My friend, Tim Soerens of Parish Collective recently introduced me to the remarkable UK think-tank, THEOS, (follow THEOS on facebook). THEOS stimulates the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events. Though I am new to the work of THEOS I am so impressed by what I’m seeing, and am quite taken with its latest “Growing Good” report.
In my opinion, we need something like this in the USA. While I can think of groups engaging aspects of this work, I can’t think of any group in the USA or Canada sharing THEOS’ particular focus. If you know of a group I’d love to hear about it.
There is one of the key findings from Theos’ latest reports:
“Social action can lead to congregations growing numerically and spiritually. This report, focused on the Church of England, explores how.” (2020)
The THEOS website site introduces their “Growing Good: Growth, Soical Action & Discipleship in the Church of England” report this way:
Over the past decade, the contribution that the Church of England makes to society through its social action has increased, reflecting an increase in the demand and expectation for it. At the same time, church attendance in the country has continued to decline; by most key metrics, attendance at Church of England services fell by between 15% and 20% from 2009–2019. This is the paradox facing the Church of England in 2020: the national church of a nation that is increasingly reliant on its social action and yet less and less spiritually connected to it.
This research, done in partnership with the Church Urban Fund, draws on three years of extensive qualitative and quantitative research, including 350 interviews in over 60 parish communities across England and new analysis of existing parish data. It explores the relationship between social action, church growth and discipleship in the Church of England. It finds that social action can be a route to church growth in both numerical and spiritual terms. Further, social action is one of the key ways in which congregations can build wider networks of relationships resulting in people initiating a faith journey and joining the church.
Crucially, social action leads to church growth when it enables congregations to develop meaningful relationships with those they would not otherwise have done, or who might not otherwise have come into sustained contact with the church.
Theos Website
Emerging from their study Theos makes the following recommendations
- That the Church of England explore new ways of measuring church growth and impact.
- That churches should be encouraged to see their social action projects as primary sites of invitation and be expectant of the relationships that can grow through it.
- That congregations and church leaders should be equipped to think about social action, discipleship and church growth in an integrated way rather than as three independent concepts, particularly through the training of ordained and lay leadership as well as the preaching of the church.
- That a Church of England volunteering service for people of all faiths and none should be established.
To read the stories of the people behind the research, click here.
Peace, dwight
