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mission shaped church

Both community and locality are multi layered. Geographical parishes 

need to recognize that their boundaries are permeable, and welcome a

partnership with other parishes, and with network churches. Only a mixed

economy of neighbourhood and network, collaborating together over a

wider area (perhaps a deanery), can both adequately fulfil the incarnational

principle and demonstrate the universality of Christ's lordship in all

expressions of society.

A story

In the town of Huddersfield and its two deaneries an

expression of church has been planted called The Net   a

church without walls. It was created as a partnership between

a then curate, Revd David Male, and the diocese to which he

is accountable.

The name reflects the intention to work only with networks of

people. It has denied itself any neighbourhood clientele base

or working of a patch. The networks include business

colleagues, personal friendships, a joint love of a sport, or

common leisure interest. From a team of 28 people from

varying existing churches in the town, a witnessing and

worshipping community of more than 60 adults and their

children has grown up.

Various locations round the town are used as meeting places

dependent on their function. Its members may come from up

to 30 miles away, but this is not a form of church eclecticism.

It reflects the distance people normally travel to Huddersfield

to work, how they form relationships and find their leisure. It is

an example of church being expressed around how people

live, rather than around where they sleep.

Churches may already be responding to the network society, without being

fully conscious that that is what they are doing. For example, the

acknowledgement that Church schools are `at the heart of the church's

mission' is a recognition that the network based around the school (both 

its children and parents) is a key grouping that may be receptive to the

gospel. For the network associated with a school, it may be best to offer

and encourage the sharing of the gospel through services after school, 

or acts of worship within school, rather than hope that people will come 

to church on a Sunday.

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