View From the Vicarage
“What
would be worse than being born blind?”
That’s the question Helen Keller (the American
writer, 1880 – 1968, who became deaf and blind at 19 months) was once asked. She replied “To have sight but no vision”.
And she’s not alone, for in the Book of Proverbs we read ‘A people without
vision will perish’ (Proverbs 29:18 AV). Surely that is why as part of the
Blackburn Diocese Healthy Church self- assessment tool, there is a section
entitled ‘Clear vision that gives direction to the church’s ministry and
mission’.
“A healthy church has a clear sense of purpose
and direction based on seeking to find out what God wants. The church prioritises
mission, is committed to growth and focuses on doing a few things well. A
healthy church is willing to self - reflect; change and adapt according to
context; is committed to working towards fulfilling its vision”. So every
church is encouraged by the diocese to ask themselves these 10 questions:
1 Do we have a
strong desire and commitment for the growth of our church that informs the
church’s ministry and mission?
2 Have we used The
Five Marks of Mission (to proclaim the good news of the kingdom; to teach,
baptize and nurture new believers; to respond to human need by loving service;
to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind
and pursue peace and reconciliation; to strive to safeguard the integrity of
creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth) to reflect on our values
and purpose for our church?
3 Have we involved
our people in discerning what God wants our church to do and become – by
holding prayer events and giving people the opportunity to join in an open
discussion sessions ?
4 Is the church
vision communicated and is it understood and owned by members of the church?
5 Is our church
intentional in setting priority goals for growth that move us towards our
vision?
6 Have we ensured
that we can resource our priority goals – if necessary by stopping activities
that are not directly supporting our vision?
7 Are these goals
SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resourced, Timed)?
8 Are we prepared
to welcome and embrace change if change is required to make our vision a
reality?
9 Do we review
progress at every PCC meeting?
10 Do we
repeat he whole process at least every three years?
Well, there’s no denying that this is a
challenging task and yet whenever a Christian community is prepared to review, reflect
and respond to God growth can come. After all, if there is one thing biology
teaches us it is that the survival of any organism depends on its ability to
change at least as quickly as the environment in which it lives. Indeed ‘It is
not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent – but the ones
most responsive to change’ (Charles Darwin 1809 – 1882).
That’s why the famous prayer of the American
theologian
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892 – 1971) is something we could all say:
“God give us the serenity to accept what cannot be changed. Give
us the courage to change what should be changed. Give us the wisdom to
distinguish one from the other” Or
in the words of the Diocesan Prayer Vision 2026 ‘Heavenly Father give us the
eyes to see Your vision and so follow in the footsteps of your Son, our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.’
