July/August 2008

Dear Friends

As many of you will know, the Bishop has granted me a Sabbatical for three months. I will be away from St. Thomas' for September, October and November, returning to Church on Advent Sunday.

I have decided to use the time to study the idea of a "Successful Church". What is it that makes a Church successful? Even what is success for the Church?

A Parish I ministered in, in Liverpool during the early 1990's was in a very deprived area. Success there was to do with actually maintaining a presence. The problem comes from the fact that a successful church is often characterized as one growing in numbers, wealth, and influence. If it has a well kept building, a big attendance, an engaging preacher, and a great budget, then it is considered successful. If, however, a church struggles through lack of money, few in number, shares a minister, and has to meet in a cold and draughty church, then it is seeen as a struggling and even failing church by some.

Are such things as money, property, and influence true marks of success? Or is it more to do with the pastoral ministry, hidden from so many, or the campaigning for Social Justice for the poor?

We should realise that a church may have all the human machinery possible and its share of the world's riches and influence and still be a dismal failure in God's sight.

The church at Sardis had a good reputation: "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write; I know your works, you have a name of being alive but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1).

Many churches in our day that think they are so important may be dead, in the Lord's view of things. Financial security, good attendances, a sound building do not necessarily imply success in God's eyes.

What is success? Let the standard, for either the individual or a congregation, be "For it is not those who commend themselves that are approved, but those whom the Lord commends". (2 Cor. 10:18)

May I wish you success in God's eyes this summer and beyond.

With my prayers

Michael