MULTIVOICE
A JOURNEY TO MORE MEANINGFUL CONNECTION
In a world that is increasingly divided, the need for community is more important than ever before. The ability to come together and share our lives with others is a fundamental human need. The church has always been a community gathering space, but in recent years we have seen a decline in attendance.
There are many reasons for this decline, but one of the main reasons is that the church is not seen as an inclusive space for everyone. The process of creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone can begin with simply becoming multi-voiced. We approached our Minister Martin, to ask why he believes becoming a Multi-voiced church is the way forward for Oundle Baptist Church.
Multivoice by Rev. Martin Hills.
The words that kept coming back to me during my sabbatical were intergenerational and accessible. Words that have come to us as a church both before and during the pandemic. Words that I believe cry Gods heart for his church and should also underpin our heart for this community.
During sabbatical I discovered a book that spoke about a model of church that sought to recapture something of the model of the early church. The model of church is called ‘multi voiced church’ which feels very much like the journey we are on and resonates deeply with my soul and heart for the direction that I believe God is leading OBC.
Multi voiced church does not mean everyone talking, rather it means that all can participate, and all can have a voice. Multi voiced church is more than what we do on Sundays, it is about how we live together as a community of God’s people day by day. How we interact as leaders, how we interact across generations and socio economical backgrounds. How we relate with those of different traditions. How we conduct our Sunday services, how we conduct our prayer meetings, our church meetings.
To be multi voiced is to be church together. In many ways it takes us back to how the early church developed before church history created structures and hierarchies to organise people. This is the model of church that God is calling me to lead, this is the model of church that I believe God is moving OBC to be. That is why we have had the movement towards being accessible (not lead by me) and intergenerational (picture given to others at week of prayer).
I believe that this model of multi voiced church is what God has been gently steering us to from the moment he gave us the word to build and grow.