Over 20 years ago, I read Lesslie Newbigin's 'On Being the Church for the World' (in 'The Parish Church?' edited by Giles Ecclesone, available in Paul Weston's Reader on Newbigin). I had not come across him before, and I came away disappointed. I was surprised to discover recently that the contribution was by someone I had come to admire, and have been puzzling at my response.
Last year I reread it, and remained disappointed and still puzzled. But yesterday, discovering that Mark Laing in his 'From Crisis to Creation' expresses misgivings over Newbigin's approach to the parish system (and proposing correctives), I revisited again.
Newbigin has the wonderful image of the church as a sign. 'The point of a sign is that it points to something that is not yet visible. If you want to go to Winston Green you don't put up a sign in Winson Green: you have a sign in Handworth or Edgbaston...' He points out that denominations represent spiritual surrender to a secular age. Then he speaks about how he carries out his ministry in Winson Green. He begins by telling how he and the local ministers (Pentecostal, URC, Church of the Firstborn) meet and pray and plan together. 'We try to ask what, in spite of our divisions, our unity in Christ has to mean for the life of this community in Winson Green'. 'And then?' I want to ask. But then... he stops. There is no 'secondly'. It seems to peter out.
He does observe: 'I do not think we shall recover the true form of the parish until we recover a truly missionary approach to our culture. I do not think we shall achieve a truly missionary encounter with our culture without recovering the true form of the parish. These two tasks are reciprocally related to each other, and we have to work together on them both.'
My disappointed was to be left hanging. Is there no more to say? The model we are given can easily end up in naval gazing.
Well, maybe Newbigin deliberately left us hanging. Maybe he interpreted his brief as to get us to that point, leaving the work to others.
Perhaps the task I am setting myself is to make something of a contribution to that.
Last year I reread it, and remained disappointed and still puzzled. But yesterday, discovering that Mark Laing in his 'From Crisis to Creation' expresses misgivings over Newbigin's approach to the parish system (and proposing correctives), I revisited again.
Newbigin has the wonderful image of the church as a sign. 'The point of a sign is that it points to something that is not yet visible. If you want to go to Winston Green you don't put up a sign in Winson Green: you have a sign in Handworth or Edgbaston...' He points out that denominations represent spiritual surrender to a secular age. Then he speaks about how he carries out his ministry in Winson Green. He begins by telling how he and the local ministers (Pentecostal, URC, Church of the Firstborn) meet and pray and plan together. 'We try to ask what, in spite of our divisions, our unity in Christ has to mean for the life of this community in Winson Green'. 'And then?' I want to ask. But then... he stops. There is no 'secondly'. It seems to peter out.
He does observe: 'I do not think we shall recover the true form of the parish until we recover a truly missionary approach to our culture. I do not think we shall achieve a truly missionary encounter with our culture without recovering the true form of the parish. These two tasks are reciprocally related to each other, and we have to work together on them both.'
My disappointed was to be left hanging. Is there no more to say? The model we are given can easily end up in naval gazing.
Well, maybe Newbigin deliberately left us hanging. Maybe he interpreted his brief as to get us to that point, leaving the work to others.
Perhaps the task I am setting myself is to make something of a contribution to that.
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