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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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A healthychurch transforminglife...
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Why transformation?I see some of us struggling. Let me share with you my impression of a recent meeting. It happened just like this and I see the themes everywhere. It is time for a reality check! Six good and faithful servants gather in the hall. It's cold, the fan heater struggles and a fuse blows when the jug is put on for a cuppa. A special cake has arrived as one of the team is leaving the district to retire into town. The parish council meeting is underway for another month. The conversation over the cuppa fades as the correspondence is read. A letter from the Registrar about increased insurance costs is received with passive acceptance and a feeling of hopelessness. Someone suggests that running a cake stall might help. The maintenance of the graves, the cracks in the sandstone, the vandalised shed and the potholes in the driveway are all discussed in detail. The Treasurer is frustrated. The Rector is encouraging. The enthusiast is enthusiastic about the children visiting 'Nan' who were in church on Sunday. 'I remember when this room was filled with children every Sunday.' There is silent hope and prayer. Another draw down from the reserves is approved. The date of the next meeting is agreed. The secretary closes the minutes' book and the grace is shared. Car lights guide them through the darkness to the warmth of their homes. There are many reasons why we have come to this time of maintenance and decline. The majority of people in our society seem unaware of the gospel of freedom in Christ and they do not participate in the church. Moreover, the culture in which we live is in many respects hostile to the Christian faith. Current social trends, such as mobility, the decline of rural and regional Australia, and a reluctance to belong to institutions have placed a strain on our structures. We have built an institution based on stable and prosperous community structures and assumed a place as a significant societal institution. These assumptions are no longer valid. We have seen significant decline in the numbers of people attending our services. On a Sunday in 2001, the National Church Life Survey took a snapshot of the 2503 persons in Tasmanian Anglican congregations that day who completed the survey form. 2000 of those people were over 40 years of age and 902 of those people were over 70 years of age. Only 375 of the group were in full time employment. Half of those with children under 15 said that their own children never come to church. While the national census tells us that approx 150 000 Tasmanians still claim to be Anglican, our attendance figures indicate that few of them see us as having relevance in their day-to-day living. We must do much more to make connection with the growing number of people who regard themselves as spiritual or even 'Anglican' but are not disciples of Christ. We face the challenges that come from the ageing of our buildings. Many do not provide contemporary standards for public places. Wheel chair access, toilet facilities, child safe spaces, heating, ventilation and car parking are examples of community expectations to which we must respond. Failing to meet these challenges creates barriers to effective mission and communicates a lack of care. The cost of maintaining some of our older historic churches continues to swallow up scarce finances. The increasing costs of ministry will only compound our financial challenges. Today, only 30% of parishes are able to cover stipendiary costs from offertory giving. These parishes struggle to finance week-by-week maintenance let alone significant building repairs or modification. The Church Life Survey snapshot told us that 36% of us have entered the decades in which Australians can expect to die. Without careful assessment of the effectiveness of our infrastructure and an urgent response, our financial situation will become critical during the next ten years. With current trends, in only six years time, in 2010 we will find that,
There is good news. The National Church Life Survey research suggests that half of us feel that we grow in faith each year and three quarters of us are committed to a regular private devotional life. This faithfulness is our greatest asset. As we put it into action, it will keep us focused on God and sustain us during the transformation that the Holy Spirit will work in us. Some clergy and lay leaders are aware of the issues that we face and in some places, creative and innovative approaches to ministry are appearing. Let's look to them for ideas and encouragement, and for a fresh work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot leave the responsibility for transformingLIFE for the next generation. |
