In Christ we form one body   

 Past and future reflection 6

At noon on Sunday August 31, 2025, about 100 people were engaged in animated conversations in the St Andrew Blackadder Sanctuary.  The occasion was the Ministries Fair, an opportunity for everyone to find out more about the many ministries of the congregation, and to find a place to serve. If there is a single image that sums up what St Andrew Blackadder is all about, it is this one.

All the photos, to date, in this series of reflections have been of buildings. It creates the wrong impression. The church is not a building it is people. The church is the people of God, not the place they meet to worship. The only reason photos have been of buildings is that buildings endure for centuries. They remind us of the church, that is the people, that have used them in previous generations.

In 2000 the St Andrew Blackadder building was transformed. While this was an incredible achievement it was only a preparatory step. As the new millennium began the key question was, what is this building going to be used for? How will the people of God in St Andrew Blackadder use this building to participate in God’s mission to North Berwick?

Paul calls the church the body of Christ. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others (Romans 12:4,5).

For the last 25 years we have focused on making Paul’s statement a reality in St Andrew Blackadder. The photo above captures the many ministries of the congregation made possible by all the people who sustain them.

Two key ideas have shaped this. First, every single person who is part of St Andrew Blackadder should be involved in a ministry. Every person should be ‘needed and known’. That happens as they find a place where they can use the gifts the Holy Spirit has given them. Second, distributed leadership allows this to happen. Rather than ‘command and control’, the mantra is ‘encourage and empower’. The role of the Kirk Session and minister is to create an environment that allows everyone to participate in ministry.

The church is an organism which means it is always changing. New people arrive and become part of the body. Others leave, age and die. Ministries begin and ministries end. People who have served faithfully pass on the baton. The question for each of us is, how is Jesus calling me to serve in the life of St Andrew Blackadder this year?

Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1)

Witness 1: St Andrew, who brought people to Jesus – Sermon 18/1/26

Witness 2: John Blackadder, who preached the word in season and out of season – All Age Talk 25/1/26

Witness 3: The people who founded the church of St Andrew in North Berwick.  ‘Make the most of every opportunity’ (Colossians 4:5).

Witness 4: St Andrew’s Church, Kirk Ports: ‘Hear the word of the Lord’ (Ezekiel 37:4)

Witness 5: Blackadder Free Church: ‘Go. I am sending you’ (Exodus 3:10)

Witness 6: The people behind the building we worship in today: ‘Let your light shine’ (Matthew 5:16)

Witness 7: 1990’s Congregation: Christ, our peace, who makes two groups one (Ephesians 2:14)

Witness 8: Since 2000: In Christ we, though many, form one body (Romans 12:5)

Rev Dr Neil Dougall