8 October 2025

Bringing congregations together is an enormous undertaking. Some have to sell their buildings. With this loss, Sunday worship means travelling to another village, accommodating different traditions, losing the familiarity of past  traditions.

Some people have become down-hearted and wearied by the process which can take a very long time. In a prospective union with which I am involved, it has taken a year and a half to bring the negotiations to a conclusion.

Although there is much consultation, there is also pressure to fulfil the wishes of the Presbytery. Everyone appreciates the concerns – loss of members, income and ministers. It generates a sense of powerlessness and a growth in cynicism. ‘It’s going to happen whether we like it or not.’

And then when the congregations start worshipping together, there is alarm. For example, a different form of the Lord’s Prayer is being used in each of the uniting congregations. ‘I was so confused.’ said one. ‘I’m not going back!’ said another exercising some control over a major change which they feel powerless to change!

For most of my ministry, I recited the traditional version of the Lord’s Prayer using debts rather than the episcopal trespasses. But in the latter half of my ministry, I introduced the International Consultation on English Texts’ version at all age worship. There was always someone who made objection.

There are only four points of variation. ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’ contains two and it gets rid of debts and trespasses in one elegant swoop!  I once had a member who insisted on reciting the Lord’s Prayer in French. My view was that it can be recited in any language and in any form to our personal and corporate benefit!