The loss of members, influence, and a sense of mission—the church’s misfortune of the moment—resembles the experience of Israel’s exile. The lesson of the present dislocation is clear, if still not learned. The era of Christendom is gone. No longer is culture subsidizing and supporting churches.
The November issue of Vestry Papers, from the Episcopal Church Foundation is online. It focuses on technology and evangelism and includes the article “Tweet if you love Jesus” by Bishop Kirk Smith.
Within the evangelical world one big change since 1974 has been the way charismatic mysticism (as outsiders would call it) has become mainstream, and evangelicals have become less simplistic and more relaxed in their social mores.
A profile on recent innovations in congregational development shows how consultants to declining churches are having to ask necessary but often heartbreaking questions.
It’s surprising sometimes the places where we can recognize the best and worst of congregational life reflected in the media. Cynthia Weems sees clear paralles
The class of 2014 has never found Korean-made cars unusual on the Interstate and five hundred cable channels, of which they will watch a handful, have always been the norm. Since “digital” has always been in the cultural DNA, they’ve never written in cursive and with cell phones to tell them the time, there is no need for a wrist watch.
As religious leaders for this new millennium, our task is to provide authentic spiritual anchors that will make the members of our many and varied faith communities feel safe and secure, while simultaneously offering them exciting, eclectic, and innovative approaches to living religious lives that will speak to them in a language that they will find accessible, enriching, and, in the end, transformational. We owe them no less.
I looked at the crowd of mingling people, and the loud music triggered my thoughts. It never occurred to me that people would not know that churches care for the sick. What had church become in the minds of most people?
As pastors, we care deeply about the health and vitality of our congregations. But how can we grasp congregational health? We need a measure that’s simple, clear, and life-giving.
One writer suggests it’s a matter of changed perspective.