St Mary's Church, Lewisham: Slow Decay

The Church of St Mary in the London borough of Lewisham was not open when I called but it was a sunny afternoon, and the local market was selling large tubs of cherries for a pound, so I was content to just wander about its grounds. The tower is late medieval but the rest is Georgian. To combine an obviously older tower with a classical porch struck me as somewhat incongruous, but that is the world of historical architecture.

Its record with Historic England, however, suggests that it is ‘at risk’:

Assessment Information

Assessment Type: Place of worship

Condition: Poor

Priority: C - Slow decay; no solution agreed

Previous Priority: C

Ownership: Religious organisation

Designation: Listed Place of Worship grade II*, CA

The building looked like it was in perfectly good condition to me, but my eye is untrained, and the internals I was unable to inspect. The phrase ‘slow decay’ set me pondering. In one sense, this is a statement of the obvious: everything is slowly decaying. I would be far more surprised if a building was deemed to be static or even naturally improving. I guess the writer means it is decaying even when it appears to be fine. How many churches (in the non-building sense of the word) are also decaying slowly? They might have large congregations, sound ministries, ambitious outreach programmes - but the decay has begun, slowly…ever so slowly. So slowly in fact, that no-one has even noticed.

Solomon remarks in Ecclesiastes 10:18:

Because of laziness the building decays,

And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

How do I tell if my own Christian life is slowly decaying? My own local church? My own ministry?

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17-18a, NKJV