Following the decline and eventual dissolving of the congregation in 1999 and the involvement of the New Charge Development Committee a decision was made to replant a congregation into the existing community.
At the end of October that same year Ian Aitken was ordained and inducted as the first minister of the new charge, officially titled New Stockethill, but known as both The Church of Scotland in Stockethill and Stockethill's Community Church.
Waiting
For the first year we did very little other than wait. Of course during that waiting time a lot was happening.
We waited as we got to know our community and got to know God's vision. Ian especially was able to become involved in community activities, for example in the local community centre and as chaplain to the school. We didn't begin any public worship or make ourselves particularly visible as a church for a number of months. During that time the Lord was teaching us about our community and forming within us the beginnings of a vision for the church in this community. We now understand the importance of a church growing up from within its own community.
Prophetic
Whilst listening to the Lord was important to us from the beginning, we have a growing understanding of the importance of the prophetic and the ministry of the Prophet. Without the prophetic word of the Lord there is a great danger of running in all directions to our own destruction (Proverbs 29:18). In a new charge situation there are a great many opportunities and possibilities. Waiting to discover which ones the Lord wants you to take, in our opinion, is crucial.
Diversity
A monthly service was begun in the lounge of one of the high rise flats, primarily as a stop gap measure for members of the previous congregation. However, this congregation has not only grown and served a particular section of our community, but has helped lead us into having a vision for, and being, a diverse church.
Whilst we have constantly sought to learn from others and to root ourselves in our tradition and heritage as part of the Church of Scotland and Church in Scotland, we, nonetheless, have discovered an importance in revisiting basic questions as to what the church actually is. Re-inventing the wheel helps in understanding exactly what a wheel is, what it is for, how it works, and perhaps most importantly, what sort of wheel is needed.
We have sought to encourage the growth of Christian community in various different shapes and styles whenever and wherever we can. At present this is seen in our having two distinct congregations (the previously-mentioned more traditional congregation and a more contemporary and alternative weekly meeting), as well as a number of Community Groups: small groups that are made up of people who attend one of these congregations, some who attend only a Community Group and some who attend the worship services of other churches.
An image which we have sometimes used to describe the form of our church is that of an umbrella. The umbrella itself is the administration, leadership, structure and resourcing that any church needs; the handle represents the values and purpose which we agree to share, but beneath the umbrella and holding onto the handle are any number of congregations, groups, and communities etc. which develop and grow.
No building?
As well as being a church with community at its heart, it is our desire to be a church at the heart of our community. One of the key decisions in regard to this conviction was the calling we felt to be a church without a building. Whilst in many cases we recognise that a church building can be a useful and effective tool for mission, in our situation the community is already well served with community buildings. Having our own church building is not only an additional burden on the new congregation, but has an inherent danger of isolating us from the community. Without a building we are forced to use centres, pubs, homes and other community facilities in such a way that it puts us in touch with the people we live amongst. More importantly it raises the question of what it is we are calling other people to and what it is that we are calling them to become.
Recognising, perhaps slowly, that any attempt to parachute in crack troops was not the way to plant an indigenous church, the church has grown slowly both in numbers and in depth of faith. Although we were running the small monthly service for a number of months, our first real public event was at Christmas 2000. This was followed by an Alpha Course in early 2001 and the establishment of our Sunday @ the Centre weekly service. The group in the church who currently form the core of members involved in ministry have among them a number who were on that first Alpha Course and whose faith came alive at that time.
Discipleship
We do not have a formal discipleship programme but see the formation of strong community, of those who want to grow in faith gathered around Christ, as being the basis for Spirit-led discipleship. This takes place within the services, with the Sunday @ the Centre service specifically designed to create community, and the Community Groups. Over time we have seen people's gifts and callings emerge and have seen them take up positions of leadership and ministry.
As we have grown, the more informal approach has become harder to maintain. We have increased in numbers (currently the number of people associated with the church stands at 113) and many of those who have come to join us have been either new converts and those whose faith is being renewed, or people who have found church a place that has excluded or hurt them in the past.
2 Surprising Keys
A church that works well will be by nature missionary and two particular aspects of our story have helped keep our missionary edge. One has been being a church without a building and the other has been the fact that we have not attracted significant numbers of committed Christians looking to help start a new church. Ours is a church that is growing, in many ways from the bottom up. Ironically church growth itself has often threatened to stifle the missionary focus of the church, and so there has been a need for vigilance in this area and a constant restating of the value that we aim to be a community that loves and serves the world in the name of Jesus.
As we look forward we are aware that the "one size fits all" church is likely only to fit a very narrow section of society. Our understanding of church begins with our understanding of God, and therefore there is a need for clarity in our understanding and knowledge of who God is. God often leads us in surprising ways, however, and there is also a need for flexibility in our understanding of how church is formed and expressed. That flexibility means developing the sort of structures that can nurture new life and new communities wherever they emerge and can help people deepen their relationship with God in Word and Spirit. We are also aware that in situations that are resource poor, poverty itself may be an advantage rather than a problem.
Simple Church
This is leading us to begin to consider the idea of a "Simple Church".
Simple Church is done with the minimum of resources releasing the maximum potential.
A simple church will put more and more emphasis on the ministry of the whole people and less and less emphasis on the ministry of paid staff.
A simple church may have a large diversity of gathering times and styles but will have a sense of unity in purpose and values.
A simple church will use the buildings and spaces it finds itself amongst rather than create its own purpose built facilities.
A simple church may be high tech but will not be high maintenance.
A simple church will be low on ministry projects and schemes but will be high on changing lives through the ministry of its people.
A simple church will rely more on the power of the Spirit than on the abilities we possess.
A simple church will need strong organisation and leadership but will be able to have fluid structures.
A simple church will have many entry points but a shared goal.
A simple church will not see the preservation of itself as a goal but will be constantly reproducing and redeveloping itself.
A simple church will have a strong sense of being part of one community but will be open to all.
