Address given by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Clergy of the Chelmsford Diocese

Just a few weeks ago we celebrated the beginning of the year 2000 AD. That event was marked by many different moods and emotions; but its true significance, as a number of us stressed on many occasions, lay in the letters 'AD', Anno Domini, the year of our Lord. That brief phrase reminds us of something the New Testament underlines time and again - that the story of Jesus is indeed the hinge of history. It is the Kairos moment above all others and the calendar we have inherited boldly declares that the crucified, risen and reigning Christ is the only King whose reign we measure across the centuries.

But today, rather than looking to the past, I want to look forwards and to ask: What kind of world is developing at present and what kind of Church are we shaping for that future which is so unknown and uncertain?

Looking to that future, then, I want to consider the way ahead for the Church of England by exploring three key themes: confidence, mission and glory.

First then, the Confidence of the Church in an Age of Change. In this country, as in most of northern Europe, we face a major missionary challenge. We must be realistic: contemporary society is, in significant ways, sometimes hostile to traditional Christian belief and Christian values - however frequently we see God's grace at work in those who do not acknowledge him.

To face this challenge we must begin with a right theology of God. Confidence without God is merely whistling in the dark; a wistful hope for a better tomorrow. A confident faith is nurtured in a theological vision of the power of God. Facile pessimism is bad theology! Two hundred years ago Samuel Butler, Bishop of Bristol, declined the Prime Minister's offer to be Archbishop of Canterbury on the grounds that there is "no hope for this failing Church." How wrong he was. We are still here, and we might well contrast that pessimistic statement with the optimism of another Bishop Butler, Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark who, in a book jointly written with his wife, wrote: "We have a vision of a world renewed for God by God, and as we proceed on our journey of faith we, from time to time, are granted glimpses of the promised land which confirm for us that our journey is no wish dream but the most important thing in life or death."

Again we must return to the significance of the letters 'AD'. The Church is not in the business of keeping a Church organisation going for its own sake but in bearing witness to Jesus Christ. Christ crucified; Christ risen from the dead; Christ ascended in glory. And that is why Christians are incorrigibly hopeful people - or, at least, why we should be. Just as Samuel Johnston could confess that it was impossible for him to be a true philosopher because cheerfulness kept breaking through, so the faithful followers of Jesus Christ find faith, hope and love piercing the uncertainty and fragility of life and changing the way we see the future. Karl Rahner, that great Roman Catholic theologian and ecumenist, wrote of God's love for humanity: "If the Church were to develop into a merely humanitarian concern it would be betraying its responsibility because its task is to proclaim to human beings the ultimate seriousness and incomprehensible dignity of this love for human beings." Love expressed, not through words alone, nor in bursts of special activity, but in consistent self-giving taken to the ultimate. W.H. Vanstone's magnificent hymn says it well:

Therefore he who shows us God
helpless hangs upon the tree;
and the nails and crown of thorns
tell us of what God's love must be.

This love is the bedrock of faith, the inspiration of Christianity and the ground of our confidence in him.

And it is this confidence in God that we must allow to permeate and envision our thinking. The claims of the Gospel of Christ must mark the work of our Church. And here I want to make a few comments about some of the statistics that have been receiving such attention recently. We are currently using about five measures of our worldly well-being which the person on the street can understand: attendance, vocations, giving, investment performance and education. Yes, there is a gentle drift downwards in attendance of 1.8% between 1996 and 1997 to just under a million - if you use average Sunday attendance figures. But that is a big 'if'. We undertook a rigorous exercise to measure all adult worshippers in 19 dioceses in October 1997 and, to no one's surprise, found that usual Sunday attendance figures under-represented the number of adults who attended Church of England Sunday services by as much as 50% and, overall, by 27%.

In addition, patterns of church-going are shifting. In the past, statistics, by focussing exclusively on Sunday attendance, failed to reflect this. There are Churches in the City of London, for example, that are packed on a Wednesday lunchtime - and closed on a Sunday.

Church-going is by no means the only index of Christian belief in a community - but it is significant and it is noticed. We need reliable figures and we shall get them - in the interests of everybody. But even if we do have access to those figures, they will present a far from complete picture if we are trying to measure the impact of our churches in the life of our land.

Let me follow the apostolic example of St Paul who, in 2 Corinthians 11, boasts of his trophies in Christ and let me list some of ours. All the other Christian Churches have their own distinctive treasures, which I value and honour as a fellow Christian, but it does us no harm to remember our own special contribution as Anglicans. There are 16,000 parish churches in England where the praises of God are sung; where faithful congregations lovingly maintain time honoured stone and fabric. In every diocese, including your own, there are churches which are growing numerically. In every diocese, too, there are many churches in which the faith is being effectively communicated, joyfully celebrated, and lived out quietly in a spirit of true sacrifice.

Nearly 10,000 stipendiary priests live in our parishes, working in collaboration with 2,000 non stipendiary priests and another 10,000 Licensed Readers. Indeed, when you add in the many serving through chaplaincies, and those who remain very active in retirement, the total of those involved in one of these ministries comes to more than 27,500. In addition, we have some 1400 people in training for the ordained ministry - the highest number for 20 years. Hardly a sign of a declining church! Indeed, ordination figures are up for the fourth year running. Of course this presents us with a financial challenge - but hardly a crisis if the problem is created by very good news. The Church of England's parishes cover every inch of the country. Indeed, it is a remarkable fact that we have more clergy now in the urban areas than we had ten years ago, and those clergy do actually live in their communities - unlike many of the other professionals who work in them.

And we as a Church are showing more success in the area of stewardship, as well. Planned giving by individuals has gone past the £6 per week level. From that giving, we recover tax of some £38m and when the new Gift Aid comes on stream that should grow to £55m. Still on figures, our investments managed by the Church Commissioners now total some £4bn and have out-performed comparable investment funds over the last five years. As you know, much of this money contributes significantly to ministry in poorer dioceses and your own pensions.

Ten years ago the Church of England committed itself to expanding its urban presence through Faith in the City and the Church Urban Fund; an initiative which has fuelled numerous urban projects, often carried through in partnership with other local agencies, Churches and faith groups. We have nearly 5,000 Church of England schools, that is more than a fifth of all state schools, serving 12.5% of all children educated in the public sector in England. What is more, these schools are hugely popular with parents as the Government and many LEA's acknowledge. Recently, as many of you will know, Lord Dearing has agreed to chair a review looking at the ways we can make a still greater contribution to education in this land, particularly at the secondary level.

The Decade of Evangelism may be drawing to a close, but one result of that Decade has been to put evangelism firmly back on our Church's agenda. Dioceses and parishes alike are seeking ways to be an outward-looking, positive Church at the heart of our nation. All this speaks of a Church that has grasped hold of something of the greatness of God, and suggests that confidence is not just a desirable goal to aim for but is something that is already present and is being actively expressed.

If confidence is my first word, then mission must be my second: the Mission of the Church in an Age of Challenge.

The pace of change in our world has accelerated dramatically. Economic, social and cultural changes are sweeping across the globe. Some of these, like the fall of totalitarian Communism and Apartheid, bring hope. Continuing wars, injustice, poverty and environmental devastation, are profoundly discouraging. But my key point for now is that religion and the search for a deeper spirituality have not been left behind by the many changes going on. There is no sign of the demise of religion in the world at large. Even in Western Europe, the decline in formal religious observance clearly does not imply wholesale abandonment of belief in the religious and spiritual significance of life. Some are, of course, hostile or indifferent, but I discern a continuing deep respect these days for the Churches when the faith is practised with sincerity.

If I am right in painting a picture of a society not necessarily antagonistic to faith but in many cases distant from the claims of organised religion, what does this have to say to us about the 'way ahead' in Mission as we enter this new Millennium?

As I suggested a moment ago, I believe we need to pay more attention to the spiritual needs of our day. What did William Temple mean when he said long ago, "the Church of England is dying of good taste"? Temple would not have argued against the excellence of our choral traditions any more than I would, but I believe he was addressing the urgent need to have forms of liturgy which connect with the wide variety of people who make up our nation.

I have been encouraged, too, by the very imaginative ways with which many churches celebrated the start of the year 2000. It was clear that up and down the country many people wanted to participate in rituals such as the pealing of bells and the lighting of candles, as well as in silent prayer - through which they could express their longings, their searchings and supplications on their own terms and in their own way. The many churches that offered themselves generously and sensitively for these purposes were building bridges between people's innate spiritual needs and the life of the Church. I hope that many will take this much further, in imaginative new ways. We must make more space for people to open their hearts to God and express themselves - and not be content simply to offer our own established rituals on a 'take-it-or-leave-it' basis.

I am glad, too, that it is now so common for the churches to arrange for spiritual gatherings, celebrations and prayer outside, as well as within, church buildings. The flourishing condition of many retreat houses, home groups, and church plants provides some interesting patterns for further developments. I think, for example, of the work of Taizé and the L'Arche Communities with their profound impact on the lives of thousands of young people. Some parishes too are using their church buildings to develop youth congregations, whilst elsewhere many are making creative use of special services touching people at times of joy, or sorrow, or concern in their lives - be they in the renewal of marriage vows, the anniversaries of a bereavement, or in response to a passion to care for our environment. We must continue to multiply the opportunities we give for spiritual searching, discussion and ritual beyond the more traditional setting of our regular church services.

Of course, as we all know, the two primary tasks of the Church are worship and witness. It ever lives both to extol the majesty and greatness of God and to proclaim his love both in word and action. Let me say four things about the latter and about the links between mission and evangelism.

First, we must develop imaginative ways of speaking about the Christian faith both in the words we use, and the ways we say them. I am not talking primarily about finding ways in which to address the real questions that thinking people see as obstacles to faith - science, the problem of evil and the apparent irrelevance of an institutional faith. All those are important of course, but I am speaking more broadly of finding ways of conversing that will allow the Church to tell its story.

Language is tricky stuff, of course, in that human beings use language in different ways at different times. We need to be wary, too, of talking to each other within our churches in a sort of ecclesiastical code: we must be mindful of the effect that such 'insider speak' has on newcomers or others who are unfamiliar with it. Expanding our language will require enlisting to our aid novelists, poets, musicians and artists who, from their exploration, touch the world of the spirit and as a result move us into the arena of spirituality. It was in reference to this exploration that the late Bishop John Tinsley, quoting the poet Emily Dickinson, urged the Church to "tell it slant": in other words, there are ways of expressing the Christian message that may resonate better and more deeply than bald statements and may draw people on to explore questions of faith. We have wonderful opportunities to convey the faith - in words, but also in music and the visual arts - all of which need to be put creatively to the service of the Gospel.

Secondly, let us remember that the message of the Gospel and Gospel action are one!

In addressing fellow Anglicans gathered in Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina, at a gathering called to assess where we had reached as a Communion half-way through the Decade of Evangelism, I reminded my audience that "Mission which does not have evangelism as a focus is not Christian mission; and evangelism which keeps itself aloof from matters of justice and human welfare does not reflect adequately the Biblical revelation."

In our efforts to be Christ's apostles and disciples, we can be proud of the great charities and mission agencies which have close connections with our Church. We can be proud of organisations like the Church Army and the Mother's Union, who are responsible for such important work amongst those in the most deprived sections of our society. Likewise, overseas mission agencies such as CMS, USPG, and SAMS have a fine tradition of providing hospital care, education, and agricultural assistance, often for the poorest of the poor. But alongside the work of these bodies, there are also countless projects which are part of the mainstream life of parish churches up and down the country, not to mention the specialist ministries to prisons, hospitals, the armed forces, schools and industry. While not minimising the current work going on, let me urge all our churches to see social action and outreach as a natural extension of mission. It is the extent to which the local congregation can look outside of itself to the needs of others that gives the Church its authenticity in many people's eyes.

Thirdly, as I have hinted already, we must continue to incorporate evangelism more thoroughly into our systems. The Decade of Evangelism has been embraced both by central Church bodies and by all our dioceses with great seriousness.

But of course, more can and must be done by us all. We must use our imaginations more in showing that the Christian faith makes all the difference. We also must use our imaginations in finding ways of integrating new people into the worshipping life and structures of the Church so that they feel they belong and have a contribution to make. To take one example, let us be ready to learn from the rapid growth of Pentecostalism in South America and South East Asia. Or again, are there insights from the growing evangelical /charismatic tradition in this country that we should heed? For instance, how may we include contemporary forms of music alongside the traditional so that people are drawn to a deeper knowledge of God through a variety of means?

But nor should we simplistically equate the proclamation of the Good News with what happens in church on Sunday morning. The conversations we have with our families and friends, being the people we are in all we do in our daily lives, are all a part of being evangelists for Christ. We have to be prepared to get out there and be with people, for people - on their territory as well as ours. One of the congregations in my diocese, for example, has opened a Church in a disused pub and has created an ambience of worship which is very attractive to young people. Let me stress again that I am not advocating the wholesale rejection of the traditional and well-loved from the past, but I do plead for a vigorous diversification as we try to make the glories of the faith accessible to people where they are, now - and not where we might prefer them to be.

Fourthly, and following on from that, we must learn to be a more spiritually-generous Church. We are not here for ourselves, but for the world. Of course, people will sometimes let us down and abuse the trust we put in them; but that is no excuse for erecting barriers which will simply confirm the suspicion that many people have about the Church that we are not there for them. William Golding, in one of his books, describes a Religious Education lesson in which the teacher seeks to instil the Good News into one of her more reluctant pupils by slapping him three times around the head while, as the same time, shouting, "God is love." We can sometimes slip into less extreme versions of self-righteous, coercive or exclusive behaviour. Let us remember that our God is a Servant King, and that we are here to serve. The Church of England in particular is here to serve all parishioners, the whole country. We are a Church for England as well as a Church of England. If modern people are out of tune with the life of the Church, our task is to make connections with the inchoate hopes and feelings they bring at moments of celebration or sadness. It is said of the Servant in Isaiah 42 that "a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out." If that is an accurate description of our Lord, it is surely the 'mission statement' of the Church. The Early Church took note that 'kindness' (Chrestos) was but a hairs-breadth from 'Christos' (Christ). Such is the generosity of God which he calls us to share with him.

The Confidence of the Church in an Age of Change; the Mission of the Church in an Age of Challenge; and thirdly, and finally and very briefly, The Glory of God in an Age of Shadow. Now, when I say 'shadow' in this context, I am talking about that tension between the 'already' and the 'not yet' to which Paul refers in that famous passage from 1 Corinthians 13: "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." We live in an Age of Shadow because it has not yet been revealed to us what the future will hold. And so we live with a catalogue of worries, fears, and concerns - about war, sickness, poverty, violence… The list goes on. And we live with the pervasive need to make a difference in our world.

But as Christians, we also live in hope. On Jan 1st, I decided to read and meditate each day of this year 2000 on Ephesians 1:3-14. I commend such a daily discipline to you, although you may well decide on another passage. I deliberately leave the Greek text open on my prayer stall in the Lambeth Palace chapel. As I have done so, I have become excited by Paul's vision of God. It is a passage which starts with God's blessings and ends in God's glory. It speaks so eloquently of God's "purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time," and it reminds us each of "the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it." It is the kind of statement which stands in stark contrast to the assessments of some commentators about the way our world is going. Such is the foundation of Christian hope in an Age of Shadow.

Some years ago, Charles Colson, who had been deeply involved in the Watergate scandal in Washington, wrote this:

The sun is setting on western civilisation. Ominous shadows fall across politics, family life and education. We live with a growing sense that things are winding down - that, somehow, freedom, justice, and order are slipping away. Scandals and scams are commonplace, as men and women trade character for cash and sacrifice commitment on the altar of selfishness. Divorce, drugs and easy sex create an environment of abuse for much of our youth. We stand on the brink of a new dark age.

Now, I sympathise with that verdict. But I wonder if Colson is in danger of leaving out God! You see, this is God's world, and he is never absent from it, will never depart from it and will never give up on it. His glory expressed in our worship and reflected in our lives will always result in realistic but optimistic people. As history has taught us, the Church is at its very best in adversity, when we have to rely on the grace of God for strength, vision and courage. It helps us to see beyond the apparent hopelessness of our predicaments and through the times of despair in the world. We are sustained instead by the irrepressible joy of God and his delight in the good. In the words of Dante's great vision of paradise:

O light eternal fixed in Self alone
Known only to Yourself, and knowing Self
You love and glow, knowing and being known!

... like a wheel in perfect balance turning
I felt my will and my desire impelled

By the love that moves the sun and the other stars.