WHAT DO WE WANT, REALLY REALLY WANT?....
The Book of Acts is full of examples of how the disciples put into practice the great commission they received from Jesus when they met him back in Galillee.
Go - make disciples - baptise - teach all I have commanded. (Matthew 28)
"But how?" they might have asked themselves.
Jesus answered their questions in general terms.
"You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24)
And confirmed later...
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Make disciples, be witnesses, receive power from on high.
The mission, the means.
But what about the Governance? The structures? The organisation?
What does the early church tell us about an Annual Parochial Church Meeting? The infamous A.P.C.M......
Its a very Anglican thing in many ways. Its rooted in legality and surrounded with jargon. It is these days as much about Charity Law as it is about Canon Law. There are certain things we HAVE to do to satisfy the requirements of the 1956 Act of Parliament and the 2020 Church Representation Rules (amended) - (a stonking read if you like procedure or are suffering insomnia and need something to get you to sleep!)
The APCM is a requirement on every Church of England church. It is where we elect wardens (in a Vestry meeting) and PCC members (in the APCM itself) and every 3 years Deanery Synod members who also (lucky people that they are) get to serve on a Synod and a PCC! We have to review minutes. We can make resolutions that will take effect next year. We must see the finances in the published accounts and appoint an auditor. We even appoint our stewards (called sidespeople in other circles).
A glossary is required even for those last few sentences.
So WHAT is going on at this APCM?
It may be a legal requirement and if we let it that could be all it is.
But it is an opportunity.
It is a staging post as we climb the mountain of mission. A place to take stock. To encourage one another on the assent. To worship the God we serve and to lift up the people we serve with. To refocus on the summit we strive for. To tend to those who have been battered by what has gone before. To acknowledge the struggles and to celebrate the wins. To look forward to the glories yet to come.
And most importantly, to seek the face of God.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about being on the verge. The Purley Revival may well be on its way. And if it is , this is an opportunity to take stock and get ready.
A song we will sing has these words - We have prayed our prayers and made our plans, But if God's not in it, we don't want it, O God will you move?
A short trip through the corporate governance of the early church we find in Acts might give us a glimpse of what that could mean for us.
After Jesus' commission and asension, and before the Pentecostal flame and wind came and blew their socks off, there was a more immediate Human Resources / Representation problem to sort out. Judas' demise had left a gap at the table. They needed a newbie to take his place. But how to choose?
No application forms on Church Suite. No proposers or seconders. No Electoral Roll to be signed up for. The role description “to be a witness with us of his resurrection”. Two were proposed. Only one would be chosen. They prayed “Lord you know everyone’s heart, show us which of these two you have chosen..” Not “give us our heart” but “show us yours”.
Now we do not expect to need to have elections, since we have as many or fewer than the posts to be filled. We will certainly not be casting lots! But the prayer needs to be the same for all our candidates for the office of trustee – whether PCC, Deanery or warden. “Show us the ones you have chosen”.
And having chosen – pray continuously that we may all perform the tasks given us diligently.
OK so what was a gathering like? Well we see this at the end of chapter 2.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles”
Now, as a PCC we haven’t quite got there yet. And I’m not sure that describes any APCM I have ever been to – bar one perhaps. In my third year at St Peter’s I decided to stand aside form delivering the Rector’s message in favour of 5 testimonies of ordinary members of the congregation who had experienced extraordinary things. Peace and a sense of God’s love and healing and a strong sense of call to ministry among them. God is doing miraculous things amongst us.
Share your story with others as we meet. Let others know so that they too will become expectant and hungry for more. Not form the stage (or the catwalk we now have) but in everyday conversations over coffee and as we mingle for the #ministrymarketplace.
Its what happened at the beginning.
Don’t look to your leaders to direct and do everything. There is a role for all to serve.
By chapter 6 there is a problem in this fledgling church. One group thought that widows were overlooked or alms. A new organisation was suggested but not for the leaders, the apostles to get involved. They had a different task, the ministry of the word, so they arrange for others to wait on tables. They created a new role called diakonos or deacon. It means one who serves. They had two requirements in the person specification – full of the Spirit and full of wisdom.
As you walk around finding out about the ministry at Christ Church, ask God for his Spirit and for wisdom. Then see where he might call you to serve, as deacons for the Lord.
By chapter 15 there was a dispute sufficient to require a Council of Jerusalem. The dispute was both about theological truth and religious practice – some claiming that circumcision was a requirement for salvation. Paul and Barnabas disagreed this teaching in Antioch and they were sent to Jerusalem to see the apostles for a ruling. The basis of the argument is testimony, appeals to scripture and a determination to do God’s will.
Whatever we discuss, whatever we take away, whatever we decide this APCM, in this PCC, in our fellowship this year , may we always agree on one thing – “if God’s not in it, we don’t want it”.
Let us cry together – “Oh God, will you move!”
Bring it on….
Doug