ABSTRACT
One way forward might be to return to some old maps, and reckon with their value. Local and provincial forms of Christianity always experienced a tension between being both moral and territorial communities. But the advent of easy travel and social media means that moral communities can quickly form that pay little attention to territoriality. The capacity of the church to engage with the complexity of the challenges presented by contemporary culture is significantly reduced, which erodes its public appeal and identity. The prioritising of mission over ministry, and evangelism as the pre-eminent form of mission, has led to a skewed leadership in the church. Congregations and churches are increasingly related by their shared affinities and agreed moral coherence. The High Church party had a distinctive theology, vocabulary, liturgical aesthetic – and even, for clergy, modes of dress. The Low Church party was just as easy to identify, yet quite different.
