The church is changing—along with the world.
Church leaders from a variety of denominations claim church decline. Many people grieve the death of the ‘church as we know it.’ The concern is valid; the ‘church as we know it’ is dying. Not just at Grace but across the country in Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, and other church bodies, worship attendance is down; giving is down. Sunday school attendance and Bible study attendance aren’t what they used to be. Youth groups and ministry groups within congregations have shrunk. Synod and churchwide resources are stretched thinner than ever. That’s all true.
I have spent many an hour contemplating this situation, many an hour worrying about these circumstances, many an hour coming up with brilliant plans to address the decline, many an hour in continuing education and meetings directly addressing this topic. Where I’ve landed after all that is here: Some things need to die. Some things need to die in order to make space for new life. I think the ‘church as we know it’ is one of those things that needs to die.
“Some things need to die. Some things need to die in order to make space for new life. I think the ‘church as we know it’ is one of those things that needs to die.”
To be clear, I’m not saying that here at Grace we should shut our doors. Of course not. What I mean is, the new life of the church is different than the ‘church as we know it,’ and that’s okay. The new life of the church may not include large congregations. The new life of the church may not include paid clergy. The new life of the church may not be centered around Sunday morning worship. The new life of the church may mean people gather for worship and service in a space other than a church building.
I wish I could see the future. I can’t, but here’s what I imagine the new life of the church will look like.
“I see signs of new life all over Grace!”
- Small communities of people who genuinely care for each other
- Communities of people honestly committed to com-munity, meaning people show up for each other be-cause they want to
- Communities where the focus is how to live the faith, not simply believe in God
- Communities where people give of themselves deeply, with their gifts, their presence, their heart
- Communities that help fashion the culture of the larger community
- Worship in homes
- Fewer requirements for theological education and clergy who primarily work a non-church job in addi-tion to leading worship
- Congregations where most, if not, all of the ministry is done by unpaid members of the congregation
The ‘church as we know it’ is dying, and we can see it here—just as people all across the country can. But what is springing up in its place is even better. For all the people and resources and glory days of the church, the ‘church as we know it’ had a lot of problems too. In the ‘church as we know it,’ we often argued about things that didn’t matter and ignored one another, judged others and gossiped about people in our communities. Some of those who participated in the ‘church as we know it’ were only there because they thought they should be and didn’t really care about God or others. The ‘church as we know it’ sometimes got so distracted by finances and buildings and even programs that we forgot to be kind to one another, to listen, to forgive, to share our resources, to work for justice, and especially to love one another above all other goals. In the ‘church as we know it,’ we sometimes even overlooked the primacy of following Jesus, the befriender of outcasts, the lover of enemies, the one who died a criminal.
I see signs of new life all over Grace—especially in the ways that we care for one another and in the ways we are putting our faith in motion. This Easter season, I rejoice because, even though the church is dying, God is doing a new thing here.