Page 51 - The Church of Ireland Apologetic for Mission?

and Protestants with racism now raising issues like those faced through sectarianism. Furthermore, the number and variety of faith groups throughout the island of Ireland is growing rapidly bringing a whole
new dimension to the concept of understanding diversity and religious tolerance.74
f. TheChurchofIrelandisnotimmunefrom changing patterns of church attendance
on this island. Figures from the most
recent Church of Ireland census in both jurisdictions on the island show that the 5. average attendance over three Sundays
in November 2013 was 15%, 58,000 in all. Analysis reveals that of those attending, only 13% were between the ages of twelve and thirty.
Archbishop Richard Clarke, in his PresidentialAddresstothe2015General Synod, said “... the statistics present the scale of the missional challenge ahead
of us as a Church, but nevertheless it
is one that if we cannot embrace with confidence and with hope in Jesus Christ we may as well close the doors of our churches now. We must relate to reality, and we must also relate to the future ahead of us, a future towards which God is always calling us.” As one interviewee said, “We simply can’t guarantee that there will be future generations of conventional Christians”.
g. If parishes are inclined to be more insular and parochial, as has previously been suggested, the reason may well be financial. One interviewee said, “It’s a financial thing to keep your small corner, (to be) content when the assessment is paid, and more than that then we’re just not interested”. Energy and resources are having to be husbanded, especially during the years of a recession. The unrelenting pressure may leave little energy for thinking missionally, either at home or abroad.
h. The wider cultural milieu, as well as the specifics of the Irish context, have
p 11 Life Beyond Boundaries: A Theology of the Hard Gospel
p 389 Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission
rightly forced the Church to face its
own shortcomings. These have clearly undermined its moral authority. Bosch says “Looking at itself through the eyes of the world, the church realises that it is disreputable and shabby, susceptible to all human frailties: looking at itself through the eyes of believers, it perceives itself
as a mystery, as the incorruptible Body
of Christ on earth. We can be utterly disgusted,attimes,withtheearthliness of the church, yet we can also be transformed, at times with the awareness of the divine in the church”.75
Leadership Challenges
Charles Handy believes there are three different types of organisation, falling broadly under the headings of those that exist for purposes of:
• Mutualinterest • Self-help
• Campaigning
The Church exists for the benefit, encouragement and pastoral support of its own membership. Archbishop Temple has also reminded us that, “The Church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” This suggests that the Church in some way falls into all three of Handy’s categories.
Handy observes that each type of organisation needs a different form of leadership, suggesting that Church leadership can be a complex business.
Peter Drucker says, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” In the Church of Ireland clergy fulfill key roles of leadership at all levels. Given the nature of their vocation clergy are likely to be instinctively pastoral and the role of being a leader may not always be one they feel comfortable in accepting. However,
for any organisation to make good on what
it chooses to make a priority it will require leadership. It is obvious that clergy have a key role in this regard.
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