There's a church in Knutsford, just south of Manchester which have adopted us over recent years. They keep informed about what we're doing, pray for use and send support from time to time. I was keen to go and see what they are doing, because they are usually doing something new, and it is usually pretty exciting.
When I grew up here, this was a fairly traditional Methodist church. High, slab-like pews faced a pulpit which would have fitted into a Dracula movie, with a monster of an organ in the corner. It was cold, inflexible, dull, and to cap it all mostly grey and pink. (Although the hymns were usually only 150 years old: 300 years younger than those we sing in a normal service in our present church)
While we were part of this church God did a lot to move people on and closer to him. As this happened the old constraints of worship began to be too tight, and so did the pews. People began to ask how the place could be a bit more inviting and relevant to outsiders who were not used to sitting on a shelf for an hour. For example, could we, perhaps, try some different worship styles?
Well, of course once this happens, some people like modern worship and some people don’t. And when you try and combine modern and old worship, you find that no-one likes it at all. So the church offered two services. That way the people who wanted things to stay the same could come at 9:15 to a traditional service, and the 10:30 service could be free to develop. The pulpit was taken away, and the pews were replaced with chairs which were actually comfortable, although the organ was spared for the hymns.
Both services grew. The older less than modern, but both kept going and people kept coming. The church recently had to extend the balcony to fit more seats in, which finally sent the organ off to a belated Valhalla, except for a few pipes retained to hide the speakers on its replacement. Now the hymns are accompanied by an electronic organ, and everyone seems pretty happy with the arrangement. Even the grey and pink decor has disappeared.
This is of interest to us because there are a lot of parallels with our own church at the moment. We are in the same process albeit 20 years later: more people are deepening their relationship with God and developing their worship styles, and some people aren't keen. And mixing the two isn’t keeping everyone happy either. The arguments about music and furniture are the same, and the organ needs expensive repairs.
So here’s a suggestion: Let’s split the services: Trying to take the older styles from people who love them and came to know God through them is only like older people saying young people must fit in their old ways. It seems silly to fight about something that isn’t important: much better to agree to pray for one another and work together to reach the different generations. At the end of the day the worship styles and church design are not the main point: they simply reflect the heart and attitude of the people who worship in them.
Okay, so in Kemnat we can’t (yet) run a 'modern' service a week, so what about multi generational cells meeting in people’s homes for three Sundays and a celebration on a fourth. - It worked for the original Methodists after all (and the original Bruedergemeinschaften)
I'm not saying this is the only way forward, or the best: it's just an idea. One among many we are picking up here, and I'll be posting a few others before we come back home.
And notice that I've not even suggested getting rid of the pews. Yet.
When I grew up here, this was a fairly traditional Methodist church. High, slab-like pews faced a pulpit which would have fitted into a Dracula movie, with a monster of an organ in the corner. It was cold, inflexible, dull, and to cap it all mostly grey and pink. (Although the hymns were usually only 150 years old: 300 years younger than those we sing in a normal service in our present church)
While we were part of this church God did a lot to move people on and closer to him. As this happened the old constraints of worship began to be too tight, and so did the pews. People began to ask how the place could be a bit more inviting and relevant to outsiders who were not used to sitting on a shelf for an hour. For example, could we, perhaps, try some different worship styles?
Well, of course once this happens, some people like modern worship and some people don’t. And when you try and combine modern and old worship, you find that no-one likes it at all. So the church offered two services. That way the people who wanted things to stay the same could come at 9:15 to a traditional service, and the 10:30 service could be free to develop. The pulpit was taken away, and the pews were replaced with chairs which were actually comfortable, although the organ was spared for the hymns.
Both services grew. The older less than modern, but both kept going and people kept coming. The church recently had to extend the balcony to fit more seats in, which finally sent the organ off to a belated Valhalla, except for a few pipes retained to hide the speakers on its replacement. Now the hymns are accompanied by an electronic organ, and everyone seems pretty happy with the arrangement. Even the grey and pink decor has disappeared.
This is of interest to us because there are a lot of parallels with our own church at the moment. We are in the same process albeit 20 years later: more people are deepening their relationship with God and developing their worship styles, and some people aren't keen. And mixing the two isn’t keeping everyone happy either. The arguments about music and furniture are the same, and the organ needs expensive repairs.
So here’s a suggestion: Let’s split the services: Trying to take the older styles from people who love them and came to know God through them is only like older people saying young people must fit in their old ways. It seems silly to fight about something that isn’t important: much better to agree to pray for one another and work together to reach the different generations. At the end of the day the worship styles and church design are not the main point: they simply reflect the heart and attitude of the people who worship in them.
Okay, so in Kemnat we can’t (yet) run a 'modern' service a week, so what about multi generational cells meeting in people’s homes for three Sundays and a celebration on a fourth. - It worked for the original Methodists after all (and the original Bruedergemeinschaften)
I'm not saying this is the only way forward, or the best: it's just an idea. One among many we are picking up here, and I'll be posting a few others before we come back home.
And notice that I've not even suggested getting rid of the pews. Yet.
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