About Church without Walls

In 1999, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland set up a Special Commission of 17 people (almost all under the age of 45) "to re-examine in depth the primary purposes of the Church and the shape of the Church of Scotland as we enter the next Millennium; to formulate proposals for a process of continuing reform; to consult on such matters with other Scottish Churches; and to report to the General Assembly of 2001."

The Special Commission listened to different voices around the country about the frustrations and dreams of being a Christian community at this time in our history. When the report was finally presented to the General Assembly of 2001, it was clear from the acclaim with which it was received that it put into words the deep aspirations of our members. The metaphor of "Church without Walls" conveyed many things to many people, liberating the church to finds its identity as a Christ-centred community, rather than institutional boundaries.

Central to the Report was the re-discovery of Jesus' call to "Follow me". That call takes us back to be people with Jesus at the centre, traveling wherever Jesus takes us, affirming that "…our core calling is to invite, encourage and enable people to be disciples of Jesus Christ."

The Report recommended that the church of the future should be:

Shaped by the Gospel
Shaped by Friendship
Shaped by the Gifts of God's people
Shaped by the locality

And at the heart of Church without Walls is the desire to change mindsets:

From church focus to Christ focus
From settled church to church as a movement
From a culture of guilt to a culture of grace
From running congregations to building communities
From isolation to interdependence
From individualism to teamwork
From top down church to upside down
From centralised resources to development resources
From faith as security to faith as risk

Of course, the report has not been without its critics. Some felt it did not embrace an explicitly ecumenical strategy. Some were disappointed that there was no immediate redistribution of resources, while others wanted more directives on structural change. However, one of the core values of the report was that the church is to be relational, and a belief in the power of conversation. The report set many conversations rolling, contributing in turn to many of these hopes being realised. The Commission always saw the report as one voice among many groups who were prayerfully discerning God's will for the future.

Research in 2005 showed that over 70% of congregations had engaged with the main recommendations of the report, while its assumptions have been carried into many aspects of church policy. Establishing the Parish Development Fund has helped 75 new projects to be funded with over 100 new staff released into local mission. 3000 people attended the National Celebration in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre representing over 60% of congregations and almost every Presbytery in the land. By the end of 2005, over 10000 people had shared in regional celebrations across Scotland.

Since then a series of "Re-Energise" conferences have attracted people from over 400 congregations, showing that "Church without Walls" is no longer a report, but has become an umbrella movement of hope within the church. The values of the report have taken root in different soils, and been expressed in countless creative ways. The purpose of these events has been to motivate and model opportunities for churches to get together to network and inspire one another.

And we continue to look to the future. We want to gather all God's people together to celebrate our common faith in Christ. This is the vision that is driving the Planning Group forward to launch 'CWW 2008 - the National Gathering'. We are confident that this movement of hope will grow as we continue to inspire and encourage each other on the journey of faith. What could happen in Scotland if 20,000 Christians were filled with compassion and sent out to live in their space as disciples? It is our prayer that we will become more inclusive and less exclusive; that we will begin to consider ourselves as disciples of Jesus rather than members of a denomination; that we will all become interdependent, learning from each other in humility and grace…..in short, a "church without walls".

As we prepare for our tented city at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, we hope you will join the procession for this contemporary "feast of tabernacles"` as we celebrate our God together.

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