Postkiwi Duncan Macleod

I had an interview with Tricia Duffield on ABC Brisbane Radio this morning, talking about churches that meet in cafes, pubs and restaurants. There’s a fair bit of media interest in this right now, mostly from a press release that’s come from the New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church.

I talked about the need for forms of church that do not rely on the two skills most usually needed in Sunday morning worship: public singing and listening to long speeches. People involved in cafe/pub/restaurant churches are able to connect spirituality with everyday life, through eating and drinking together, sharing stories and learning in an interactive way.

The Sydney Morning Herald published an article yesterday on Jim Mein’s challenge to building-bound congregations. “Road to Salvation Could Lead to Pub”

Jim’s quoted as telling the NSW Synod:

“The emerging church will need to be a movement again which can inspirationally attract people, develop their faith and spirituality, and build faith into genuine relationships, many of which will be one on one. The gated-estate image of God being locked up in ancient temples is not the base for developing the emerging church.”

This approach to church is now getting air time in the press. Since my interview this morning, the phone’s running hot from reporters and from ministers being asked for comment by reporters.