The church's greatest strength - the capacity for renewal

This Sunday I visited Firwood Church in Oldham which, I suspect, is typical of a whole breed of new, though not necessarily 'emerging' churches. I say not emerging because, when you probe beneath the surface a little, and you find a very traditional theology.

Various things stood out from the couple of hours or so I spent there:

* direction and purpose - there is obviously an effective leadership team
* community and belonging - the church has been in existence only a few years and everybody clearly feels themselves to be a stakeholder
* humanity and humour - no silly traditions or rituals to get in the way of normality
* commitment to evangelism - Firwood runs two PHUD outreach teams (Proclaiming His Undying Love)which talk to and pray for people in the town centre on Saturday mornings plus a range of other intiatives. We don't exist to be a club, but to witness to Jesus Christ and win disciples for him was the message that came over loud and clear.
* preaching and teaching - perhaps an over-commitment here as sermons typically last ONE HOUR. Doubtless OK when the Pastor is preaching, not so OK as this week when it is the Youth Pastor. A lovely manner and some good illustrations, but otherwise many tangents and significant rambling, albeit on a tricky passage (Psalm 127)
* involvement of a sizeable body of youth drawn in by, for example, football held after church on a Sunday evening.
* sensitive engagement with the local Muslim community - no demonising going on here
* the effective use of new technologies e.g. video projector, website, vodcasting etc. (the latter is like podcasting but with video - I had to guess :-) )
* most impressive of all was the fact that here in what appeared to be a fairly run down part of Oldham a church was prospering by doing traditional church, albeit with a contemporary edge, very well. But isn't what the church had always done. 2000 years old and still in business.