Wisdom of Downton Abbey

So like many others I am a fan of Downton Abbey and just watched the first episode of the third season when it aired last night on PBS.  In it the family that owns Downton Abbey learns that a substantial portion of its financial investments have been lost.  Suddenly the money that was meant to secure the future of Downton into perpetuity have vanished and we are left wondering what will happen.  The family is left to contemplate what it will be like to have to move from their stately home to a slightly less stately home.  Can the Earl of Grantham exist without Downton Abbey.

The parallels to the church seem striking to me.  First there is the existential question of separating ones identity and existence from the building that traditionally defines it.  What strikes me more however is the challenge around the financial problems.  The money was lost because it was invested poorly.  The investment was meant to make lots of money and secure a future for the great estate and instead it caused its ruin.  Certainly there is a tragedy in the loss that occurred, but maybe it was better that it was spent to try and secure a future instead of being squandered just plugging the financial holes to keep things afloat for the short term.  This is the real problem I think we face in the church.

Most churches have a great wealth of resources and a very uncertain future.  No matter how solid our financial situation might be this month, most churches would be faced with ruin if they saw a rapid drop in membership and giving.  Many churches are already feeling a pinch as shrinking numbers have forced tighter budgets and reductions in what the church can do to function.  The real wealth of resources comes not from the budget balance sheet, but from the members of the church.  Here are the real resources with which we do ministry.  Here too are the resources I worry we are squandering.  We worry too much about sustaining our budgets and sustaining our buildings (which are important) that we forget about making full use of our members.  Dollars and buildings are a means to an end, which is the mission of Christ to spread a gospel of love to all the world.

In Downton Abbey the Earl took a risk and tried to use the assets he had to build for the future.  I think we in the church need to do the same.  There are countless studies that point to aging membership of churches and the implied decline in membership that will happen as members die.  We are going to lose these great resources one way or another.  Maybe it would be better as a church if we took some risks and engaged our members in new ways to make use of their many gifts and talents for mission.  Instead of worrying about what the church will look like when they pass away and how we can sustain ourselves at that point, maybe we should be looking at how we fully engage our members now, which might actually take care of the second problem all together.  Even if it doesn't our churches will dwindle while living out the mission of Christ instead of dwindling while paying the heating bill.