Moderator's Address

The Revd Alasdair Pratt

Exile or Exodus?

A summary of the Moderator's address

‘The future is uncertain. It always has been. It always will be.’ That was the context in which incoming Moderator Alasdair Pratt challenged the Church to have the courage to rethink its life and witness of the church in a time of profound and sometimes disturbing change in the society around. Alasdair confessed to being one of a dying breed: brought up in the church, his thinking shaped by its life and culture. His ministry had been spent in single pastorate within a denomination which was increasingly dominated by shared ministry. But though he had much to learn in his year as moderator, he brought to it a conviction of the importance of the ministry of word and sacrament and a belief in the potential of local congregations to respond to the opportunities and challenges of our day.

In some ways, he confessed, the course his life had taken meant his experience of the wider world, with its pressure and competitiveness, was limited. Even the culture in which he had been brought up, which emphasized duty, loyalty and commitment to the future, was now largely a thing of the past. The weakening of a sense of shared values and of respect for institutions had its effect on the church as on the rest of society and led to a privatised form of religion which was fundamentally unchristian and undercut the commitment to the Christian community. While dutiful captivity was not kingdom life, without commitment there was no true discipleship.

For many Christians the current situation had parallels with the exile in the Old Testament, bringing with it a sense of loss of place, loss of identity, loss of hope and – therefore – despair. We needed to remind ourselves that it was in exile that the people of Israel rediscovered confidence and a sense of purpose. And we needed to remember, too, that for younger members the society was not a place to which they were exiled, it was their home, nor was our present state the temporary one which the word ‘exile’ might suggest. So while for some we might be in exile, for others it was an exodus, a journey in faith to a new and uncertain land.

Outside the church, paradoxically, while many rejected the institution as an anachronism, there was a widespread thirst for the spiritual. One of the most crucial tasks for the church was to learn to talk to the many people who long for a sense of God who is deep, personal, abiding and yet who find the questions posed by science and human wickedness apparently irreconcilable with their longing. In his own ministry, Alasdair testified that some of the most rewarding times had been with those who were on a journey of faith and combined a willingness to share some traditional affirmations with the ability to live with question marks. ‘I enjoy walking with those who think and wrestle with the big questions of life.’

In considering the church’s response to the new situation in which it found itself, the Moderator returned to the theme of exile. It was in exile, he reiterated, the Israel had recovered their vision, confidence and purpose. The prophets of the exilic period represented some of the heights of Israel’s spiritual journey, bringing spiritual renaissance out of crushing defeat. The experience created the prophet-poets whose vision is the foundation of a renewed faith and an alternative life-style. Where were the prophets and poets of today? Far from being a time when the church should despair, this was moment to be grasped and an opportunity to recast our traditions in ways appropriate to today.

What was needed was return to the fundamental task of making real God’s love in the world. What was needed was a renewed vision and the current review of the church’s life being carried out under the guidance of the general secretary must not merely be about reorganization – it must seek the renewed vision in the confidence that people would respond.

But the task was not only for the review group. Each local church should be a place where individuals and a community can find the shape willed by the creator – a place of love, a place of honesty, a place that accepted the seeker, a place that shared faith and doubt, a people committed to justice and peace. The church was about people living authentically, about being genuine and not just being religious. A place where it was not regarded as a weakness to be vulnerable. Jesus had reached out to the mystery of God in peoples’ lives but was never coercive. Nor should we be. It was not our job to change people – we could leave that to God.

The process of change would be disorienting for some. It would undoubtedly be risky but faith in God did not mean insulation from risks, rather it gave a firm foundation from which risks could be faced.

Alasdair Pratt concluded: ‘It is often said that the church is in a time of transition. Surely all time is a time of transition. We are told, the future is uncertain. It always has been. It always will be. That is the nature of the future. How can it be otherwise? What matters is how we go into that future. The Lord says “I will not leave you desolate. I will be with you.”’

You can read the full text of Alasdair Pratt's address to Assembly in the following sections:

[ Part I: Exile or Exodus ] [ Part II: The Context of Cultural Change ] [ Part III: Exile ] [ Part IV: The Search for a New Spirituality ] [ Part V: The Jacob Factor ] [ Part VI: The Church in Post-Modern Society ] [ Part VII: The Task of the Local Church ] [ Part VIII: Risk and Hope ] [ Part IX:Conclusion ]

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