Methodist Church decides to marginalise itself

Methodist Church decides to marginalise itself

It has been evident for some time that the Methodist Church in Britain is increasingly on the margins of society, with dwindling numbers and influence. Such a trend is difficult to reverse as it is part of a larger, complex shift in the way religion and Christian faith are viewed in ‘post-modern’ Britain. What is particularly galling, however, is that through the Fruitful Field project the Methodist Church has actually encouraged this marginalisation by disengaging from public theology.

Allied with this is the Church’s insistence that it is no longer a Church – but a movement. So, not only is the Methodist Church marginalising itself, it is also diminishing itself. The architects of Fruitful Field would of course claim different motivations and aims – opposite ones in fact. Which makes these unintended consequences all the more sad.

What is also disturbing is the degree to which the Fruitful Field project is about control. The manifold creative, yet untidy (even unruly), relationships with ecumenical partners and centres of academic excellence are being crudely rationalised so that the world can be more ordered and more easily managed and manipulated. Regionalisation will further reduce the influence of District Chairs and checks and balances will be whittled away. Already it is very difficult for those offering an alternative vision to raise their heads above the parapet. A denomination which prides itself on being non-conformist is being forced to conform.

The need to cut costs of course is cited as a major factor in this process, though figures have at best been hazy and often absent. And where has been the entrepreneurial flair that would have seen the huge financial potential of Methodist assets realised so much more imaginatively and productively?

These are some of the dispiriting consequences of the Fruitful Field project, helping to create a marginalised sect shaped for irrelevance. What can be salvaged? What can be done to reverse these trends? Whither Methodism?