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The Guide contains how-to-do-it advice on starting, developing and sustaining fresh expressions of church based on shared experiences.
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Posted by: Andrew Wooding - 27 July 2010
I went to the Break out Pioneer Gathering in Northampton and came back with John Drane's old pullover. Well, not the pullover itself, but the pullover as his throwaway illustration at the end of his talk.
It's the old pullover he does his gardening in – it fits him wonderfully because over the years it has become his 'shape'. It is good quality but very frayed at the edges now, through on the elbows, has been darned many times, and although he really likes it he knows it cannot last for ever. He knows that what he really needs to do, if he wants to keep wearing it, is to pull out the wool, unpick the whole thing, wash it in order to straighten all the crinkles in the fibres, add some new wool, and then knit it all into a new pullover.
And I have mused ever since why he doesn't just do it. And why our church leaders are so reticent to allow our present forms of church to be re-knitted into new expressions of church, rather than allowing them to be frayed into oblivion. Of course, it is a lot of work. But more than that, perhaps they just don't know how to knit; the skill got lost in Christendom when the world was stuffed full of pullovers, and now we dare not allow a pullover to unravel because the truth is we haven't a clue how to knit it back together. We only know how to darn the glorious old pullover inherited from the past and pass it down the generations, adjusting it a little for a new kind of wearer.
We then create a theology that covers our embarrassment by affirming that the inheritance of faith is the pullover, gloriously historical and to be treasured by future generations. As a priest I was trained in the art of pullover maintenance and repair. And even now I recognise the weakness of that better than I am able to enter into the spiritual arts we now require.
The illustration has helped me articulate for myself that the 'inheritance of faith' which we pass on to others is the skills of spinning and knitting (of helping people into faith and knitting them together into 'churches' that are useful to the Master), creating pullover after pullover, each different but all recognisably from the same 'stable' – a mix of quality, warmth, creative design, a certain 'zest' in its creation such as you can recognise in Dartington Glass and other creative brands.
At this point in British church history, our key calling is to re-knit the pullover. We have quite a number of creative ways of helping individuals into faith (spinning the fibres), but we are struggling to knit them together into churches that serve the purposes of the Master. I am told that up to half of all people who find faith through Alpha courses never become long-term members of any church. Perhaps it's because they don't want to be darned into the old pullover, however cleverly that is done. They are looking for the old pullover to allow itself to be unpicked, and then to be knitted with them into a new one.
Revd David Muir is Pioneer Minister in the Okehampton Deanery.
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If you have something burning to say and want to contribute to the Share weekly guest blog, please contact Karen Carter. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by the Church of England, the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, Church Army, Fresh Expressions or any of its partners.
Comments
Knitting
Posted by Wendy Evans on 27 July 10 - 10:54
It seems to me that many Christians have lost the art of reading our instruction manual, the Bible,it certainly many Christians don't read it daily, they don't seem to expect God to speak to them in any way because of both of these they cannot listening attentively to God.
Knitting is growing in popularity, but all of us attempted to follow the pattern is readily available. Creating a new knitting pattern it actually rather difficult, correcting an old one if that's easier if you understand the rudimentary foundations of the art.
However, I certainly agree that the beginning is to look at the old jumper to see whether and not it's useful or it has filled its purpose and if necessary dispose of it with grace and dignity. (actually all fabrics can now be recycled by any local charity. Just mark a bag rag, and they will sell it on for about £3 pounds a tonne!)
Comfortable clothing for a comfortable people
Posted by Andy Campbell on 27 July 10 - 10:58
For many of us on the edge of inherited church culture however, this is not - perhaps never has been - the case. For me personally, the pullover is sometimes ugly, and often not fit for purpose. The loose bits of wool scratch at my skin, and the holes formed by years of wear and tear allow the cold air in.
I think that there are (at least) 3 key challenges here:
1) John's reminder to those of us who feel less comfortable in the pullover, and see the need to change, that we must draw to a degree on the original design, and use the original wool where we can. God's church is His people, led by the Holy Spirit, and we cannot give into the temptation to design an item of clothing which bears no relation at all to the Masters' instructions.
2) We need to recognise that for many people within the church, such change is simply too threatening, too wild and too impractical. Mission, and churches shaped by mission, exist for those people who have no pullover of any sort. Sometimes it feels like we concentrate too much on trying to bring everyone into the promised land (or promised fashion house?).
3) We pioneer types must not fall into the trap of creating funky new designs that only last one season, but try to create clothing that will last. At the same time, we must not think that our creations are either right for everyone, or for all time.
A key call to pioneers is to creatively design carefully and appropriately tailored garments for those we seek to serve with the Gospel, and not spend our time and resources manufacturing 'off the peg' stuff - old or new.
More knitting
Posted by John Drane on 30 July 10 - 19:43