When church stops working, how do we form communities of hope?
For too many of us, church has stopped working.
I recently interviewed Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, National Coordinator of Divine Renovation UK, on our Leaving Egypt Podcast. She observed that many priests know the church they have inherited has stopped working. They have no desire to fix this church that has shaped them over the last seventy-five years. They want to form parishes open to the ways the Spirit is calling us into places we have never been before.
Our recent webinar When Church Stops Working with Andrew Root drew a large group of leaders from around the world and across denominations. The title struck a chord. Undeniably, the church as we know it has stopped working. After the webinar, we had lots of feedback. What stands out is how much leaders want to move past analysis. They are versed in the books, webinars, data and Youtube videos that document the social, philosophical, and theological rationales for why the church (but not just the church) has stopped working.
Leaders want to lead “beyond-analysis”. They want to know how they can form communities of hope in their local contexts.
This is a time for discerning God’s agency in the places we live. The Spirit is at work where we dwell. Leaders want to figure out how to join with what God is up to right where they live. The greatest need for our moment is the formation of communities of hope shaped by this discerning. This is the vocation of the church right now.
On November 30th, The Commons Network is hosting a webinar conversation around how to move past analysis to form such communities.
Join Roy Searle, Al Roxburgh in conversation with Cam Roxburgh around the question of what’s involved in forming communities of hope.
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We will be sharing our journey through our Facebook page, email newsletter, as well as hosting several webinars and training workshops. See what's coming up!
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