by Simon McLeay

There's a really interesting phrase in media studies, POV, it means Point Of View. Every time we watch a scene on a TV programme or in a movie, it is seen from someone's point of view. Sometimes the camera is positioned in place of one of the actors, so that we the viewer get spoken directly to. Sometimes the camera is simply the silent observer, sometimes it is in close up, sometimes we see from a distance and just occasionally we get what is called a 'God shot' which means a scene from above.

Point of View doesn't just relate to electronic media, it's also important in painting and literature, where we can be invited into the frame.

As a parish minister I would sometimes wonder how different people experienced our life as a church, especially this thing we did on Sunday mornings. I would wonder how a new-comer might experience our worship, or how a child might, or how an older person might experience what we were engaged in. I would discover how some members of the congregation experienced worship if I did something they didn't like, and on a good day I would listen to their perspective and learn from it, while not necessarily being deterred by it.

I remember when my grandmother-in-law visited our church, she was in a wheel-chair and suddenly I became aware of a different point of view. When we had our first child my point of view became very different again, and lately when I have moved from parish ministry into a regional position my point of view has altered.

Late last year Mary Macpherson, Communications Manager and I commissioned some research from a market research company, A.C. Nielsen on behalf of the Assembly*. We were interested in another 'Point of View', that of parents of young children who were interested in 'Spirituality' but who hadn't attended church for at least two years. The results of this research are now available for us to reflect on.

I think this research is incredibly valuable. I think it is valuable because it allows us to see ourselves from an outsider's point of view, and because it invites us to wonder about God's relationship to the outsider. Personally I'm not sure I believe all the nice myths we are prone to tell ourselves about God being at the centre of our worship. I wonder whether God tends to dwell on the fringes of our worship and church life. I wonder whether God's point of view is not from above but through the eyes of the stranger. I wonder whether God comes to us cloaked in the guise of a passing visitor, a mother looking for resources, a child wanting to ask questions, a man searching for meaning.

The first question that this research requires of us is, are we really interested in the group of people interviewed, are we interested in parents of young children? The second question is how are we interested in them, is it merely because we would like them to fill our pews (honestly), or do we believe that these people are important to God and that they might have something to teach us about God at work?

I believe that God is far more involved in our world in its joys and sufferings, than any of us could ever bear really knowing. Perhaps in this research we can hear the echoes of questions God is posing to the church? How are we offering to spiritually resource people in our community, are we offering opportunities for people to explore their often profound experiences of God? Are we truly engaged in helping to build a stronger community, do we have mission projects that are expressions of genuine love for our community. Is the church a place where I can go and find an opportunity to serve? How are we responding to the appalling experiences that some people have had of the church, are we trying to avoid blame, or making genuine and ethical change?

If you asked me what one decision our church could make that will likely impact its future for the better, I would answer the crucial change is a change of point of view. How do strangers see us, how do these young parents see us and do we see God among them? Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it". I hope this research might help a little in that change.

Simon McLeay is a Presbyterian Minister who has had parishes on Waiheke Island and in Papatoetoe and last year became the Mission Resource Team Co-Director for the Northern Region.

*The Assembly staff are working to a plan called Directions