A TALE OF TWO CHURCHES

Then they called them in again and commanded them
not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John replied,

"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.
For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Acts 4:18-20

A Tale of Two Churches

Several confidants here told me that many of the churches in the Sheffield diocese (www.sheffield-diocese.org.uk/) are on the small size. One presently partnered for support and encouragement with Christ Church Central (ASA 200 and growing) regularly receives only eleven for worship. Many churches draw around thirty. Without have the hard data before me, I take it on good faith what I was told that half of the worshippers of the diocese attend just four of the larger churches.

It is with some surprise and sadness then that I learned that Christ Church Central is actually at the moment outside of Anglican structures.

St. Thomas' Philadelphia is "one of the largest churches in England with more than 2000 attending weekly worship, 70 percent of which are under the age of 35" (Breen & Kallestad, "The Passionate Church", Eastbourne: Kingsway 2005). Though it is listed alongside other parish churches of the Diocese of Sheffield, Paul Maconochie its senior pastor is a baptist minister. The formal link to the diocese is provided by staff member and "mission priest" the Rev'd Anne Maclaurin. The fully integrated Anglican-Baptist relationship (and also with a house church!) is unparalleled in my experience in Canada. I was told they have established their own charitable status as a separate corporation which is not that of the diocese.

I was sent to see what is happening in each because we have so much to learn from them. Yet each was birthed without clarity as to how their planting efforts would eventually be officially received. That did not hold them back – although there has been some pain along the way.

The new policy and procedures outlined in the newly adopted Bishop’s Mission Orders were drafted in part to make it more possible for such exciting ventures to remain in the official Anglican fold. (As far as I can tell, current political debates about same-sex issues in the church had nothing to do with why each church at the moment functions apart from the diocese.) Also with Sheffield’s Bishop Jack just retiring (yesterday was his first full day of retirement), and another Bishop to be selected and appointed, perhaps the new overseer here will be able to discern a unifying way forward for all the Anglican churches of Sheffield.

This is just speculation on my part, but as an ecumenical effort (Anglican, Baptist, Free Church), St. Thomas’ Philadelphia might prefer to retain its independent charitable standing. The cooperative union of these three bodies has enabled them to take over a sizeable chunk of industrial land formerly owned by businesses that sagged for various reasons. The manufacturing sector of the economy of Sheffield is in some transition.

Still Philly’s active and lively partnership with St Thomas Crookes is very encouraging. If you google “St. Thomas’ Sheffleld” you are taken to a page where you can choose either church – and each church refers to the other’s work and ministry with no hesitation. Go there and read for yourself. What a great place to see God’s Holy people active in God’s Holy work.