Emerging Church

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A Link Church seeks to develop daily prayer, a core of members who live an expression of our Way of Life, and who journey with a soul friend or mentor. It makes use of our printed or human resources and may itself contribute to the Community in some way. It also explores, as is appropriate to its situation, how to develop features of a 'village of God' such as café, visitor accommodation, ecology and holistic learning.

These possibilities are explored more fully in: Church of the Isles and The Transforming Church by Ray Simpson and in High Street Monasteries by Ray Simpson and Simon Reed all published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd.

Please write to: Simon Reed, Ascension Vicarage, Beaufort Road, Ealing, London W5 3RB or The Community office.

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Churches multiply in much of the world, but are in steep decline in Europe, despite a rising interest in spirituality.

There is a historic change in Europe's mental and social framework ('a paradigm shift'). The 'top-down, one-shape-fits-all' form of church that has characterised second millennium forms of church in most of the church streams no longer fit this emerging society.

A rash of solutions are offered, e.g.:

• cell churches
• purpose driven churches (c.f. Rick Warren)
• culture-friendly church services (c.f. Willow Creek)
• Network or association churches
• mission shaped churches.

We believe something more is needed. The emerging church needs:

• Roots - in the land, its people and their early apostles of Christ.
• Rhythms - daily and yearly - of corporate prayer, work and re-creation.
• Relationship - to the Trinity and to the people among whom the church is set.

Early Celtic churches lay outside the Roman Empire and their 'peoples monastery churches' offered an alternative model that transformed Ireland and much of Britain. They were the last time the churches were truly endogyneous. Paradoxically, modern technology frees up people to 'let their feet follow their heart' and to move from churches that are like boxes to churches that grow out of what God puts in people's hearts.

The Community of Aidan and Hilda aims to:

• Resource existing churches with worship and study materials and retreats. In addition to these link churches, it is possible for a church to affiliate to the Community by adopting its ethos.
• Plant fresh expressions of church which model our Way of Life.

CA&H Style Church Plants

These new churches (which can be within but will transcend a denomination) start with an ordained leader and twelve people committed to our Way of Life. The primary expression of the church is the corporate daily rhythm of prayer, work and re-creation. As it grows, specific ministries will develop.

if you are interested.

"Fresh expressions with a Celtic twist" would be some kind of description of this book. Ray Simpson is the Guardian of the Community of Aidan and Hilda based in Lindisfarne. I stayed in the "Open Gate " retreat centre of the community in 2004 when on the West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council pilgrimage to that "part-time" island so rich in Christian heritage. Ray has been both a Free Church Minister and an Anglican Priest in previous work, notably in Bowthorpe, Norwich where he planted a neighbourhood church. That is described in Chapter 7.

I do not see this book quoted much in other 'fresh expressions of Church' book lists and that is a pity. The first chapter has some imaginative dreams of what the Church of the future may look like. They are fun word-pictures and descriptions that push forward some of what we glimpse now in interesting ways. Such pictures are helpful because many people experience a failure of imagination when trying to see any pattern of Church different from what they know and experience now.

I found the second chapter, The Dying, very positive despite the title! It is useful to list what is no longer helpful in the way we are Church. This is not just another example of "slagging off" the Church nor another description of how the world has changed. It is succinct way of clearing the ground for what follows. The chapters on birthright and features of emerging-Church are positive and help set the context within the remembrance of and re-emergence of the Celtic tradition in these islands. This is followed by many positive examples and a coherent philosophy of aid to reflection upon emerging-Church. The language of "rainbow Church" links deep wells of tradition to emerging forms without rigid structure. The ecumenical understandings of "Churches together". It assumes that the traditions of the "rainbow Church" are more self-contained than in fact they are in many neighbourhood churches. Many Christians of every denomination are influenced strongly by other streams and traditions. Thank God pure denominationalism is rare indeed today!

The study guide that makes up part two of the book will be very useful in a whole variety of contexts. As always it will need adaptation but that will be easy to achieve. It can be placed alongside courses such as Know and Grow or "fresh expressions" courses in a positive way. Once again the " Celtic twist" is the real value-added dimension as is the strong underpinning of all emerging-Church themes with appropriate spiritual disciplines.

Peter Whittaker Chair of the West Yorkshire District of the Methodist Church

Pilgrim Post Churches Together in England Issue 86 - September 2005

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Updated 20-01-2011