Tomorrow's Church for Today's Minds

My friend loves his church, deeply. Usually when I talk to him about the church, he does not focus on the good times of the past or the exciting present. Instead, he mentions his concern for the future. Looking at the church through his granddaughter's eyes, his heart beats with a passion to know it will always be a vibrant place where she will experience Jesus' life-changing power.

Over the past several years my friend has watched his congregation deal with change. He understands the mandate to take the timeless truth of Jesus into a world that is constantly in transition. He's been caught between those who are excited that new segments of society are being introduced to Christ, and those who feel bruised by the changes, wondering what happened to "their" church.

Like Joshua, he rejoices over the victory of Jericho and struggles over the defeat of Ai, but he understands that probably at least 30 more battles lie ahead before he embraces the fullness of God's promise (Joshua 6-7). Like Caleb, he still dares to dream. Like the men of Issachar, he wants to understand the times and know what God's people should do.

So his mind is filled with thoughts of revival, renewal, and reformation.

As he deals with the present, he thinks about that little girl who will need a group of Christ's followers to encourage her to become like Jesus 5, 10, and 20 years from now. As I think about my friend, I understand his concern. Some congregations are so weary of exploring contemporary methods to deliver the unchanging message of Christ that they long to return to what they have always known as "normal." However, they don't see that change is normal in today's culture.

The world continues to change whether we accept the unending transition or not.

If we are to impact society for Jesus, we should prepare for the next waves of change. What might those waves include? I see four areas that today's church must be willing to address:

1. Reemphasize Relationships
The analysis of our culture as individualistic is well known. But while people want to craft their own ways of thinking, they still desire to be connected to something greater than themselves, a fact evidenced by the growth in popularity of Internet communities such as MySpace or Facebook. At one level this reveals a longing to know the God of hope.

As Christians, we recognize it as the need to experience a relationship with Jesus. But here is the challenge: a growing population of people exists who may have an impression of Christ but actually know very little of Him. They have pieced together a picture of Jesus from their religious and social experiences. Although spirituality is a relevant topic, it is disconnected from the Bible's words or the Church's work.

Recent research done by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, reflected in their book UnChristian, reveals that almost 40 percent of people ages 16-29 hold a negative impression of the church. Two-thirds of this group don't believe that Christians really care about them. They think those who follow Jesus live in their own sheltered world. This is confirmation that today's postmoderns are more relational as they see many Christians expressing a preference for cocooning.

As we reemphasize relationships, we ought to discover ways to live our faith before people.

Should society see the distinctive way that Christ shapes our lives? Can we be examples of spiritual integrity as we let God's love flow through us to impact our communities? We need to live in a way that others will want to know Jesus because they know us.

2. Refocused Responsibility
In the Church of the Nazarene we have heard the call to make Christlike disciples in the nations. This should certainly be a primary mission for every church. But as we deal with the waves of change, how can churches find ways to help people in the congregation play a more active role in the process?

According to a study of evangelical churches done by Willow Creek and summarized in the book Reveal: Where Are You?, 25 percent of "mature believers" feel "stalled" or "dissatisfied" with the role the church plays in their spiritual development. These are people who have been active in the church's programming and involved in ministries but are not challenged to take personal initiative regarding their growth in Christ.

To make disciples more successfully, the church needs to be more intentional about the process.

We must do more than merely offer one-size-fits-all opportunities or the wide-angle approach to training that we hope will be broad enough reach someone. Tools and personal coaches can help to assess where individuals are on the discipleship journey and lead them to the next step. Everything should focus on the priority of furthering our relationship with Christ. If we will establish measurable spiritual markers, we can encourage one another to be a part of a learning environment that reinforces Christlike outcomes.

To impact the world, we will need to do more than just be active in a church. We need to be equipped personally to face life's struggles and communicate an authentic faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Reassessed Resources
According to author Reggie McNeal, 80 percent of the money given to congregations comes from people age 55 and older. What will happen when their funds are shifted to a generation who carries a different attitude toward giving?

In many ways, pastors and church leaders already face tightening resources and the call to do more with less. Today's church attendee walks through the door with high expectations when it comes to worship. With the growth of Christian parachurch ministries, people are more discriminating with their giving. They want to maximize the benefit of their donations by supporting projects that have a clear vision or are well known. They want to be more informed about their local, district, and denominational budgets to verify that the work is consistent with the mission.

Some pastors say structural changes and reform must be on the horizon if we are to stand together as a global church.

Local churches should engage in developing strategies to draw out the full stewardship potential of congregations.

We must take steps to support our world mission while freeing local churches to fund dynamic ministry.

4. Redemptive Release
Today's culture has a "free agent" mentality. Rather than feeling committed to a company, organization, or church, people look for the best way, right now, to invest their "one and only life." They want to find a place of creative engagement as soon as possible, or they will search elsewhere.

This approach challenges the way that we have sought to develop leaders, traditionally. In the past, people felt a need to be educated and trained before they considered themselves qualified to lead. Not so today. The world gives attention to lifelong learners who are committed to on-the-job training. They let their ongoing education, enhanced by practical application, fuel their passion.

In many ways, this generation is not afraid of failure. Their motto is "learn by doing." A willingness to risk releasing these emerging leaders into the world is vital. The global community needs their energy, creativity, and fire. They may not look like the "ministers" we would expect in general appearance, age, ethnicity, or gender. They may or may not seek to serve in a place that fits current roles. We can learn much about taking the gospel to this generation as we help them rejoice in their victories and process their defeats.

Looking at the big picture, I have no doubt that my friend's granddaughter will find a church alive with Jesus' presence. The question is whether we will step forward to address the next wave of change so her church will be our church.

J. Scott Shaw is pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Bremerton, Washington.

Holiness Today, May/June 2008

Please note: This article was originally published in 2008. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.