This blog comes from where there are more Michelin stars per head than anywhere else on the planet! I know this because this is how Evan Davies introduced Aughton on yesterday’s edition of the Radio 4's PM news programme.
With a population of around 8,000, Aughton is home not just to me but to three Michelin-starred establishments, collectively holding five stars. Notably, Moor Hall recently earned its third star, making it one of only two three-star restaurants in Northern England. And all within walking distance.
In fact, both the Daily Telegraph and then the Guardian accredited Aughton as the gastronomical capital of the country. The Daily Telegraph even praised Café Vista as “the high-end church café” where I was vicar before retiring seven years ago.
For the record I’ve only dined out once at one of these starred establishments, thanks to the wonderful generosity of good friends. I noted that Mark Birchall, the chef patron at Moor Hall, on being asked by Davies whether he offered a discount for local residents, simply sidestepped the question.
I’m in no way a foodie and so to offer my patronage, I would need to be given a 10% discount. Not a discount by 10%, that is, but a discount to 10%. All three establishments are very expensive and yet, it seems, diners from all over the world come in their droves to this part of Ormskirk, our market town in West Lancashire.
So what’s the attraction of Aughton and why three?
Davies asked this question as an economist, having once served as the BBC’s economics editor. And here he referred to cluster theory, the concept that people and businesses in the same industry or sector tend to come together in the same geographical area.
A good example is Silicon Valley in California becoming the global tech hub. Close proximity makes exchange of ideas easier along with access to specialist suppliers. It makes sense, even in this technological era. After all this is how we operate as human beings; there is simply no substitute for everyone to be in the same place.
This got me thinking. How does cluster theory appear in the New Testament? And more to the point, how does this help us grow as Christians?
Just as economic clusters create growth through shared knowledge, resources, and competition, the early church spread through key urban centres. Alongside Jerusalem, we have Antioch, Rome, Corinth and Ephesus – strategic Christian hubs.
This was how the apostle Paul operated as he moved quickly through the eastern half of the Roman Empire with his gospel message. In this he would choose key centres to resource a network of churches to offer mutual support, much like businesses in a cluster or a medieval minister church.
The best example here has to be Ephesus. During his third missionary journey, around 53–56 AD, Paul stayed three for about two or three year, much longer than in any other city. His work there had a massive impact. He may well have written his letters to Galatia and Corinth from Ephesus .
And of course, Ephesus is one of “the seven churches in the province of Asia” addressed in Revelation, the final book of the New Testament. Why John chose these particular churches to make the perfect number seven he does not explain. But the main point is that he addressed all seven together as a geographical cluster, even though they each had particular characteristics and specific problems.
Furthermore, the church in Rome would not have been just one big church in the city centre as I used to think but a whole network of house churches, a cluster even, each with their own particular emphasis. So in writing to them the apostle Paul sought to encourage them to serve together rather than go their separate ways, each doing their own thing,
He urges: “So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words.” (Romans 14:19)
For Paul unity and common purpose was everything, as shown by his use of the Greek word koinonia, which has a whole variety of meanings. It can mean relationship: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship (koinonia) of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
He may be referring to the communion meal: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (koinonia) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (Corinthians 10:16).
However, he may also be referring to the cash collection he was organising from the new Gentile churches to support their fellow saints in Jerusalem. “For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution (koinonia) for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem.” (Romans 15:26)
This koinonia was high priority for this much-travelled apostle as he sought to strengthen the relationship between his many churches and the church where it all started. Relationships between churches was crucial.
For God has not called us to belong to a church which is independent of others: we need each other. Networks over distance, say between Macedonia and Jerusalem, are important but as the techies of Silicon Valley are only too aware, there is no alternative to a geographical cluster.
That’s why Ormskirk Churches Together, of which Aughton is a part, is so important.
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