On a Sunday off recently, your curate visited a parish plant of around 40 adults from a large suburban Anglican Evangelical flagship. The new church meets in the building of a near-by parish church of another tradition.
It felt vulnerable. The students were not yet back from their Christmas vacation so the people present were the supporting adult congregation and their children.
The welcome was superb - cc was in civvies and was greeted warmly but not embarrassingly so as he came in. Your curate was encouraged to see a gentleman of the road there who seemed quite comfortable in the surroundings. He like your curate had clearly been made to feel welcome.
The sermon on Psalm 2, which on that Sunday was given by a member of the church family in secular employment, was of a very high quality indeed.
But the pressures of meeting in somebody else's building were apparent. The heating system was struggling as were the sound system and the computer-operated overhead projector. With his radio microphone playing up, the staff member leading from the front was scarcely audible.
There was no brashness or arrogance about this church plant - no proclamations of its growth figures or claims to be 'thriving' or comparisons between the plant leader and a Special Forces operative. It gave off a humble vibe.
So, whilst this kind of parish plant gets a good start in terms of 40 or 50 praying, giving, committed Evangelical Christians, these fresh expressions do constitute a vulnerable Christian work. Therefore the Apostle Paul's wonderful words in 2 Corinthians 12v9 apply to them as they do to those of us ministering in small turnaround parish churches:
But he (the Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me (ESV).
CC, you refer to the radio mike problems: whenever, in a church or elsewhere, are microphone/pa systems trouble-free, and work without squeaks or being too loud or too quiet? It's a technology at least 130 years' old, and is as fallible now as it always has been. When I've spoken in church, I've always been ready - and more than happy - simply to raise my voice; I know where I am with my voice.
ReplyDeleteI know this an old thread, but I shall post this anyway for the possible benefit of anyone doing like me and reading through the archives!
ReplyDeleteJohn,
I disagree with your suggestion that radio mic/PA problems are simply part of life and should simply be accepted. Whilst I agree that they are all too common, I wonder whether you would put up with such a performance at a west end show, or even in local theatre.
The fact of the matter is that in all too many cases churches have problems with such systems simply because we are not prepared to spend the money! Whilst of course our priorities are different to those of a theatrical show, and we must seriously consider whether there is a better use for the funds, I would argue that we can and should strive for technology that works to our benefit most of the time without proving a distraction.
And by the way, I don't think radio mics are 130 years old, though I could be wrong, but either way there have been significant improvements in recent years. Anyone still using a VHF system should certainly consider upgrading for instance. Yes, technology is fraught with problems, but we shouldn't just accept it.
- Benjamin Wilks