‘Forming and reforming is hard’

FOR years the good people of the congregation of St Hilda’s by the Coal Bing have cared for their building, have prayed and raised funds for good charitable projects at home and abroad.

Each Christmas the church is full of children for a Christingle service. Over many years their ministers have preached the Good News and have been involved in the local schools, care homes and community councils. Like other congregations numbers have reduced, children have grown up, some have moved away, and, although not always the case, many have not brought their own children to church, other than for baptism. Sometimes the minister is burdened by funerals and pastoral care that they rightly do not talk about.

The last three years have been hard for St Hilda’s. There is enough money to be going on with, but the bills are increasing and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are still being felt. Some have not returned; others watch the service online each week. The ship does not feel steady. And then comes the icing on the cake – a Presbytery Mission Plan. Now they are expected to join with another congregation in the same town. It feels like “they” do things differently. They are not quite like “us”, is the response. What will the future look like? ‘Why can’t “they” just leave us alone?’, people ask…

Three years ago the General Assembly – those who speak for the whole church – ministers, elders and deacons, agreed that we had to address the many issues which have faced us for longer than we are prepared to admit: too many buildings, not enough people, declining finances and not making enough members to carry on the work. Something had to give. This decline has been going on for decades, but it is for people like St Hilda’s and every other parish in Scotland and beyond, who have to do the hard things now.

St Hilda’s are to work with another congregation, and perhaps even another in the longer term. Which building will be used? Each is a well equipped space and for the most part, each is in the right place. Delicate and painful decisions are on the horizon, and it feels like everyone is uncertain. What about the minister? We are a Reviewable Charge while the other congregation is vacant; their minister retired a year or two ago. Will the congregation be happy to have our minister, or will the powers that be at the Presbytery, call their tenure in? Why is it taking so long?

We know that “they” at the Presbytery each have a congregation; each share similar concerns. No one is immune. The Presbytery wants to do right by everyone: so everyone needs to engage in a timely manner and be kind to their own congregations and those they might join with. It is not easy. No one likes change, especially when it feels imposed.

Sometimes the Presbytery Committee talks about PMPIG (Presbytery Mission Plan Implementation Group) at “121”. “They” are made up of men and women, ministers and elders, who are tasked with walking side by side the Presbytery, to support and to help, with only two staffmembers.

PMPIG have a national knowledge of things which work well and how to implement change. It is here so that the Presbyteries do not feel they are on their own and have someone to turn to. Each member of PMPIG has a Presbytery which is their primary responsibility. PMPIG members are all going through changes themselves and meet monthly so that any decisions or comments are done so quickly, and with the GT’s who have responsibility for our buildings, a joined-up approach helps to achieve what everyone wants and needs.

PMPIG want to make this as quick and as streamlined as possible. Everyone wants to get to the point where we can get on with being Church; where St Hilda’s has joined with St James’ and is renamed Grace Church: that’s the name that’s been pencilled in for the new name! No more negotiating, no more uncertainty: just taking all that energy and channeling it to serve the parish, to start a new teen group on a Sunday night and even a coffee morning each Thursday for the over 60s. We look forward to that, because now it feels like too much.

The Church of Scotland likes Latin and its favourite is ecclesia reformata semper reformanda – the Church reformed and always reforming. This is the cornerstone of the Church of Scotland, but the reality is that forming and reforming is hard.

In some ways, we have all left Egypt, we can see the promised land, but the task and the heat is taking its toll. We all feel like there is still much to lose and to compromise with; sometimes it feels like it is taking too long. This new thing which we are long overdue in creating, is still to be birthed. As every parent knows, it never goes quite as expected.

We are repeatedly told in the Gospels “do not be afraid”, but that is easier said than done. In this post-pandemic world, we know what fear is and we know what uncertainty has done to us. The sooner the plans are implemented, the sooner St Hilda’s can regain some of its energy. Jesus regularly went away on his own to pray and to rest. We all need that. This task we are about needs both prayer and for each of us to be kind to ourselves and each other.

St Hilda’s has heard that one of its former ministers is leaving his congregation because the Tenure of the Charge has been called. He is sad to be leaving, but equally another congregation has called him to be their minister. He knows the purpose of Reviewable Charge is to be able to make changes, but it is hard and he is such a nice person. That is one of the repercussions of change, but trusting in God that we are doing the right thing is important.

We need to keeping moving forward: we need to learn about mission and how to do it: we need to be equipped to make the right decisions for the future. We need to accept that there is still change ahead; some new changes are happening naturally as a evolve, adapt and move forward; some are necessary as we alter existing plans or as a result of the effects of recent years in the time that this has taken to come to fruition. Yes, it is hard – remember the Latin!

It is up to each of us to be kind to each other. Faith is not about accepting what is, faith is about investing in the future, and in the future there will be loss and gain.

PMPIG has a passion to get it right for St Hilda’s, so we may ask questions to Presbyteries and we want Presbyteries to ask questions, so that we can all learn from each other – it is a twoway process. PMPIG has members who are entering into unions, one a triple union and others have experienced the reality of what a Reviewable Charge is at the hard end. PMPIG members could easily be members of a congregation like St Hilda’s. Dozens of congregations like St Hilda’s have had Bases of Adjustment approved by PMPIG. Everyone looks forward to these adjustments being worked out and the future being hopeful. Does St Hilda’s story feel familiar? If so, then let us work together to make a future that we all want to be part of for the good of all and, above all, the Good News of Christ. ¤

The Rev Karen Campbell is Convener of the Presbytery Mission Plan Implementation Group.