Movement, Institution, Museum

WOLLATON HALL


Roger Johnson writes:
I recently visited the Industrial Museum at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, and was fascinated by the items on show there. There were old bicycles (penny farthings), old motorbikes, telephones and a whole host of machinery used in days gone by. It made me reflect in particular on the telephone and how things have moved on since they were first introduced into the public arena.

With the uptake of mobile phones, BT can see little point in maintaining boxes which are little used and often vandalised. They have become museum pieces. Recently we have heard stories of how communities have asked BT to save their red telephone box. Some people have become so attached to them that they put carpets and flowers inside – but they rarely use them for the purpose for which they were intended. A similar story surrounds Post Offices. They are much loved and often provide a sense of community spirit – but some are little used and costly to maintain.

Is this a picture of the Church? Very often we hear stories of churches which face closure. When the community catch wind of these plans they are in uproar protesting, ‘You can’t close OUR church!’ But do they use it? Often the answer is ‘no’, except at Christmas or for weddings and funerals. In other words, they don’t use it for the purpose for which it was intended.

Christianity started out as a movement – founded by Jesus, inherited by his apostles, and spread by the proclamation of the message of salvation through Jesus, often at great personal cost until, one day, it became the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. From here on, it has been argued that Christianity progressed (if that is the correct word) from a movement to an institution, supported and encouraged by the state.

It is good to reflect upon the difference between a movement and an institution. Movements are founded by visionary people and are furthered by the sacrificial actions of those who believe in the cause. They are forward-looking and will seize opportunities presented to them, even if it involves risk. An Institution is supported by a body of people who fund it, manage it and put programmes in place to keep it in the public eye. The danger here is that the visionary zeal and sacrificial actions of its founders can disappear. If, like telephone boxes, they ceased to be used for the purpose for which they were intended, then there is a danger that they could disappear altogether and become Museum Items. Museums, in contrast to movements, are backward-looking and delight primarily in what lies behind them.

Is there a danger that some churches have progressed from movement through to institution and now risk ending up as museum items? It is a sobering thought that some churches can be well managed and have a number of activities in their weekly programme and yet are declining.

At the heart of the Christian Church is the gospel of salvation. If members have lost their zeal for this central message, then no matter how busy they may be, they may no longer be moving forward with God’s Spirit to reach those who need this message most. The Church was founded sacrificially by Jesus in order to be the agent through which a missionary God would establish God’s Kingdom here on earth (Matthew 6:10). This is our primary calling.

Perhaps it is a time for some churches to reflect upon how and why they were first established – what is the ‘birth narrative’ of the church – and ‘are they still faithful to their calling?’ It is sad to see churches drift aimlessly along from movement through to institution and end up as museums, fondly remembered by their community but no longer serving a useful purpose. Someone once said that they had visited a number of churches with ‘a great future behind them’.

Let us remember in this period of Advent that God has not lost his missionary zeal and that the world is just as much in need of the establishment of God’s Kingdom as ever. Come, Lord and renew us in our primary calling.

Roger Johnson is District Evangelism Enabler of
Nottingham & Derby District of the Methodist Church