Declining to be church? Rediscovering God’s time and action through paying careful attention to a numerically declining church

Abstract

ABSTRACT Church decline is typically seen as a problem to be solved. Many denominations have developed strategies of renewal to address the problem of numerical decline. By paying attention to a particular church in numerical decline through a theological action research project, this paper asks whether there might be different narratives to be uncovered, and particular gifts that declining churches might offer; gifts such as quietness, presence, and welcome. While recognising some of the descriptive value of the typical narrative of decline, taking the example of the life-cycle of a church model, this study shows its diagnosis to be misplaced. It challenges the model’s assumptions around aging, time and hope, and by developing the conversation with the work of Andrew Root, Rowan Williams and John Swinton it shows how a declining church actually offers a different perspective on aging, time and on God’s action in the world. The paper concludes by suggesting that a church in numerical decline is not just a problem to be solved, but an invitation to pay attention to God in the present.