{The Church Dynamic}[3rd October 1989]

[Redbook6:285-287][19891003:1807]{The Church Dynamic}[3rd October 1989]

.1807

A couple of years of fairly regular Church attendance here, plus some attendance at services in nearby Parishes, of course qualifies me to reform the Church from top to bottom (and from side to side).

What does become clear is that the Church is essentially a static process [sic].  The current *Archbishop’s letter touches on this when he discusses possible post-confirmation training (I thought this was what sermons at Communion services should be for).

The Anglican Church has (for many years) recognised that congregations vary in their temperamental or personal approach to Christ: currently, evangelical, Anglo-catholic, charismatic, etc..  Dissenters can travel to another parish for services: not an ideal solution, but fair to individuals and congregations in practice.  But the Church does not seem to recognise that Christianity is not a state,** but a way: and that unless individuals can move along that way, they do not develop.  This suggests
(a) different forms of collective ‘worship’ and sermon (teaching) for those at different stages; and
(b) individual attention.***

The different forms may have some connection with the different current forms mentioned already,**** but probably not without adaptation which may be unacceptable to existing congregations: in which case we have to face the possibility of yet more variations on and of the variations.  For individual attention, an informal system could grow out of a revived Confessional practice.


*[of Wales, presumably]

**[ie a condition, essentially static [sic]]

***[ie attention to individuals, presumably]

****[In the last previous paragraph, presumably]

[continues]

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