Yesterday I had a good bit of time in the car, so I listened to several podcasts of leaders in Church Growth, Congregational Development, Revitalization, whatever you want to call it. All of them weighing in and usually working hard as well to see our congregations reverse the long term decline we are so familiar with. Most of them have had some success at it too, or they wouldn't have been on these programs.
I thank God for these people and the places they serve, and I do learn from them, but I am always left wondering. How do we sort out the mix of motives in the mission? When is it driven by response to what the Holy Spirit is stirring up? When is it an expression of institutional anxiety and the unreflected assumption that because something was there in the past it must be there in the future?
These are real questions for me, not rhetorical ones. I am not presuming to have a clear answer. Poking around the ruins makes me aware of the complexities. I am pretty convinced that there is no one way into the future and no one shape it will take. Most importantly, I want to encourage hearts that are open to God's initiative, and then willing to respond.
One of the ways the future may unfold can be found here.
Interesting post. It sort of reminds me of a book I read in graduate school by Phillip Jenkins (who is also Anglican). I believe the book was called "The Next Christiandom". Merry Christmas!
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