The Church In Today's World

(John Green retired in 1986 as Chaplain of the Toledo Mental Health Center. He was ordained in 1947 and has served the Church in several parishes and as Director of Episcopal Community Services in Newark, NJ, prior to his ministry in Toledo that began in 1971. He is a frequent worshiper at Trinity Church and in this article raises questions that go to the heart of being the Church in today's world)

The Spiritual Health of the Episcopal Church Poll conducted by the Gallup Organization, Inc., for the Episcopal Church Center revealed

1. a considerable gap between belief and practice among Episcopalians;
   
   
2. their expressed need for much developing in their prayer life;
   
   
3. their great need to understand the Bible - letting it speak to their immediate hurts and needs;
   
   
4. their yearning for new opportunities in which to express their faith;
   
   
5. their urgent desire for life transforming experiences; and
   
   
6. their conviction that the Episcopal Church should be working vigorously toward a better society - be much more involved in the areas of ecology, matters of justice, and war and peace.

Christ came to redeem the social order as well as individual souls. They also expressed considerable need to have clergy who understand their deep pastoral needs (particularly in crisis situations), and to have genuine congregational fellowship (especially group life).

Sadly, such a poll conducted at any given time during the Twentieth Century would likely have yielded similar results.

Why this chronic condition in the Episcopal Church? The explanations may be several, but might the basic reason lie in the parish church itself? Obviously, as indicated by the Gallup Poll, the parish is not meeting these spiritual needs.

The respondents to the Poll indicated that they look to the parish to meet their needs as outlined in the Gallup survey; but no parish Priest is equipped with the combined talents and gifts of the Holy Spirit (let alone sheer time and energy) essential to the fulfillment of these hopes and expectations. Not even St. Paul nor the great Albert Schweitzer possessed all of these talents and spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit does not diffuse spiritual treasures in this manner. Few parishes are in a position to employ the clergy and lay personnel sufficient for this purpose. Of course, what is applicable to clergy is applicable to laity in parish life. However, many parish Priests and lay persons have admirably met a portion of these spiritual needs.

What is the alternative to the parish? I wish I knew. However, I am confident that there is the wisdom and creativity among the clergy and laity, as aided by The Holy Spirit, to provide the answer. New forms of church life are in evidence in South America. The greatest impact and expansion of Christianity took place in the Apostolic Church and during the first four centuries of the Christian era. Its center was not the parish. It was centered in preaching, teaching, sacramental fellowship, group life, caring for the needy in body and spirit and evangelism. It was a history swaying church, a world shaking church. The parish church has not made significant strides in transforming culture; rather it has tended to adapt to or confirm culture.

Hopefully, to foster some thought, I merely suggest the following as an alternative to the parish:

Each diocese establish four major Centers in each geographical division of the diocese. Each Center would have the responsibility for meeting the spiritual needs of church members and prospective church members in that diocesan region. The four suggested Centers are as follows:

1. Prayer and Personal Religion Center - In keeping with the spiritual needs for deepening prayer life, life transforming experience, new opportunities to express one's faith and group life fellowship.
   
   
2. Christian Education Center - In keeping with the spiritual need for depth and comprehensive understanding of the Bible - its relevance to human hurt and need, and an adequate understanding as to what Christianity really is.
   
   
3. Church and Society Center - In keeping with the spiritual need for the Episcopal Church to be much involved in matters of justice, war, peace, freedom, ecology and all other areas of social concern, as God wills the redemption of the social order.
   
   
4. Pastoral Education, Care and Counseling Center - In keeping with the spiritual need for understanding, insight, and ministry to deep pastoral needs (particularly in crisis situations) and for the training of clergy and laity to meet pastoral needs.

Each Center would be staffed with gifted, adequately trained, skilled Priests and lay persons. Worship services and the administration of the Sacraments would be held in each Center. Member and prospective members of the church would affiliate themselves with the Center of their choosing, but they would be expected to participate in the life and work of the other Centers from time to time. All pledges and financial contributions would go to the diocese which would finance and oversee the Centers.

Other Ideas to discuss (and cuss?)

To contemplate the demise of the parish is traumatic to some and amusing to others. There are those who view it as incredible. However, I shudder when I ponder the parish entering the Twenty-first Century to face the tremendous advances and expansion in science and technology, and the political, social and environmental upheavals which will likely beset it.

• The reverent termination of the parish church
  
  
• The diocese will be the primary unit of the restructured church, replacing the parish church in this capacity.
  
  
• All clerical and lay personnel will be directly employed by the Diocese.
  
  
• All financial pledges, contributions, endowments, etc., will go directly to the Diocese.
  
  
• Each terminated self-supporting parish church will become a satellite church of the Diocese.
  
  
• Members of non self-supporting parishes and mission churches may affiliate with satellite churches.
  
  
• The Diocese may choose to designate certain of the terminated churches and missions as preaching stations, and provide them with the weekend resources of preaching, teaching, worship services, Sacramental administration and pastoral care. This might be especially applicable in remote geographical areas as witnessed in Montana and Wyoming.
  
  
• The following criteria would determine the establishing of new satellite churches:
  • The communicant strength of the new church's geographical area is comparable to those of other satellite churches.
  • No new satellite church will be established within forty-five minutes commuting time of another satellite church.
  
  
  
• The Diocese will conduct three in-depth programs in advancing Christianity:
  • Prayer and Personal Religion
  • Christian Education (which will include Bible study, church history, theology, social ethics, etc.)
  • The Church and Society
  
  
  
• These three programs will function in the satellite churches.
  
  
• The satellite churches will administer the Sacraments, conduct worship services and provide pastoral counselling and care through depth trained clergy and lay personnel. Group fellowship on a depth level will function in each of the three Diocesan programs. There will be provisions for Confirmation instruction. They will function seven days per week the year round.
  
  
• The Diocese will provide the satellite churches with the clergy and lay personnel essential to the functioning of the three programs and pastoral counselling and care.
  
  
• The Diocese will divide the satellite churches into several geographical areas of the Diocese.
  
  
• Clergy and lay personnel will be assigned by the Diocese to each geographical area, and they will serve in some capacity in all of the satellite churches of the area. Consequently, each satellite church will receive the skills, talents, experience, wisdom and personal impact of a variety of personality resources. The Diocese may rotate the clergy through other geographical areas as seems beneficial.
  
  
• While adhering to the Prayer book, Bible and liturgical church year, the satellite churches will have the flexibility to innovate new forms of worshipping.
  
  
• Ecumenical outreach will be witnessed in satellite churches and on the Diocesan level.
  
  
• Stewardship and evangelism will be advanced by the Diocese working through the satellite churches.
  
  
• Each satellite church will elect delegates to the Diocesan Convention. The Convention will focus upon the following:
  • Methodology and resources for conducting the three programs of the Diocese
  • Ecumenical outreach
  • Projecting the fruits of its three programs through resolutions, educational forums and publications.
  • The relating of the Diocese to the Executive Council and General Convention of the church
  • The election of and Consecration of Bishops and Ordination of clergy
  
  
  
• The Executive Council will continue to function, chiefly as a provider of resources for the three programs of the dioceses of the church. It will administer the foreign missionary program of the church and address ecumenical outreach.
  
  
• The General Convention will focus upon:
  • The three programs of the Dioceses of the church
  • Resolutions and statements of positions and doctrine
  • Constitutional and Canonical matters
  • Eucmentical concerns
  • Foreign missionary program
  • Ecumenical outreach
  • Theological Education (Seminaries, etc.)
  • Elections and Consecrations of Bishops, and the election of the Presiding Bishop

While I address this proposal to the Episcopal Church, I consider it applicable to all main stream Protestant churches, who also function through the parish system.

John Green, April 25, 1993

Richard Kew and Roger White sound a prophetic call for the transforming and restructuring of the church to meet the needs of the 21st century [TLC,Feb 4], but they seem to envision that this can be accomplished through the parish.

It seems to me, however, that the parish church is an impediment to restructuring and transformation. Instead of transforming culture, it either affirms or it is overwhelmed by culture. Of course, there are notable exceptions, but the salvation of the world is not being achieved via the parish church, a medieval-created institution which served that age very well but is not designed for the 21st century. A new and different structure is urgently needed. I am not optimistic, however, that the parish church will be replaced. The thought of the parish church disappearing provokes either amusement or trauma.

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