MA In Pastoral Theology
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL
Student: Ian Mobsby
Federation Institute: EAMTC
APU ID:0214289/1
Title
“Emerging and Liquid Church: In what way is it authentically Christian and Anglican?”
Area of Research
In recent years the Anglican Church has evolved an interest in ‘new forms of being church’ generated through the developments of alternative worship and ‘network’ churches. These initiatives have led to published material on ‘emerging’ or ‘liquid church’. Currently the Church of England is reviewing its Pastoral Measure to explore how legal structures of the church should accommodate ‘new forms of church’, and by implication whether they are authentic. Additionally, a working group headed by Bishop Graham Cray called ‘Breaking New Ground’ have written one report and are working on another regarding ‘new forms of church’. Archbishop Rowan Williams in a speech at General Synod on 14th July 2003 outlined his support of developing new forms of being church within Anglicanism.
The aim of this dissertation is to explore how current examples of Church of England ‘new forms of being church’ are being authentically church and Anglican. This exploration will highlight the implications of findings in dialogue with published material and consider the implications of being church in our current cultural context.
Proposed Methodology and Structure
I propose to explore the stories of three Church of England examples of ‘new forms of being church’ drawing on my own experiences and participatory action research. I am aware that there are pitfalls to this sort of research and will explore relevant literature, and as a corrective will dialogue findings with key texts. I propose to gather data through recorded interviews structured along the lines of ‘Needs, Aims, Outcomes, Methods, Implementation, Evaluation, Values and Church involvement’.[1] From results I will explore how the projects compare with traditional understandings of the ‘marks of being Church’ and ‘Christ’s presence in the Church’.[2] I shall further explore how the case examples compare with the expectations of the report on the Pastoral Measure, which will by implication raise questions about whether the review has given the Church a succinct ecclesiological language and conceptualisation for being authentically Anglican.
1. Introduction
To include:
- My interest in the question and its relevance.
- A brief highlighting of recent and relevant literature.
- Scope of the question.
- How the material will be ordered and why.
2. What do people mean by new forms of church?
In this section I will highlight the main themes arising from action research of the case-study responses to the question in dialogue with published texts and my own experiences. I will then reflect on the implications of these themes.
3. Why do we need new forms of church?
I will again highlight the main themes arising from action research of the case-study responses to the question in dialogue with published texts and my own experiences. This will include the impact of what is called ‘liquid or post’ modernity as a descriptor of our current cultural context. I will then reflect on the implications of these themes.
4. What makes these new forms church?
I will explore whether the three case-studies meet the traditional understanding of church as described in the proposed methodology section along with content from ‘Breaking New Ground’. It will be highlighted that as there is no doctrine for what is legitimate church, a metaphorical approach is required. Reflections will raise any ecclesiological or pastoral difficulties encountered in this process.
5. What makes these new forms Anglican?
I will explore whether the case-studies meet the expectations of the Church of England revised Pastoral Measure for being legitimate church. Reflections will again raise any ecclesiological or pastoral difficulties encountered in this process.
6. Conclusions
Summary of the point that has been reached in the dissertation to include:
- Main points that have emerged.
- Comment on the Pastoral Measure as a tool to define what is legitimately Anglican.
- Comment on the material of ‘Breaking Ground’ and whether it assists the Church to clarify and address issues concerning new forms of Church.
- Suggestion of further questions that are left open-ended and are pointers for future work.
Initial Bibliography
Avis P. (2001) Church, State and Establishment. London: SPCK.
Drane J (2000) The McDonaldization of the Church. London: DLT.
Draper K Draper B (2000) Alternative Worship. London:SPCK.
Dormor D McDonald J Caddick J (2003) Anglicanism: the answer to modernity. London: Continuum.
Jacob W M (1997) The Making of the Anglican Church Worldwide. London: SPCK.
Jackson B (2002) Hope for the Church. London: Church House Bookshop.
Jamieson A (2002) A Churchless Faith. London: SPCK.
Jones T (2001) Post Modern Youth Ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Languish J (1993) Case Studies as a Biological Research Process: Research Paper 67. Manchester: Manchester University Institute of Advanced Studies.
Leech K (1992) A Subversive Orthodoxy. Toronto: Anglican Book Centre.
Lynch G (2002) After Religion Generation X and the search for meaning. London: DLT.
McGrath A E M (2002) The Future of Christianity. Oxford: Blackwell.
Redfern A (2000) Being Anglican. London: DLT.
Riddell M (1998) Threshold to the Future. London: SPCK.
Sweet L (1999) Aqua Church. Loveland Colorado: Group Publishing.
Taylor S (2003) A New Way of Being Church: A case study approach to Cityside Baptist Church as Christian faith "making do" in a postmodern world. University of Otago, PhD thesis.
Taylor S (forthcoming) Postcards for the future: a missiology of the emerging church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Tomlinson D (1995) the post evangelical. London: Triangle.
Ward P (2000) Liquid Church. Carlisle: Paternoster Press.
Wingate A Ward K Pemberton C Sitshebo W (1998) Anglicanism: A Global Communion. London: Mowbray.
Williams R. Presidential Address at General Synod, York, Monday 14 July 2003 as recorded at 10th October (2003)
Ethics clearance
This research does not identify any areas that require ethical consideration. The intention to use findings as action research will be clear and overt. All results will be circulated to the projects.
Proposed supervisor
Dr. Malcolm Brown, currently involved in the Pastoral Measure review.
EAMTC Office, 5 Pound Lane, Cambridge CB3 0AE
Tel: 01223 741026
Cost
Travel expenses to attain material from the three projects.
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[1]As utilised as an action research case-study approach by M. Brown, Many Mansions: Evaluating Church-Related Projects on Housing and Homelessness, (Manchester: The William Temple Foundation, 1993).
[2] A. McGrath, Christian Theology An Introduction, (Oxford: Blackwell, 2002), 487-505.