Les' story

I often go into Church buildings. They are usually calm, tranquil environments in which to reflect and/or meet and relate to other people - a social and spiritual space. Here can be found God and prayer. I spend significantly more time in other spaces and buildings which would be classified as 'secular'. They can also be peaceful and calm places to reflect and meet other people - a place to explore both oneself and others. Here can be found God and prayer and in this context I would also classify them as 'spiritual' places...

It took about forty years to realise that 'designated' Church buildings had no more (or less) spirituality than other spaces I frequented in life; indeed, in terms of exposure to goodness, I was far more likely to find this outside a designated place of faith. This simple, but also profound realisation, led me to question other assumptions and impressions I had been fed (mainly by established Church institutions) of what 'faith', 'belief' and in its wider sense 'Christianity' really looked like. I therefore set out on a journey to discover how living the message of Christ could be more  meaningfully  expressed in my day to day life and work. 

Some thoughts and questions I ask myself and may be also of assistance to others with a feral instinct: 

• church institutions are obsessed with buildings - often at the expense of mission. For many a church building is a barrier, not a facilitator of faith.  Has the Church become obsessed with 'numbers of people in buildings' at the price of what it has it has traditionally done so well - being a voice for the vulnerable and marginalised in society? Is it doing things that the majority of 'church goers' might not like, to ensure it  reaches people who are not like them? 
  
• does the established Church embrace and encourage change?  
• when faced with scandal and abuse is its focus on actively learning from these issues; or does it appear to do so, while maintaining the status quo processes and attitudes to 'vocation'  that created the conditions for such abuse in the first place?  Are the needs of the institution, as opposed to protecting the vulnerable, of paramount importance? 
  

When the Church  speaks to people who are not its 'followers' it is then (in my view) truly 'growing'. For me a feral approach to faith is about transforming lives, not enshrining traditions. It requires new approaches, conducting ministry in new ways and pursuing opportunities outside 'the building' with attitudes, perceptions and methods never before considered. When the goal is bringing people to God instead of keeping us safe with her inside, the Church (in its widest sense)  thrives as it changes and grows. And there’s nothing institutional about that. 
Les