History, mission and ministry

• Introduction
• Reflecting on mission
• What is good about / wrong with a parish?
• What should you do with the church building?
• Leading the Church
• Engaging communities

Introduction

The contemporary relationship between the public and ‘history’ is in some ways unclear. On the one hand, it seems that there is an unprecedented popular interest in history. There is a steady stream of television programmes (for example, the BBC’s Who do you think you are?) as well as entire channels devoted to popular history; ‘celebrity’ historians like Simon Schama, David Starkey and Niall Ferguson are regarded by some as household names; and historical literature, both factual and fictional, is widely read. However, on the other hand, as fascinating as history might be on its own terms, history cannot quite escape a reputation for being of little public value or contemporary relevance. This is partly the fault of historians, who sometimes have not adequately communicated this value and relevance. The question ‘who needs history?’ is still one that requires a response.

Within the Church of England there is often a sense of ambivalence about the history of the church. Clergy sometimes have a strong sense of history, and many have previously studied the subject at university. However, there is relatively little deliberate and critical engagement with history at a training and grassroots level. History has struggled to maintain its position in theological and ministerial education, and fields of enquiry such as congregational studies and practical theology rarely include an historical component. This stands in contrast to some other major institutions and organisations: for example, the British Army, where modern military history forms a key part of the curriculum for officers.

However, there is a growing wider feeling that history has significant public value; and that if historical research is purposefully presented, it can inform decision making, contemporary debates and self-understanding. The Building on History project team have made the case that the life and identity of every diocese, deanery and parish is bound up with its history. In the words of Archbishop Rowan Williams in a project podcast: ‘We often take for granted that things have always been like this. But actually, of course, to understand the past is to understand how things change’.

History can provide valuable context and practical wisdom for informing the contemporary mission and ministry of the church. For church leaders, historical awareness might build confidence, give inspiration, challenge assumptions, teach lessons, constructively caution and provide both a sense of proportion and perspective, as well as preventing the repeat of past mistakes. A shared consciousness of history in the church has the potential to contribute to the meaningful formation of identity and the effective building of community.

The following snapshots from the project highlight the practical value for the church in engaging with history today.

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Reflecting on mission

Building on History has aimed to show that history can provide significant insights on mission. Knowledge of history can allow leaders to develop realistic and informed ambitions; boost morale; and rovide models from the past for consideration.

Decline and growth

In recent years academic research has increasingly challenged the idea that the history of the churches in Britain is a simple story of strength followed by decline.

Assumptions about church decline have often assumed a starting point of a previous religious ‘golden age’. However, the reality is that churchgoing was never close to universal in the nineteenth century. Church planting in this period, despite its many successes, often lacked a strategic rationale, being driven by motives such as party conflict or the interests of landowners and property developers. Too many Anglican churches were built during this period – which may have contributed to ongoing problems, such as financial pressures, thinly-spread congregations and over-stretched clergy. The idea of a past ‘golden age’ can increase the perception amongst contemporary clergy that they are ‘failing’.

On the other hand, historians have also questioned the widely accepted idea of linear secularisation. While, of course, outward signs of Christian practice have declined considerably in the twentieth century, there is also considerable evidence for variation and fluctuation. Historically, in the modern period some churches have always been able to buck wider trends - and leadership and agency have been important factors in the success or failure of individual churches.

Engaging with the parish

Clergy often find that their parishioners have different levels of ‘commitment’ to church, with attendance varying from the regular, via the sporadic to ‘special occasions only’. Recent academic research on the relationship between church and parishioner suggests that historically churches have experienced similar variations and have sought to recognise opportunities for engagement on different levels and through different channels.

• Research by Sarah Williams on nineteenth-century ‘popular religion’ has shown the importance of ‘occasional conformity’ through rites of passage and New Year services. In urban contexts there was a dynamic and vibrant belief system based around these practices, where popular ‘folk’ belief could combine powerfully with Christian ideals and reaffirmation of personal faith. Those who attended on this basis had a surprisingly strong sense of loyalty to the church and clergy, often regarding both as ‘theirs’. Here, history suggests that the church’s ‘lifecycle’ role is far from insignificant, and that even unconventional church going can have deep meaning for members of the local community.
• Other studies, particularly work by Jeffrey Cox, indicate that during the Victorian and Edwardian period the most ‘successful’ churches were those most integrated with the parish. For many, ‘church work’ was day-to-day engagement with the community through welfare provision, thrift and saving societies, medical services and education. Such links could encourage high overall church attendance. Charles Booth’s contemporary investigation records that at St John’s, Isle of Dogs, in 1897, while attendances were 250-300 in the morning and 400 in the evening, it was estimated that some 2,000 in the parish occasionally attended church.
• The late Rex Walford’s research on interwar church planting in London’s suburbia has suggested a model of concentric circles for understanding engagement with church life (below). The provision of rites of passage, church-related organisations and parish magazines are identified as important ways of maintaining links with the parish.

Rex Walford's model of church engagement

What to do next?

The Building on History project is informing new research and also aims to promote relevant existing academic research. In
particular, look out for the following reading material:

• John Wolffe and Bob Jackson, ‘Anglican Resurgence: the Church of England in London’ in David Goodhew, Church Growth in Britain, 1980 to the Present Day (Ashgate, forthcoming, June 2012).
• Forthcoming research on financial giving towards mission activities in London in the late nineteenth century. A PhD, which is linked with the Building on History project, is currently being completed by Sarah Flew at The Open University.
• For existing research relating to mission and ministry see Sarah Williams, Religious Belief and Popular Culture in Southwark, c. 1880-1939 (Oxford, 1999); Jeffrey Cox, The English Churches in a Secular Society: Lambeth, 1870-1930 (Oxford, 1982); Rex Walford, The growth of New London in suburban Middlesex (1918–1945) and the response of the Church of England (Lampeter, 2007).

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What is good about / wrong with a parish?

No two parishes are the same: each has its own unique story, context and culture. Building on History has aimed to show that a congregation and leadership with an understanding of its past should be better equipped for facing the present and the future.

A congregation’s own ‘story’ about the past can form the basis for its self-perception. Furthermore, an understanding of the history of a congregation can contribute to the formation of an informed narrative, and challenge and deconstruct sometimes unhelpful and widely-accepted myths.

By looking at the past we can uncover past patterns of leadership and ministry which can inform our understanding of contemporary church life. Congregations often have specific characteristics, recurring themes in their experience and issues which have their roots in the past. Historical perspective can allow a congregation to be more self-aware and provide tools to deal with unresolved problems.

The History Audit

The Revd Neil Evans (Director of Ministry, Diocese of London) shares how his diocese has been encouraging parishes to explore their historical context.

In partnership with Building on History, in the Diocese of London we have developed a History Audit model, which helps individual congregations explore their past in a strategic and time-effective manner. The Audit is designed to assist congregations in the diocese in their wider process of contextualisation for contemporary mission and ministry. (And remember that a church doesn’t need to be ‘old’ to have a history! Even congregations established in the last twenty years have been shaped by their immediate past.) What follows are some examples of a History Audit in action.

• One congregation had a crisis of identity – it was unclear about its purpose and its mission. When it explored its foundation in the Victorian era it found that the church was built on the one piece of land that was left over by the property developers. A significant issue could be named: the church was built as an afterthought in the community, and in a less than ideal position. In the long-term this had prevented the development of a healthy identity and sense of purpose. The identification of this historical issue contributed to a self-awareness that allowed the congregation to face up to the challenge of considering more deliberately how it might define itself and seek out a new mission agenda.
• On arriving at a church in a comfortably-off part of suburbia, I discovered that relative to congregation size and electoral roll we were paying the lowest common fund in the deanery. I raised the issue at a PCC meeting and was told ‘the diocese charges us too much - they don’t understand the problems of maintaining a listed church building’. I was puzzled, especially as many of the churches in the area were also listed. When I spoke to a few long-serving members of the PCC and examined previous PCC minutes I discovered an attitude which went back over twenty years which said ‘poor us, no-one understands us; we’re poor and insignificant and we need supporting’. By naming this problem and finding evidence to the contrary the congregation was able to begin to resolve the issue.
• A congregation had spent some years in developing and articulating its core values and ways of working as well as developing priorities for mission and ministry in its current situation. One of the members of the congregation had a particular interest in reading old documents about the church and developing and writing up further the existing history of the life of the church. It was found that the key current areas of mission and ministry in the present were essentially unchanged from the vision 100 years ago. This led to a renewed sense that this was the mission of God in the congregation and community, and that the present church members were stewards of that vision, called to receive that vision and ministry and pass on to the next generation.

What to do next?

How could you use the History Audit process in your diocese?

It could be part of the diocese’s Mission Action Planning strategy.

• An Audit could inform a parish profile in preparation for the appointment of a new incumbent. This can help a congregation to evaluate its identity, needs and mission priorities. It could also help inform the selection process!
• A new incumbent or curate might undertake a History Audit to familiarise themselves with a parish.
• Ordinands could be encouraged to undertake an Audit of a parish as part of their training.
• An Audit could be included in IME 4-7 and CMD training.

For more information and for resources to promote the History Audit in your diocese, Building on History has produced a range of resources providing inspiration, ideas and models:

• The Building on History website (www.open.ac.uk/buildingonhistory ) includes bite-size
  information on how to conduct a History Audit and is a gateway to a wide range of accessible historical resources for local congregations.
• For a more in-depth guide to the audit process, see Neil Evans and John Maiden, What can churches learn from their past? The parish history audit (Grove Booklets, forthcoming).

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What should you do with the church building?

All church buildings have histories, but of differing lengths. It is widely said that a building is both a blessing and burden on a congregation. They can be beautiful and evocative spaces, but they may seem to place their own conditions and limitations on the worshipping congregation. Building on History has promoted ‘out of the box’ thinking by pointing towards the potential for congregations and the local community to relate to the building in exciting new ways.

Engaging heritage

The history of a building can be an inspirational resource for ‘outreach’, allowing a congregation to contribute to the education, well-being and identity of the wider community.

Building on History has encouraged congregations to consider what a church building might tell them about its people and community. The interior of a church – the memorials, plaques, commemorative tablets, flags and other unique objects - will often tell stories with a strong human interest. Many churches have been the centre of a community in the past, and a place reflecting a shared identity. This means that the building might be used to illuminate the story of the local community – for example, its trades, professions or industrial past; social hierarchy; wartime history; or schools and youth.

Alongside Building on History, a range of other organisations and projects are resourcing and reassessing the links between building, congregation and community. For more information, see ‘what to do next’ below.

Raising awareness

The exteriors, interiors and furnishings making up a church building are often of historical importance, but place financial pressures on a congregation. In London we have found that creative engagement with the history of a church building can help local communities recognise its significance and stimulate not only a sense of wider ‘ownership’, but also financial support.

• St Mary-at-Finchley, an ancient parish church, has been able to make community learning part of its appeal for the refurbishment of its Willis pipe organ. As a way of raising awareness, the congregation have put together an oral reminiscences project, in which volunteers interviewed local residents about their memories of the church and the organ. This information will be made available through a listening post in the church, a booklet, visits by local schools and a community lecture.
• St Mary Magdalene, Tottenham, is engaging the community with its efforts to restore its fine Victorian chancel paintings by staging a play scripted by a local historian, exploring the foundation of the church and its subsequent history.

Statements of Significance

Many involved in church leadership tremble on hearing these words when they apply to the DAC and for a Faculty for a repair, alteration or extension to the church building or churchyard. However, Building on History encourages congregations to see developing a Statement as an opportunity to take stock of their church’s historical significance, as the Statement is required to show appreciation of both the material and social history of a church. This document can serve as a basis for informing all kinds of activities, including those mentioned above.

Building on History has provided resources which guide congregations on how to explore this history and development.

What to do next?

There are now a range of organisations and accessible resources which provide innovative ideas for congregations on how to make more of their building and its history. It is important for dioceses to raise awareness of this, either by providing links through their website or keeping church leaders informed through training and development. For more information see:

• The Building on History website – which includes resources on how to interpret a building, uncover stories about its past and engage with the local community. It also includes historical resources for Statements of Significance.
• Divine Inspiration, funded by English Heritage and based in the Diocese of Coventry, is an organisation which aims to encourage churches to think creatively about ways in which they can open up the building to the community. Visit www.divine-inspiration.org.uk for more details, or contact helen.mcgowan@divine-inspiration.org.uk.
• The National Churches Trust advocates the use of church buildings as places of social, cultural and education activity for the wider community. Visit www.nationalchurchestrust.org.
• Christianity and Culture produce educational resources which enable a range of audiences to engage with Christian buildings. Their English parish church through the centuries DVD is an excellent, accessible guide to ecclesiastical buildings.

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Leading the Church

Men need the experience of the past to help them in practical endeavours, to enable them to understand the position of actual
questions with which they and their age are engaged - Mandell Creighton, Bishop of London, 1897-1901

A seminar at the Queen's Foundation, Birmingham, for church leaders in the Midlands

The Building on History project has pointed towards the ways in which historical awareness can better equip senior clergy and diocesan policymakers to make good strategic decisions. The project chose to focus primarily on the nineteenth century because of the striking comparisons between the social context then and now, and also because of the extent to which the contemporary church has been shaped by this phase in its history.

In seminars and workshops we have pointed to the legacies and lessons of the nineteenth century, exploring the following:

• The ways in which the modern Church of England has been shaped by significant institutional and administrative reforms in the past. For example, the creation of new dioceses and the growth of new diocesan representative bodies and societies were important innovations in the structure of the church with important consequences for mission and support of the ministry. Understanding the historical development of Church organisation and administration can provide leaders with useful perspectives for evaluating the present and developing strategies for the future.
• The development of church parties and the sharpening of party conflict. The nineteenth century saw the rise of Anglo-Catholicism; increasing esprit de corps among Evangelicals; and later the emergence of a ‘modernist’ or ‘Broad Church’ group of Anglicans. Awareness of the tensions that resulted - and not only the stresses and strains they imposed on the church, but the creative energies they unleashed without ultimately dividing the communion - can provide perspective and a sense of proportion for those reflecting on current church issues and controversies.
• Emerging approaches to mission. The nineteenth century saw an explosion of church planting and parish sub-division (for example, some 200 churches were consecrated in London during the episcopate of Bishop Charles Blomfield between 1828 and 1856). The spiritual and social challenges of the Victorian city also saw churches and clergy seek to connect with their parishes in innovative and often radical ways, with a purposefulness that is perhaps comparable with the Fresh Expressions movement. Critical appraisal of these approaches to mission can provide inspiration, instruction and sometimes cautionary tales for contemporary leaders.

What to do next?

One of the key aims of Building on History has been to highlight the accessible and exciting historical research done on the Church of England in recent years. The following three case studies show examples of this kind of historical perspective in action:

• In the space of a decade, early Victorian Bethnal Green saw ten new Anglican churches erected on the back of an intense fund-raising effort. Today, only two remain open for worship, and by 1900 the district was already identified as demonstrating the shortcomings of pastoral strategies based on bricks and mortar. There are indeed lessons to be learned from the failings of the scheme. However, recent research suggests that subsequent commentators both overestimated the naivety of the project and underestimated its initial success in answering the district’s pastoral problems as understood by contemporaries, who focused less on church attendance than on changing the moral character of a district prone to public disorder and organised criminality. Closer investigation of the Bethnal Green experiment thus raises important questions about what constitutes a realistic timeframe for assessing the success or failure of pastoral initiatives, not least as understandings of the very challenges faced can subtly evolve in ways that render initial strategies redundant.
• In 1850, as the suburb of Cricklewood in north London was developing along the arterial road now known as the A5, the then Bishop of London, Charles Blomfield, suggested to the Vicar of Willesden that he should think about building a new church for the area. The bishop pointed out that, as the road itself marked the parish boundary, it might be a good idea for the vicar to liaise with his neighbour, the Vicar of Hendon, in order to achieve a coherent pastoral strategy for the new settlement. However, in the event, new parishes were created by independent division of the two existing parishes, meaning that the main road, the commercial heart of the community of Cricklewood, continues to this day to divide it into separate parishes, archdeaconries and episcopal areas. In the light of current plans for major development in the area, this historical legacy would seem ripe for reassessment.
• In South Kensington after 1842, landowners and developers favoured evangelical designs and incumbents to enhance the value of their newly-built houses - at St Paul’s Onslow Square, St Peter’s Cranley Gardens, St Luke’s Redcliffe Gardens, St Stephen’s Gloucester Road, and St Jude’s Courtfield Gardens. Entrepreneurial high church clergy, with financial backing from rich members of their congregations, also began promoting new churches. St Philip’s Earls Court Road was sponsored by the vicar of St Barnabas Addison Road in 1857-8. The first vicar of St Philip’s established St Matthias Warwick Road in 1869-70 and St Patrick’s Kenway Road in 1872, and bought a site close to St Jude’s where he began to promote a new church, although the Bishop warned him he would not consecrate it. I the early 1880s a curate from St Matthias’s began promoting a new church, in Philbeach Gardens, St Cuthbert’s, to which again the Bishop unsuccessfully objected. Church planting, then, could be driven by local and party concerns, sometimes resulting in an over-provision of buildings. Contemporary leaders might find it useful to reflect on examples of historical tensions between local initiatives and central strategy.

Similar case studies are available on the Building on History website (www.open.ac.uk/buildingonhistory) where resources are also available which facilitate the carrying out of strategic and purposeful research.

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Engaging communities

A key message of Building on History has been that the past can be a resource for enabling churches to look outwards and contribute to the well-being and identity of local communities.

Engaging a local school

Katy Forsdyke, Head teacher of Christ Church School in Hampstead Village, Camden, describes a recent innovative history project.

The London Diocesan Board for Schools suggested that we get involved with the Building on History project in summer 2009. Following a meeting with the project team and the priest of Christ Church, we identified some interesting aspects of the history of the relationship between the church, school and wider community, and discussed ways in which the children could explore this.

We are fortunate that the parish church is next to the school and easily and safely accessible. We asked each class teacher to plan one lesson which made use of the church building in order to teach and learn something about the history of the church. We also made accessible all the school archives for careful use by teachers and children.

Each class from reception to year six carried out a learning activity, many over a series of lessons spent in the church, in spring 2010. Children recorded their findings in a variety of ways (pictures, writing, tables of data etc) and went on to interpret and respond in several different areas of curriculum (e.g. diary entries in literacy, graphs in maths, maps for geography etc.). Finally, each class contributed to a ‘sharing assembly’ later in the term, where they shared their work and their discoveries with the rest of the school.

Exploring diversity

Talking about religion in the East End of London History is an area of interest with significant potential to bring together a range of religious groups. While the ‘religious history’ of a community might have significant controversial aspects, a closer examination will probably reveal important examples of cooperation and good relations. Some faith communities, particularly those which have historically migrated from abroad, will have had similar or shared historical experiences. History can appear to be a non-threatening and ‘neutral’ subject, and it can form the basis for stimulating wider community interaction.

In September 2011 the project modelled this kind of discussion by organising a day workshop for community leaders and religious practitioners in the East End of London on the local history of religious diversity. We discussed the historical experiences of the Jewish, Muslim, Anglican, Black Majority Church, Baptist and Roman Catholic faith constituencies and reflected on the range of interactions between these groups. Local groups displayed exhibitions on places of worship, and religious and community leaders reflected on the value of history for contextualising religious diversity in the present. The Arts and Humanities Research Council has now agreed to fund Building on History: Religion in London, which during 2012 will work closely with a range of faith communities in the city (see p. 20).

What to do next?

If you would like to help churches in your diocese use history to engage with their local community you could encourage training and development for clergy and lay leaders on this theme. The following resources are also available:

• Example educational worksheets used in the Christ Church Hampstead primary school pilot project are available on the Building on History website – www.open.ac.uk/buildingonhistory
• Various groups provide ideas and resources for churches. See the websites of Divine Inspiration (www.divine-inspiration.org.uk) and the National Churches Trust (www.nationalchurchestrust.org), or for a different denominational perspective, visit Methodist Heritage (www.methodistheritage.org.uk).
• Organisations working primarily with other religious groups, such as the National Anglo-Jewish Heritage Trail (www.jtrails.org.uk), provide invaluable perspectives on history and the community.

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