me think of a pop concert. And enthusiasm. That’s the choice.’
Humpty puts it in a nutshell. He touches on disturbing questions. We’re talking about matters of taste, history, talent, energy and emotion – amongst other things. Clearly there are many who favour independent churches of this kind. They see them as valid expressions of the Gospel. They see them as meeting 21st century needs in a way the Church of England cannot. Contented indifference is not possible. In any case parish churches are already influenced by the forces that brought these Nottingham churches into being.
MORE NEW NETWORKS
New Frontiers describes itself as ‘a group of apostolic leaders partnering together on global mission’. Started in the seventies by Terry Virgo, it is an evangelical-charismatic church-planting movement with Stuart Townend, song-writer one of its members, claiming a membership of 800 churches in 70 countries.
Co-mission Churches Trust is a church-planting network led by the Revd Richard Coekin that aims to grow disciples in the London area. It began in 2005 and has 35 mostly Anglican churches in such places as Earlsfield, Brixton and Raynes Park. Its members offer high-end youthful websites. It is strongly Reformed and Protestant and does not mince its words. It aims to see Londoners ‘saved from hell for heaven.’
The Evangelical Network (TEN) affirms the LGBTQ community. It was founded in Phoenix, Arizona in 1988.
The Langham partnership, founded by John Stott in 1969, is an international organisation to promote biblical study and activity. If now works in 90 countries. John Libby, executive director, was for 18 years Vicar of St James’s, Carlisle. The Rev Chris Wright directs its international programme. Closely connected is the Jubilee Centre, with a similar purpose – to connect the world of the Bible with the world of contemporary society. It believes this is the key to promoting a just and thriving economic, social and political order. Paul Williams, chief executive of the Bible Society is on its advisory board.
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