Discussion Forums

I have just received the latest PCN Newsletter and it looks like a really strong edition full of thought.

I’ve read John Churcher’s “Letter from the Chair”, who informs us that two members of the management committee will be stepping down.  May I suggest that the current board look at ways of encouraging younger people (at least under 40) to stand for committee membership.  Ways of ensuring a person who is bringing up a family and in full time (secular) employment can be included in the functions of the management committee might also need to be considered.

Progressive Christians are making themselves known and PCN is growing, but sadly, active membership appears to be overwhelmingly over a certain age, which was attested to when I went to see Bishop Spong speak in Sheffield. In spite of being in the heart of Sheffield’s student quarter, I may have been the youngest there (at 26 at the time, now 27) who was not involved in the actual running of the event.  It meant that whole generations of life experience were not there to hear Bishop Spong and younger people’s insight and world views are lacking as PCN at large develops.

Furthermore, where could we even begin on the subject of PCN members from BME backgrounds?

(Minor grammatical errors altered by the author - 23/12)

Thank you for your response, Jill.

I’m glad there have been efforts to engage younger people and BME Progressive Christians in the past, and I’m grateful that you have referred to initiatives I was previously unaware of. I hope that these will continue in the future, as I believe that engaging and integrating under-40s and BME groups (I think it’s fair to call them hard-to-reach groups) will be a long-term and gradual process. It will require sustained effort and strategic direction. It is an issue not unique to PCN.

I am interested that PCN has established links with the Student Christian Movement. I have never been a member of SCM, but I have had contact with it when I worked at a university chaplaincy a couple of years ago. I don’t know how SCM has responded in the past, but it looks like an organisation PCN could support and work with more closely, not only to further ensure and strengthen a safe space for inquiring young people to grow spiritually, but also to extend PCN’s reach.

I do not intend to stand for management committee membership (partly because I don’t feel I could honour the time commitment at the moment), but I would be happy to discuss ideas further with the MC. Feel free to use my membership data on file to get in touch.

Warm regards and a happy Christmas,
Tim Moore

Thank you Tim for raising the subject of the age profile and representation, and to Jill for her response regarding some of the efforts to date in trying to attract younger people into PCN-Britain. I echo Jill’s comment concerning the older that one becomes often the less content we are with the certainties of our younger years! Indeed, a couple of years ago as members of the then Management Committee shared their stories I recall that some 75% of us had come from an evangelical background! However, I do not share Jill’s concern that the agenda is becoming narrowed. Earlier this year the Management Committee discussed a possible stand at the 2009 Greenbelt. Unfortunately no member of the Management Committee was available for 2009 and it was thought to be too late to try to find members who may have been available. As a consequence I have had recent discussions with another organisation that already has a regular stand at Greenbelt and is willing to ‘share’ with PCN-Britain in 2010. Details of this conversation will be presented to the Management Committee at our January residential. As you will have seen from my Newsletter articles and ‘Occasional’ website updates, I am very committed to using our presence on the Internet to much greater effect. The Management Committee has given some thought as to how PCN-Britain can create its presence on twitter, facebook, etc as places where young [and not so young] communicate in great numbers. This again will be on the residential agenda. One of the problems that your original email and Jill’s reply has raised is the communication process with members following Management Committee meetings and decisions that have been made. In the past the Newsletter has been very important in this process. However, also on the Management Committee residential agenda is a discussion as to how the PCN-Britain website can quickly communicate details of Management Committee deliberations following its meetings. You will have read in my latest ‘Letter from the Chair’ in the December Newsletter that I state the need to involve more people in contributing to the decision making process, and one of the ways may be more co-options to sub-committees to advise the Management Committee. This will make use of the expertise within the wider membership, recognising that some people will be able to offer occasional rather than Management Committee level time involvement. Such developments may require amendments to the Constitution and if so, these will be discussed with the wider membership via the website and Newsletter prior to putting any proposed amendments to future AGMs. And far from being a ‘significantly more directive leadership style’ the direction in which I hope that PCN-Britain will continue to go will involve more members in the decision making process. As the current Chair of PCN-Britain and in my own ministry [Permission to Speak] I spend most of my time these days on the Internet. As far as PCN-Britain is concerned I am in regular communication with members and non-members alike, who represent a wide range of ages and church and non-church involvement. Far from narrowing the work or membership of PCN-Britain I see the developments that are now being discussed as positive improvements brought about by the growth of membership. Change is always painful but change is necessary. However the changes that will be discussed at the residential and beyond need to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. These are exciting times for PCN-Britain and its members. John Churcher

I’m interested to read postings about the age range of PCN. What I notice about my own children, all of whom grew up on regular church attendance at evangelical/charismatic churches and none of whom (and I have 6 of them!) attends church now, is that probably all of them are interested in ‘spirituality’, though in very different ways, but they do not experience any need to go to church. I think this is mostly because they see it as irrelevant; they have varying personal ethical codes and give expression to these in different ways in their day to day lives, joining organisations of like minded people as appropriate. To them, inclusivity and acceptance are normal. So what, they would say, is PCN fussing about? Of course, this is not true of all by any means, but it may well explain why recruiting the ‘younger generation’ is difficult. And there is of course the pressure on their time, of living in the 21st century in the UK.
Whereas, to people of my generation who have undertaken a long and painful journey away from more fundamental Christian beliefs, there may remain stuff to be mulled over and discussed.
Having said that, I have pretty well given up church myself and am unlikely to become a regular attender at any church in the future (well, possibly a Quaker meeting but even there I’m likely to be very erratic!). And that feels like liberation.

Patricia, you are not alone in joining the church alumni. My ministry is now with those who remain in the church by fingertips and with those who have left the church becuase they feel that it is getting in the way of their spiritual development. Part of my work is sharing my findings with churches but few are ready for the challenge - and seldom have I come across a church that bothers even to ask seriously why people have left. Until churches begin to face up to the reasons for the growth in church alumni then decline will continue. But it does not have to be that way.

Good post, Tim.

But add to this a quote from Zechariah Chapter 7: be honest in making a true judgement of a situation; be kind and merciful to one another; ensure that no one is oppressed by your actions, especially those who are widows, orphans, strangers, and the poor; and do not act in an evil manner against any one.

I would also add the quote attributed to Rabbi Hillel, a contemporary of Jesus: “What is hateful to yourself, do not to your fellow man. That is the whole of the Torah and the remainder is commentary. Go and learn it.” Note that this was based upon the Golden Rule spelt out 500 years before by Confucius. It became the basis of the later ministry of Jesus and certainly was lived out to some degree by the earliest Jewish followers of Jesus.

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