October 2007

Greetings to all on 12 OCT 2007

Word for the Day
Proof texting - citing passages randomly from any part of the Bible without regard for the literary and historical contexts of the passage. [1]

Quote for the Day
I’m not ready to give up on our existing churches ... but the bottom line is, it’s an awful lot easier to have babies than it is to raise the dead. [2]

Website for the Day
www.mattritchie.wordpress.com
Take a look, lots of interesting stuff. I recommend the article about “How Jesus messed up my life” found under Top Posts.

Thought for the DayLet’s take a break this month from the usual theological fare and peer into our crystal ball of the future. What will the church of the future look like? I submit that you don’t have to squint to see it, only open wide your eyes. Allow me to offer some insights based on my own 50 years as part of a Constantinian institution as well as some research from others.

I’m sure you have heard of the “baby boomers” and perhaps some other designations. The builder generation (born 1927 - 1945) is mostly retiring, and expiring, from active ministry. The boomer generation (1946 - 1964) is also retiring from the work force and, therefore, scaling back their financial support. Without the dependable donations from these two generations, the church of the future will have to get by on far less money. Eighty percent of the money given comes from these two groups. [3] John Sweetman says that “Boomers will continue to dominate church leadership for many years, but their concerns for church growth and buildings and programs will not be shared by those who follow. We need to be careful that boomers don’t commit us to directions that will have no relevance for future generations.” [4]

The recent generations are sometimes lumped together as Post moderns, although I consider that to be a state of mind rather than age driven. The Busters (1965 - 1983) and the Mosaics (1984 - 2002) have a distrust for hierarchy, but do have a need for authentic community. “Worship services will need to become more interactive and experiential. Post moderns will demand involvement in the decision-making process.” [5]

Reggie McNeal offers several false assumptions about church. Here are three of my favorites:

Developing better church members will result in greater outreach.
The church needs more workers (for church work).
Church involvement results in discipleship. [6]

Most of our people have been led to believe that Christianity is all about the Church. When they fail to experience that changed life as promised, their faith in the Church and God is called into question. [7]

George Barna is the leading researcher of trends among Christians. His surveys report that the Busters and Mosaics consistently fall in the lowest percentage rankings in the categories of Bible reading, church attendance, praying, small group participation, and volunteering. [8] I think I see a trend here.

Now for my own predictions. I see three options for most churches:

Retain the status quo (Constantinian, includes megachurch)
Small church/house church
Emergent church

The status quo church will not survive past the next 50 years and, given the exponential rate of change that we are experiencing, probably not that long. I believe that most, if not all, megachurches will not outlive their charismatic leader by more than one generation. I see the other two choices as having healthy futures; they both encourage relationships and a sense of community, something that is sadly lacking in most status quo churches. Who knows, by 2050 we may even see a return to a “high church” liturgical ceremony as a backlash to the experiential church of today.

My first choice is behind door number two. Ironically, though, I participate in the first and third choices. Go figure; maybe one day we will start a house church or small church. Like most of you, I was raised in a small church, where some seed fell on poor soil but for most of my friends the seed germinated. Now the implanted Word has deep and healthy roots as it absorbs the nutrients supplied by the Holy Spirit. These plants are now capable of reproducing healthy daughters and sons in the gospel. We thought we needed to be big in order to make an impact because we thought it all depended on us. In hindsight, much more was accomplished than we ever dreamed possible.

May God BlessMike TooleLori Moores, ed.

1. Carroll Osburn, Women in the Church, ACU Press, Abilene TX, 2001, p.xviii

2. Flavil Yeakley, quoted in the Christian Chronicle, Ocotober 2007, p.17Yeakley was commenting on the viability of growth by planting new churches as opposed to changing existing congregations. He is the Director of the Center for Church Growth in Searcy AR.

3. Reggie McNeal, The Present Future, Jossey - Bass Publ. San Francisco, 2003, p.1

4. John Sweetman, People of the 21st Century, found on www.qbcm.org.au.resources/Preaching

5. ibid.

6. McNeal, op, cit. p.xv

7. ibid. p.8

8. George Barna, www.barna.org, found on 21 SEP 2007 under Generational Differences Research