The Church in the City: Partnership and Hospitality
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The Church in the City: Partnership and Hospitality Paul Shackerley Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sheffield Department of Biblical Studies and The Urban Theology Unit in Sheffield August 2007 1 ABSTRACT The Church in the City: Partnership and Hospitality The growth of the Church of England has been partly obstructed by its outmoded structures and ecclesiology and society’s diminishing interest in institutional religion. Some city and peripheral urban churches struggle to engage effectively in partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies and Government. This is largely due to depleted financial and human resources and obsolete models of priesthood. These considerations place significant pressure and challenges before the Church of England’s mission. This research evaluates the theology and impact of the momentous report, Faith in the City and the recent report, Faithful Cities . The reports present the complexities of urban living and the Church’s responses to urban poverty. The contexts and reports challenge priests to consider new roles to engage in partnerships. The urban contexts are concrete spaces where political and ethical struggles are expressed. This research explores the similarities and contrasts of two different urban contexts, through observations and narratives, where the Church of England is engaging with poverty and partnerships. Two particular sites are researched in some detail; first, the Boarded Barns estate in Chelmsford, Essex and its parish of All Saints Church; second, Sheffield Cathedral with its particular mission to the homeless. From the research, it is clear that the life experiences of those who live in cities and urban estates live complex lives amidst a variety of struggles and poverty. The concrete urban realities express the social and daily struggles against poverty, homelessness, and poor education. The challenge remains for theology to continually evaluate and comment more fully on urban problems. The thesis argues that Christianity continues to exist as a religion that contributes to urban regeneration and the transformation of communities in urban Britain. The role of theology and the Church of England in urban contexts continues as a positive partner with the forces for social change. The Church particularly has a vocation and ongoing responsibility to engage fully with the regeneration of peripheral territories of inner estates and cities. 2 Acknowledgements I am very grateful to Professor Keith Whitelam, The University of Sheffield Department of Biblical Studies, for his clarity of focus and wise guidance throughout this research. This thesis is a result of his editorial skills, directive guidance, and critical questioning. My thanks are also given to the Reverend Dr John Vincent, the Urban Theology Unit in Sheffield, for his passion and belief in liberation of the marginalised, and understanding the importance and relevance of this research for my continual ministerial formation. Finally, I thank the people whose stories are told in this thesis, for their hospitality and willingness to contribute, and for all who undertake work among the poor. 3 CONTENTS Title 1 Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 3 Contents 4 Introduction 9 1 CHAPTER ONE: FAITH IN THE CITY 1.1 Introduction 19 1.2 Christian Socialism 21 1.3 Theological Consideration 23 1.4 New Challenges 24 1.5 Regeneration 27 1.6 Undeveloped Theology 35 1.7 Liberation and Spirituality 41 1.8 Faith in the City 43 1.9 The Marxist Critique 45 1.10 Positive Responses to Faith in the City 48 1.11 The Church’s Initiatives 51 2 CHAPTER TWO: PERIPHERAL URBAN TERRITORY: THE BOARDED BARNS ESTATE 2.1 Introduction 55 4 2.2 Historical Context 57 2.3 The Post World War Two Developments 58 2.4 Further Depression 61 2.5 A New Generation of Poverty and Decline 63 2.6 The New Immigrants 65 2.7 The Church’s Response to Poverty and Immigrants 67 2.8 The Recession of Sustained Growth 69 2.9 The Missionary Focus 75 2.10 Hindrance to Mission 81 3 CHAPTER THREE: DIOCESE AND PARISH PARTNERSHIP 3.1 Introduction 88 3.2 The Chelmsford Diocese: Investors in People and Church 90 3.3 Development of Diocesan and Parish Partnerships 92 3.4 New Parish Initiatives 95 3.5 Changes in Strategic Direction 100 3.6 Mission Shaped Church and Fresh Expressions 103 3.7 Mistrust to Partnership 108 3.8 Memories and Uninformed Prejudice 113 3.9 Child Education: The Stories of Poverty and Opportunity 118 3.10 New School Initiatives 124 3.11 Child Poverty and Social Exclusion 126 5 4 CHAPTER FOUR: FAITHFUL CITIES 4.1 Introduction 131 4.2 Recommendations of the Faithful Cities Report 133 4.3 The Church Urban Fund’s Contributions to Mission 135 4.4 Faithful Cities’ Pervasive Theology 137 4.5 The Influence and Weakness of Liberation Theology 140 4.6 Faithful Cities under Scrutiny 143 4.7 Multiple Theologies in Community 147 4.8 Shaping the Future or Empty Rhetoric 153 4.9 The Centrality of Christology for Hospitality 155 4.10 Ecumenical Considerations 159 5 CHAPTER FIVE: URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION 5.1 Introduction 163 5.2 A City Fashioned by its Craft 166 5.3 Rhetoric of Moral Responsibility 169 5.4 Urban Disparities and Alienations 174 5.5 The Single Regeneration Budget 175 5.6 The New Digital Industries in Sheffield 182 5.7 A Cathedral for an Urban City 187 5.8 A Building of Urban Resources 193 5.9 The Conflict between Businesses and Mission Paradigms 199 5.10 Paradigms of Rhetorical Discourses 207 6 6 CHAPTER SIX: HOMELESSNESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY URBAN LANDSCAPE 6.1 Introduction 214 6.2 The Sheffield Cathedral The Archer Project 218 6.3 The People of the Project 225 6.4 The Stories of Vulnerability and Homelessness 229 6.5 Blissful Sleep 231 6.6 Down on Luck 233 6.7 The Fed-Up Woman 234 6.8 The World is too Big 236 6.9 Handouts and Health 237 6.10 Unqualified for a Home 239 6.11 A Recovering Alcoholic 242 6.12 Abandonment 244 6.13 Christine’s Story 245 6.14 Conclusion 247 7 CHAPTER SEVEN: THE PRACTICE OF HOSPITALITY ON THE MARGINS 7.1 Introduction 251 7.2 The Old Testament Biblical Imperative for Inclusive Hospitality 255 7.3 The Feeding of the Five Thousand in John and Luke 258 7.4 Challenges to Priestly Discipleship 267 7.5 Hospitality as Theological Praxis 274 7 7.6 The Church as a Repository 286 8 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION 8.1 Introduction 289 8.2 Tragic Centred Congregations: The Place of Failure 290 8.3 Community Centred Congregations: The Place of Inclusion 295 8.4 The Future of Liberation Theology 305 8.5 Conclusion 306 Bibliography 311 Reports 324 Internet Resources 327 Appendix A 332 Appendix B 341 Appendix C 344 Appendix D 350 Appendix E 352 Appendix F 358 Appendix G 369 8 INTRODUCTION This inquiry’s twin windows of reality are concerned with the interconnection between the nature of theology and the Church of England’s distinctive mission to the socially excluded. The research is set in two contexts of ministry. Firstly, a housing estate in Essex, and secondly, Sheffield city centre. The research was conceived through a number of lenses, and through a plethora of experiences, between 1996 and 2002, as the incumbent of the parish church of All Saints on the Boarded Barns housing estate in Chelmsford. After a brief introduction in chapter one, and an extended chapter that critiques the Church of England’s Faith in the City report , the research explores the particularity of the Church of England parochial context in Chelmsford and its lack of engagement with this landmark report, Faith in the City. The chapters are set in a sequential order of experiences alongside the two timely reports, Faith in the City and Faithful Cities. This is why the Chelmsford parish is placed in chapter two, following a critique of Faith in the City , before developing the sequential material of the Faithful Cities report and the Sheffield context. The two reports offer research and narratives, analysis and reflections, which fit well with the two contexts where I worked as a priest in the parish of All Saints between 1997 and 2002 and, between 2002 and 2007, as Chair of the Sheffield Cathedral Archer Project and Vice Dean of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. 9 Another reason for conducting the research was the increasing body of literature that was being written about how Christianity should engage with the changing culture. The post-modern phenomenon was understood as a threat to the Church of England’s existence that was causing rapid decline. Participation in these two different ministerial contexts provoked me to seek clarity and vision about the Church of England’s task and mission in dialogue with the voices and experiences of two communities. I also needed to address the concerns and threats to the authenticity and credence of Church of England leadership and mission. How could the local institution respond positively, in partnership with other agencies, without losing its spirituality, faith rhetoric, and practice? 1 In 1997, when I began the thesis, a significant body of literature also influenced my decision to evaluate and research the first context, to see how post-modernity was influencing the parish church’s decline. 2 Alongside the wave of post-modern and post-Christian feminist literature, urban geographers in the United States of America were writing on the vast changes and impacts of globalisation on the urban scene. However, the theme of globalisation only latterly developed in the late 1990s and the first years of the 21 st century, which is why the phenomenon of globalisation was researched.