Building Up the Church - Softcover

What is the basic reason a parish does not grow? Because it does not want to grow? Growth means change, lack of stability, new possibilities. Do we seek a place of worship that provides one quiet center in a changing world?

That is not the world the Lord Jesus Christ died to give us. The world of Easter is a new world, different from what we have known on earth. But the symbols of that new world are found here and now in the Body of Christ the church. This Body is a growing, changing, pulsing center of new life. And there are signs of this new life all around us, if we allow them to take root- and to grow.

Let us continue in our common work to build up the church.

Fear and ignorance are two of the most common barriers to spiritual growth. Sometimes the fear is misplaced- "I don't want to take spiritual growth seriously because I might become a religious fanatic who is an embarrassment to friends and an object of scorn to others." Cuthbert Beardsly, one-time Bishop of Coventry, once said somewhat ruefully, "Delirious enthusiasm not the chief peril facing the English clergy." I think we can accurately apply these words to many average members of our congregations. Indeed, a significant amount of spiritual growth could occur in many Episcopal congregations before religious fanaticism became a threat.