Rector Rich

for rob

2011-05-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Going Deeper...

2010-06-30T16:40:00.001-07:00

This last Sunday was an important one for us at Aldridge Parish Church. It turned out to be a vision Sunday.

It was peculiar how it came about as it was initially intended as a Sunday to breathe new life into our 11:15am service. However, over the past few weeks it became clear that something much bigger was going on. Something about vision needed to be communicated to the whole church.

A few months ago I felt God was saying 'I want you to go deeper.' However, after some advice from a consultant, I began to feel that this was for a wider audience too. I sat on it for a while and then I started sharing it a little and I was encouraged this needed to be communicated to the church too.

During that time I also received some pictures. One was of Salt Water Crocodiles. This amused me somewhat. The idea of a encouraging Christian's to behave like a crocodile doesn't seem typical in my mind at all, even though, I've been mauled by a few Christian crocs in the past!

But, did you know that Salt Water Crocodiles are rubbish swimmers and yet they've confused scientist for years because despite this they can travel hundred's of miles. The reason why, these scientists have just discovered, is that they wait patiently for the right current in the river or wave in the sea. If they get it right within hours they can be miles and miles down stream.

For me this was a Holy Spirit picture. It's about waiting for the Spirit's prompting and the Spirit's strength and then ministering in that. So for our Church it's about discovering that current or wave of the Spirit which is going to move us forward and help us to be the church God is calling us to be. Salt Water Crocodiles are where it's at.

We also had another picture to go alongside the crocs. That of baby birds. You know the way baby birds wait desperately for their mummy bird with heads up in the air and mouths open ready to be fed. This is a picture for us to look to God ready to be fed by him.

This for me was a focussing on Jesus and his word picture. An invitation if you like to get back into Scripture and your first love.

These two pictures reminded me how important it is to be a Word and Spirit church. A church which open to hearing Jesus through his Word but also a church which is open to the Spirit and his promptings.

And so, yesterday, using the immense Ephesians 3:14-21, the vision was set. We're 'Going Deeper'. We're going to do it by focussing on Jesus and his Word and by being open to the Holy Spirit.

They way it could start to be expressed is like this:

If you run the Creche and somebody asks you why you why do it? You can say because I want their mums or dads to go deeper with God. Also I want these children to go deeper with God and grow up knowing how much he loves them.
If you are part of the Welcome Team and somebody asks you why you do it? You can say because I want to welcome people to prepare them to worship God so they can go deeper with him in our services.
If you are a small group leader and somebody asks you why you do it? You can say because I want people to go deeper with God as we study his word and as we pray and as we care for each other.
If you cook for Alpha and somebody asks you why you do it? You can say because I want to cook great food so the atmosphere is right and friendships can be formed so it will create the right environment for people to discover God and go deeper with him.

I hope you get the picture.

Going Deeper is something which I hope will invade the whole Aldridge Parish Church's thinking and enable us to see what we're about and give us an idea of how we can move into the future. I hope it'll be empowering and help people take their place as part of the team. I hope it'll mean that the congregation moves to maturity in Christ.

The thing which has humbled me is that the church has really taken hold of this. Tonight I was with our Small Group Leaders and they were buzzing with it, they were excited, they were open. It's as if we're at the start of a journey and they get it. Aldridge Parish Church is about 'Going Deeper.'

We're just beginning with it, but it feels as though we've made a positive start. I don't know where it'll end up but if it means people start to take their relationship with God more seriously I'll be very happy. I'll let you know how it goes.

A roomful of dog collars

2010-02-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was on a diocesan training thing. I was a running late and just managed to walk into the event just on time. Entering the room I was confronted by about 30 men and women seemingly all wearing dog collars and black shirts.

Now, I shouldn't have been surprised at this, I'm a vicar you know, but I was. In fact I was shocked at my feelings as I must admit to feeling a little scared. It felt like going back 30 years, maybe more. It felt oppressive. It felt odd.

Now, obviously as the event went on I discovered these were very nice people who were doing some good things.

But really, is it any wonder the Church is struggling to reach out effectively in the 21st century? If I, a rector, found it hard to deal with it what chance the people who have no experience of Church.

One of the significant things I've found since I've stopped wearing clerical dress is that people relate to me much more openly and honestly. It's led to me having more significant pastoral converstions and greater opportunities to talk about what I really believe. They say that they can relate better to me because I don't wear a collar.

I'm sure our move to informality, in Aldridge, has led to church growth. It seems to declutter any explanation of the Gospel. There's less barriers to get through. It shows people that Church Leaders can be normal. A common thing I'm told, as a compliment, is 'you're just like one of us.'

That to me seems incarnational, so I'm going to stick with it. I can't think of any theological or Biblical reasons why I need to change (my clothes)?

Should someone kill off Deanery Synods?

2010-02-05T15:29:00.000-08:00

I've just been reading loads of tweets about people who are going off to Deanery Synods up and down the country. The common feature is they're all negative. In fact when I think about it I've never been to a useful synod. The only time I go is when they talk about money how it might effect the share we have to pay in Aldridge.

I can't believe that for 14 years I've put up with mediocrity of all this. This can't be the way to do it. I'm virtually always the youngest in the room (and I'm 42). The tendency is always to avoid change. The rooms tend to be full of ancient suspicions of the next door parishes. The debates are almost certainly thin and don't have much, if at all, to do with sharing the Good News of Jesus let alone the Kingdom of God.

I know a few years ago there was a CofE report which suggested Deanery Synods should end. I think the Deanery Synods voted this down. Isn't it time some bishops got together and sorted this out. We need some fresh vision invested in them or else someone should take the 'bull by the horns' and kill them off.

If we are being negative about them, we need to sort them.