The Church, too, has its networks. Not all have Old Boys’ ties. Not all are part of the Establishment. Some are new.
One impressive network is the Major Churches Network. This assumed its present form in 2019 and has potentially 300 member churches. These are large, cathedral-like churches which, it is said, have plentiful visitor footfalls and an influence beyond their parish boundaries. Cardinal identifying marks are likely to be diversity and inclusion. Such churches, it will be said, play a key part in the survival of the Christian faith. We need units that are big enough to sustain staffs and programmes impossible for rank and file parish churches. Here we also have a strategy reflecting an awareness that to retain its credibility as an established Church the C of E must reflect the cosmopolitan nature of the people of England.
Another influential network is that based on Holy Trinity, Brompton. This is youthful, energetic and charismatic. Its pattern of church-planting has received official approval and has resulted in numbers of run-down churches receiving a transfusion of HTB volunteers. These form congregations not only exuberantly enjoying worship but also spilling over into more parishes that seemingly find themselves at a dead end. Sometimes these church plants find it necessary to abandon a traditional church building and instead worship in a warehouse or the like. Alpha courses are of the essence. The New Wine network has much in common with its HTB counterpart.
Four hundred churches belong to the inclusive church network. This aims to be a home for people with no regard for disability, ethnicity, etc. The network has no time for discrimination. It tends to be shy of doctrinal clarity. Not surprisingly it does not mention the sinistrals. Even inclusiveness can be selective. We must not omit Awesome, a 150-strong network of evangelical ordained women.
John the Baptist and Jesus attracted crowds but what was important was the call to repent and believe. As for buildings, if we over-rate them in terms of their beauty or strategic value, we should consider Mark 13. 1,2. With a territorial system under pressure we should also beware of falling into the Orwell elephant trap: all parishes are equal but some parishes are more equal than others.
Meanwhile many faithful worshippers eschew labels and prefer the C.S. Lewis option – elusive though it may be – of mere Christianity.
If you have a comment on this post please send an email to Revd John King at johnc.king@talktalk.net. Edited extracts may be published. To forward this to a friend click on the chain icon below.
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