21 July 2025

I met another retired minister recently and quite by chance. In the course of our conversation, he referenced a particular congregation where a minister was making an impact. He had been in the charge for many years and had nurtured a wide-ranging ministry with people of all ages.

I knew the minister and the charge and couldn’t deny the evangelical zeal of the minister. What concerned me about this ministry was the cult of personality which characterised it. ‘What was going to happen to this charge when the minister was called elsewhere?’

As our conversation progressed, I became more concerned by what my old friend was saying. ‘Referring to this charge which we both knew, he went on to say, ‘It’s one of only twelve charges in the Church of Scotland which are alive.’ And then he added somberly, ‘Only twelve!’

My immediate reaction was shock but then I began to analyse what he was saying. What are the criteria for a congregation that is alive? Is it dependent on what can be seen on the surface? Or is it more to do with what the Spirit is doing under the surface in hidden, unobtrusive and quiet ways?

The emphasis on the five marks of mission and on congregations being able to demonstrate what they are doing to fulfil the mission of the Church  in their locale has undoubtedly refocused our attention on ourselves and not on God. The preservation of buildings is even dependent upon this demonstration.

What is being valued is what we might call our ‘conceit for Jesus’. I tell you all I am doing to illustrate my discipleship and reveal how the mission of God is being fulfilled locally. But in this, I also tell you much about myself and what I am doing albeit clothed with the seamless robe of Christ.