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07
Oct
Harrogate minister talks of creating change in the church
Harrogate minister Reverend Joseph Amoah is trying to bridge the gap between young and old at St Paul’s United Reformed Church.
Just over a year ago, the Stray Ferret spoke with Rev Amoah about his arrival in Harrogate and ordination at St Paul’s.
We caught up with him last week about how he has settled in, and whether he thinks his ambitions for St Paul’s have been achieved.
The last time we caught up, Rev Amoah spoke about how churches can feel out of touch, and about the challenges churches face now with generational gaps.
He still feels there is a lot left to do.
He said:
If you ask a typical member here what they feel is the greatest need in the church, they probably won’t take long to say it needs to be more multi-generational.
The vast majority of members are older, and that means that it isn’t a true reflection of Harrogate.
We are going to have to make significant changes in order to be a place where the 17-year-old and the 77-year-old can feel at home.
But it’s not only about making others feel included. Coming to Harrogate, Rev Amoah has had to adapt as well.
I think out of all the places I’ve lived, Harrogate has taken me the longest to settle into. Being a minister takes up a lot of time.
It’s not even just the age gap – I was born in Ghana and grew up in Hackney (London) from the age of nine.
The reality of the matter is that Harrogate is probably the least diverse place I’ve lived. There is a danger in being in a church where I am usually the only non-white person.
He laughs and continues:
But honestly, it’s not an issue as such, because St Paul’s is a church that values the word of God.
It could have been different. I have been in churches doing placements where it felt like everything was about what I looked like, and the problem with that is I become a distraction, when I am supposed to be there to spread the word of Jesus Christ.
Rev Amoah says these things take time.
“I think I’m finding my feet”, he adds.
'An almighty challenge'
Rev Amoah believes change is needed, albeit slowly:
I thought I was a patient man, but nothing tests your patience more than being in the church.
What we see in Harrogate, and across the UK, is congregations like St Paul’s beginning to decline.
You go to these very big church buildings and just look around. One thing you’ll notice is there are very few people, and another is the ageing congregation.
Reverend Joseph Amoah.
He also comments on how close by churches like West Park are to St Paul’s, and the problems with trying to merge these kinds of churches: “There are attachments, or it’s about what the church stands for.”
He adds:
But they are struggling because 30 years ago, everything on Sunday was shut down, since then laws have changed and shops remain open, but the church never adapted.
St Paul’s is a strong church, but it’s nowhere near where it used to be 10 years ago, and that comes with a struggle to change what needs to be changed and preserve what needs to be preserved.
I am hopeful, but it’s an almighty challenge, I must say.
Social media
Rev Amoah mentioned in our previous interview that he wanted to push the church more on social media.
As the former leader of a youth group, a lot of Rev Amoah’s experience is with younger people.
He uses his love of football, and particularly his love of Arsenal, to explain why a lack of social media presence for the church is stunting its growth.
I sat with my nephew watching football and said to him, football is not how it used to be. After saying that, I’d never felt so old in my life!
What my nephews and nieces do is they watch the highlights, the clips, the stats. Football is still popular, but the football games aren’t as entertaining anymore.
He says it reminds him of church although football has adapted:
How can we be a local church and not have any presence on social media?
Young people spend so much time on their phones, so you’re not going to be able to engage them with just a one-hour service on Sunday.
Rev Amoah said that this is something that needs to evolve as many people in the church are used to the way things are:
We need to be on social media, but that’s not going to happen in the first year or even the second year, but I am hopeful.
It isn’t just young people though – some older people simply can’t attend church, and part of Rev Amoah's role is to include them. He does this with home visits, sending letters, and pastoral care.
He said:
You don’t gain people's trust just from the pulpit – you gain people's trust from walking alongside them.
Rev Amoah
With Rev Amoah still in the early days of his career, we asked him where he sees St Paul’s a year from now.
I would like us to take a step in the direction of more people working as a team.
I think we’re making big progress, but there is temptation to do too much too soon. I want sustainability, and I know that only comes through God’s help.
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