Churches in transition 

After his own church overhauled its Sundays, Baptist minister Mike Sherburn set about discovering others that have sensed the call to change 

It resulted in a sabbatical project where he spoke to churches from little (25+ congregation) to very big (400+) who have made the transition from a traditional model to something different

 

As pastor at Watchet Baptist Church, Mike wanted to know if the experience of the Somerset congregation – who have adopted a ‘Big Church, Little Church’ model – was reflected anywhere else. What followed was a word-of-mouth search for churches that had taken on the challenge of trying a different shape – through transition, rather than a formal church planting or pioneering.

In conversation with nine church leaders, he found that from Guernsey to Sheffield and Ipswich to Watchet, God is calling his community to put aside long-established patterns and priorities, for the sake of discipleship and mission. Without any collaboration, these churches have taken their courage in both hands, recognising that the traditional format was not working.
 
In each case, the outcome has been a move to something much more embedded in the community and based around smaller gatherings. The focus that comes through is one of missional discipleship based on the idea that the church exists to draw people to Christ and that a growing maturity is essential for disciples. Neither of these priorities can wait for the other to happen.
 
Mike said, 'The journey has been demanding; not everyone has wanted to get on board. Despite this, church leaders have stayed the course, determined to be faithful to what God is asking. There have been tears and departures, but the churches taking these steps are seeing God move and enjoying his blessing as they stay courageous.'


How churches are trying something new

• Near Bristol, a midweek café is becoming a faith community.
• In Dorset, the priority is groups that often meet midweek for a meal, with only one Sunday a month for gathered worship and teaching.
• In Guernsey, the once-a-month Sunday morning service is now well attended by folks from a midweek community café who have made the church building their own.
• In Ipswich, communities have been launched form the church and now function autonomously, with no expectation to attend Sunday morning services.
• In Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk, people are getting more involved in village life than church-based events – and one Sunday a month, there’s nothing in the diary.
• At Seer Green, the church is all gathered twice a month, with smaller groups meeting one Sunday for discipleship and another for mission.
• Near Sheffield, the emphasis has shifted from services to scattered communities.
• In Wolverhampton, a multi-campus church with hundreds attending has dropped two services a month and launched almost 30 ‘Home Church’ groups. 

In each case, change has been profound and principled. Andy Thomas, a pastor in Bristol, said, 'I remember it vividly when, on a Sunday, I’d preached my socks off and I had this moment of realisation that this was like going to a show; something just died in me.'
 
Other pastors describe something similar. Simon Harris at Burlington in Ipswich put it this way, 'We said to the church that we’re acting like a yacht club. But we need to launch lifeboat to help save people.'
 
Each church described the existing model as no longer fit for purpose and the Sunday service as an event was not the highest priority, with Elizabeth Stoner at Light of Life in Ormesby saying, 'Sunday worship is part of us but it’s not the ‘all and everything’.'

Mark Ashton Warner, in Dorset, said, 'The way we were doing things didn’t communicate in the way that is needed.'

And Dave Criddle at Pathway Church, near Sheffield, said, 'What came before was one-size-fits-all and all-roads-lead-to-Sunday, so there was only one way for people to connect. The change means more potential entry points to the community of faith. The new environment is better for equipping Christians for mission.'
 
At Seer Green in Buckinghamshire, change has come under the missional leadership of Louise Gilbertson, following groundwork from her predecessor, Andrew McCausland. Louise said the previous approach 'has not necessarily led to practical, whole-life discipleship with a confidence to share faith', leading to a more interactive approach.

For Andrew, there is an urgency involved: 'Jesus is not in the business of keeping churches alive. He does allow them to die. Transition is not about whether we can; we must. We are dying because we’re not changing.'
 
Alongside talking to church leaders, Mike committed to reading and found an awareness that the culture around us no longer connects with traditional church. In The Church of the Future, John McGinley reflects on Revelation 21:5, where God says he is making everything new.

With the Greek word kainos conjouring up a sense of overhaul, McGinley compares it to the MTV show Pimp My Ride, where worn out cars are stripped back, repainted and fitted with gadgets. The result is still the same car but is “unrecognisable when compared with the old”. God renews everything he touches. This is always wonderful but less meaningful for us if we don’t make space for the work God is doing.
 
Courage is needed for transition to happen – and there is a cost. While that cost isn’t theological or biblical, it is emotional and pastoral. Most churches are caring for those who are bravely staying in a situation they find strange, new and difficult – while seeing the need to move on. In Letters to the Church, Francis Chan writes: 'If we are not careful, we end up with people who have been sitting in churches for years and complaining they aren’t being fed to their liking. This is the same kind of dysfunction as a 30-year-old complaining about his mum’s cooking.'
 
And it’s not just Baptist churches. Josh Raybould at All Nations, Wolverhampton described a stark choice between doing or not doing what God is asking. Having heard God say that the traditional model of church was not fit for purpose, this Pentecostal church faced change head on. He said, 'It’s a big cultural thing, change. It certainly is the case that you cast the vision and people say ‘yes’ but they don’t want the process.'
 
Talking to churches has inspired Mike, who said, 'It was amazing that we are not alone and that our journey is echoed by others.

'And I have a feeling that I might have only seen the tip of the iceberg. I’m also really encouraged that it is possible for churches to make a transition. Stepping out to be the local church, the expression of Jesus for our own place and time, is not just about new projects – it really can be about helping the churches we know to become cities on hills and lights in the world. Jesus is blessing change.'
 

Image | Jan Tinneberg | Unsplash

 

If you know of a church making its own transition – from traditional to something a bit difference – Mike would love to hear from you: mike@watchetbaptist.org.uk.

To read more about Mike’s project, click here.

Mike Sherburn is the pastor of Watchet Baptist Church 

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