How to Build the Church of the Future, edited by Ruth Wilde 

A collection of essays which offer a unique account of what an inclusive church is, why it matters, and where it is going


How to Build the Church of the Future: 20 Years of Inclusive Church    
Edited by Ruth Wilde
SCM Press
ISBN 978-0-334-06519-7
Reviewed by Robert Draycott

This book has a very promising title, surely the holy grail for all Christians. Yet the subtitle gives us pause, some seem to think that the note of 'inclusion' is to sound an uncertain trumpet - it is unsound indeed.

As one who had hardly registered the existence of 'Inclusive Church' let alone 20 years of its work, I found this a fascinating and thought-provoking book. It consists of an introduction, nine chapters written by eight different contributors followed by an epilogue that had indeed registered with me some years ago. 
                     
To begin at the ending this chapter took the form of an interview with Nick Bundock entitled 'Beyond Inclusion'. It relates back to a tragedy in 2014 and the turmoil that followed principally for the family involved, but also for St James and Emmanuel Church Didsbury, which had been 'a pretty broad expression of evangelicalism'. Nick (The Rector) then continues 'I now realise, too late, that ignoring the topic of sexuality is by definition exclusive and very unsafe for people who are gay.' This chapter should be required reading for every church in the land.
                   
If we now return to the opening chapter author Ruth Wilde, a tutor at Northern Baptist College, poses the question, 'What is Inclusion?' This also involves considering what exclusion is. Here is one of five bullet points:- 'Exclusion is ignoring people's stories and dismissing their experiences. it is telling them that they don't matter and what they feel isn't real. ....It is telling people what we think about them rather than listening to what they want to tell us about themselves'. What then of Inclusion? Wilde says among other things that it is about calling.....'because God calls everyone'. It means 'overcoming our fear of difference', it means 'looking to the future', ...... it is 'a gospel imperative.' The more I re-read this chapter the more I wish that this also could be required reading.
                 
Those still reading this review have probably gathered that I would thoroughly recommend it. I rather fear that the extracts above will indicate to some that this is not for them, but for those who are genuinely caught between what some leaders are saying and their own experience through the pain of family and friends, these articles both inform and challenge.
                 
What then of those other articles? Belonging Together, by Michael Jagessar. Building Bridges, by Ruth Hunt. Poverty Has a Woman's Face, by Loretta Minghella. Dismantling Whiteness and Deconstructing Mission Christianity, by Anthony Reddie. Still Calling from the Edge, by Fiona MacMillan. What Might a Trans-Affirming Church Look Like?, by Jack Woodruff. Carnival and Chaos!, by June Boyce-Tillman. Then back to Ruth Wilde for The Church of the Future.

There is so much more to be said about the insights and challenges of these chapters, but for now this is surely a crucial text.
               

Robert Draycott is a retired Baptist minister (various pastorates here and in Brazil), and a former chaplain of Eltham College