There is a story that I believe to be true that goes like this. Many years ago a group of people wanted to start a new Lutheran church in a town in the booming Southwest, I believe it to be Phoenix, AZ. So they put an advertisement in the paper stating “New Lutheran Church being formed, all those interested can come to this meeting”. When it came to the time to begin the meeting, the room was full of some 150 people who were interested in this new church.
This story caused me to wonder what if we did that today: if we rented a billboard on I-85 near Pleasant Hill Road that said “New Lutheran church being formed, come to this meeting”, how many people would show up. Hundreds of thousands of people, would drive by that sign over the course of a month, and I wonder if five people would show up. What happened? What has changed?
Well, lots of things have changed, no doubt, but the bottom line is something you all know already. People don’t need or want to go to church anymore. Maybe many people in the past never did want to go but did out of some fear of not being socially acceptable or not wanting to go to hell, but whatever the case, people don’t participate in churches to the degree as that they once did.
Why? Oh let’s count the ways: busier lives, i.e. the oft-invoked example of soccer practice on Sunday mornings, a breaking down of traditional family structures, a general distrust of institutions, lack of brand loyalty to denominations, these are just a few.
Here’s the bottom line: Times of changed. The question before us is how should we respond to these changes?
Change or die.
I believe that we need to look at our ministry and figure out what we want to keep and what needs to change. Because if we don’t change, this ministry will face more difficult and dire questions in the future.
Well Why Not Give Up?
It is easy to get discouraged when one starts thinking about these things. Here is why we don’t give up: because the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, is our most precious gift, and we are put in this time and place to share it. We are blessed with many assets (see a future column on this) and we can make good use of them.
We have a lot to offer people, we live in a populated area full of people who want to grow closer to God, be a part of a community, and help serve. There are a many churches who have figured out how to incorporate new people. We just need to recognize that traditional approaches are no longer as effective.
Further Consideration.
Video – Comedy Segment from British sketch-comedy show “That Mitchell and Webb Look”, illustrates how the church is viewed in modern eyes as intolerant and cloistered. Be careful, this contains language not suitable for children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRujuE-GIY4
Video – The Great Religious Recession by Diana Butler Bass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMf76Uzxx2U&list=PL9A9B3D64A34FB053&index=7
Book: Great Emergence, The: How Christianity Is Changing and Why by Phyllis Tickle (I can’t say this is a great book, but it is concise and does paint an accurate picture of our time and place).