I'm sat at my desk looking at the latest mailing from Reform, which has asked me to re-register my membership, and I'm asking myself the question: 'Should I?'
I joined Reform at the very beginning, thrilled, like many, that at last there was going to be some kind of organised resistance to the increasing apostasy of the Anglican hierarchy. And there have been high points and some successes to that resistance. Reform seemed to become the media spokesman for biblical Christianity at one stage when the issues were flying think and fast. Certainly Reform's existence has given heart to many who are striving to be faithful to the Word of God within the Anglican set up, but my questions is, after all the huffing and puffing and posturing-what has it actually achieved?
My fears were highlighted by the 5th anniversary broadsheet, which talked much about resistance, but seemed distinctly lacking on any positive achievements.
Resistance movement
But to assess a record of resistance is difficult. One could argue, as some have, that the CofE has been deteriorating less quickly than it would have without Reform's opposition. But that point begs the question: if we Anglicans are resigned to the fact that the denomination of which we are part is in meltdown mode - why prolong the agony? Why not pre-empt the inevitable and abandon ship now? It would save us a heap of time further down the track. Or if Reform is not yet strong enough to take a commanding lead in that direction, or more likely, there are too few brave enough to follow such a lead, let's at least be a little clearer in our aims and work towards creating an evangelical grouping within the denomination that is building the structures for the schism that will inevitably follow.
Of course, the cry is that the current structure is still worth saving, that it's still the best boat to fish from and that in diosceses where there are decent bishops things aren't all that bad.
True, the situation in the Church of England is very patchy: Reform members have had little to do in some areas, whereas in Southwark there have been a many positive Reform initiatives, including the establishment of an alternative lay reader training programme to replace the hopelessly liberal scheme the diocese had on offer.
My basic concern is this. An organisation cannot survive by defining itself by its opposition to other things. Like a political party in opposition, it has the luxury of being able to criticise without the responsibility to lead. But come election day, it must publish a manifesto, and have the credentials to back it and demonstrate its workability.
Reform, for whatever reason, has the feel of being a reactive organisation: sat around waiting for the bishops to do something silly so that we can fax press releases and appear on the inevitable TV programmes and be quoted in the papers.
This belies what it is supposed to be. The aim as stated on the renewal form: 'Our overall aim, to win the nation for Christ'. It seems to me that Reform has, as yet, done very little to advance that aim.
Now I don't mind being a protester, when there's something worth protesting against. But I want to be part of a pro-active organisation involved in some way - however small - in trying to fulfill the aim of winning the nation for Christ. So that within the fellowship of our Reform churches, we give each other the leadership and start the initiatives in evangelism and training and ministry that may renew the CofE from within.
The longer that Reform presents itself to the outside world as a group of reactionaries, the less people will be inclined to belong. But an organisation that is using its membership to help build each others' churches, that is active in promoting gospel and Bible centred ministry, and that is keeping itself free from bureaucracy and focused on the job in hand, will be the kind of group that people in the wider Anglican church will want to buy into.
Let's get evangelical!
So here's my suggestion for the powers that be. Why not set up a Reform task force of ordinary pew-fillers, who are trained in door-to-door evangelism. Ask them to give up a week of their holidays each year to be part of an evangelistic team in other Reform parishes, so that we have teams large enough to visit every home in every Reform parish, every three years.
OK, so it's full of holes, and needs refining, and there are a million reasons why it won't work, but at least it's making a stab at fulfilling our aim. At least it's pro-active, at least it's not sitting around waiting for another CofE report on something for us to whinge about. And it's the sort of initiative that will draw people into our fellowship, rather than repel them.
And my application to re-join? In the hope that Reform will reform itself, it's in the post.
