Book Review - The Body of Christ

The Body of Christ - A review by Rev Dave Thomas of the book "Being an Intergenerational Church" by Suzi Farrant and Darren Philip

Does the 'Body of Christ' really embrace the whole body? If we understand the Body of Christ to be the worshipping community of Jesus as it gathers, aka the church, one may be forgiven for thinking it doesn't. After all, many of our churches today are small in number and quite mature in age, such that the young child, teenager, and young adult generations are either not present or segregated from the whole. When we think of the Body as each member being of vital importance, each having a role to play to make the whole a thriving, ongoing, purposeful concern, we have to stand back, look at ourselves and wonder. Perhaps it's time, argues Farrant & Philip, to take stock of what we've become in order to envisage who we can become.

Carefully and respectfully grafted into this exciting read are thought-provoking concepts, deep theological reflection and substantial and significant challenges aimed at creating, leading, and equipping a new story. A story not predicated on scarcity and withdrawal, on lack and closures, on rules and regulations, but on Holy Spirit empowerment, on our unity – being better together (all ages, all cultures, all of all), on relationship building, on experimenting with experiential learning, and on our core mission to be a church of soul-winners even more than being a soul-winning church.

The authors argue, convincingly in my view, that the old days of us and them viz. adults and children as separate classes of people whereby one couldn't engage with the other, teachers and learners in which the notion of I'm right, and you're wrong was so much a part of the mantra; are gone. Interestingly, to help counter such a narrow view of the church community, they cite Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Protestant theologian, important for his support of ecumenism and his view of Christianity's role in a secular world (amongst other issues) and his writings in some of his various theses. If nothing else, such a referral assists in the reader's acknowledgment that the issues promoted throughout this book are not necessarily new. It's that they have been largely ignored and at our peril.

What I like about this book is that in addition to stating the issues facing what the authors suggest is an archaic and dying view of the church, as the last 60 years would seem to attest (talking generally, of course), they express what they believe we can expect should we embrace the intergenerational church. A church that embodies each generation as one who can inform and indeed help form the other, regardless of age, such that "in our life together, we see each other through the lens of Christ and love them for who they already are, without the need or desire to hold power over them or influence them into our mould" (p112).

The way Farrant & Philip weave together new and exciting expectations that could be ours should we embrace their way of being is inspirational and, in my view, is needed to give added justification to those who may yet be sceptical about the need to change. They talk of joy, being both receptors and givers and, in the process, having fun and enjoying life together despite differences. Worship is led by people of all ages and has, as its theoretical base, an understanding of how individuals tend to think within a worship setting, namely spiritual styles of action, word, symbol and emotion. I found this fascinating as it provides some input into how we might approach people within and beyond this medium of church life.

This is just a snippet of the 'gold' contained within the pages of this book. It needs to be on the 'must-read' list of all those serious about the current state of the church and where it might be headed. Students envisaging becoming Ministers of the Gospel ought to be reading this as a part of their formation and be encouraged to share their insights. Ministers and Church Councils should take time to test this new story as it may just be the story that helps bring new life, energy and an intergenerational focus to who we become. Highly recommended!