Feature WHEN Lucy Moore established the first Messy Church in 2004, she never imagined it would grow into a worldwide phenomenon. The seeds of the Messy Church movement were planted in a small Anglican parish in a village north of Portsmouth. Fourteen years later, it has spread to more than 35 countries, including Australia, United States, South Africa, Germany, Mauritius and Mongolia. There are now approximately 4000 Messy Churches throughout the world. Ms Moore was recently in Melbourne for the Australasian Messy Church Conference. More than 170 Messy Church practitioners from Australia and New Zealand gathered in Parkville to network and share stories of faith and discipleship. Ms Moore developed the concept of Messy Church because her church’s traditional Sunday service was not meeting the needs of local families. “There were fewer and fewer families coming to our inherited – or ‘normal’ – church service on a Sunday,” Ms Moore said. “When we tried inviting people who weren’t already members of that church to come too, we found it really hard to think why they might come. “We have a really strong sense of a need to pass on the message of God’s good news to the next generation and we felt we weren’t doing that in our little parish.” Ms Moore and a group of friends from her parish explored different ways to connect with children. They concluded that instead of sending all the children away into a separate group, they should include all families together in worship. “There’s a lot of research that shows that’s how faith sticks, by being with people from other generations,” she said.
and they are worshipping God, not just being taught about him.” Ms Moore insists Messy Church is not trying to replace traditional church. It should instead be seen as a separate congregation working in synergy within the same church. “The Messy Church brings new life and new hope and new opportunities to serve God and develop new leaders,” she said. “It’s a fresh expression of the same truth. We’re not saying this is a better way of being church, we’re just saying there are different ways of being church.” The language familiar to many Christians – such as the body and blood of Christ – can be uncomfortable for children with no prior exposure to Christianity. Mr Ross said this presents a challenge – but also an opportunity – for congregations to share the Gospel in fresh ways. “Messy Churches are attracting more than half of their membership from people who have little or no exposure to Christianity,” Mr Ross said. “Teams running Messy Churches must never assume that prayers, music and sacramental life that shaped their faith have ever been experienced by the majority of people who attend their Messy Church.” But because Messy Church is built on a solid theological foundation, it retains its focus on Christ. All Messy Churches share five key values: Christ-centred, all-age, creativity, hospitality and celebration. “If we’re not about introducing people to the mystery of the risen Christ, we’re just another
Messy misconceptions
A common misconception of Messy Church is that it is a children’s program. Since its inception, Messy Church was designed to be an intergenerational church for people of all ages. “It’s very hard for people in traditional churches to get their heads around that because we’ve always done things by sending children out,” Ms Moore said. “Bringing people together is a huge mental leap to make.” A typical Messy Church meets monthly and begins with Bible-themed activities, such as crafts and games. This is usually accompanied with a short worship using story, music and prayers. Most Messy Churches end with a sit-down meal. Ms Moore said the meal is an integral part of Messy Church as it is an expression of God’s hospitality. “In the UK, there are so many broken bits of families that aren’t functioning and parts of the community that are isolated from each other,” she said. “I think the meal is an expression of togetherness, of sitting around a table talking with people and giving a listening ear that they might not have anywhere else. “There’s something really wonderful that happens at the meal, because you build up to it. It’s not a meal between strangers; you’ve had an hour and a half of having fun together and laughing together and maybe sharing some quite vulnerable stuff.” Rev Greg Ross is a Uniting Church minister and member of the National Messy Church Team. He initiated the second Messy Church in Australia eight years ago in Bunbury, Western Australia. “Many who grew up in the inherited forms of church are unable to see why people are attracted to what we’re doing,” Mr Ross said. “But people who come to Messy Church will tell you again and again this is where they feel comfortable.”
Church – but not as you know it
Messy Church was designed to be accessible for families who do not normally attend traditional church services. For many of these people, Messy Church is their church community. Ms Moore believes this is why Messy Church should be seen as a congregation in its own right, rather than a stepping-stone to Sunday services. “Some people think Messy Church is failing because we haven’t got anybody new coming to church at half-past-10 on a Sunday sitting in a pew or doing a liturgy,” she said. “But when those families are coming to a Messy Church, they are coming to church. They are meeting God and learning the Trinitarian God; they’re studying the Bible through hands-on fellowship. “Some are having the sacrament of Holy Communion, they are breaking bread together,
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CROSSLIGHT - MARCH 18