this is not a cul-de-sac

I went to work today and did my duty, and then I bumped into a young man from the church I grew up in, and I knew he is now a big proper grown up, and was an VentureFX person, so for some reason the first thing I said was 'how do you know when what you are doing is church?'
Not a usual way to start a conversation with someone your little brother was in Youth Group with!
But Ric Stott is a star, and took my musings seriously, and of the many insightful things he said, the one which is still with me this evening, is that exploring the question of what church is, or is not, is not a cul-de-sac.
So I will carry on asking this question, including the place of worship.
Which others at Methodist Conference are also asking - including Martyn Atkins in his General Sec report, and indeed is an issue the Missing Generation Report is also highlighting. And then there is all the stuff on pastoral theology.
All of this is crucial for me as I muse on the new church I long to be a part of