Skip to main content

To Everything There is a Season


As I was walking in the local mall today, I noticed that a rather large clothing retailer had closed their store there. As I thought about it, I remembered that the local newspaper had reported that this particular business had relocated to another (newer) shopping area in our community. They are not out of business, but they have moved to attract a different (perhaps larger) clientele. They are adapting to the times.


Nothing lasts forever. We talk a great deal about the future of the local church. Some congregations prosper in their present locations, but others relocate to "greener pastures." Some may merge with other congregations, some transition into ministry with a different group of people, some change their style of worship, and seem even choose to close their doors. The congregation that nurtured me as a youngster eventually sold the facilities to an ethnic church and merged with another congregation; the resulting congregation has prospered.


I have been reading The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier by Tony Jones. I will post some specific comments about the book another time, but I was struck by the fact that many of the expressions of the so-called "emergent church" that the author describes live very tenuous lives. Many are in urban settings, often meeting in homes or in churches that have been abandoned by mainstream denominations. Their participants are often young, mobile, and still forming their faith commitments. I do not question that these are valid expressions of the body of Christ, but I do wonder how many of them will survive for a decade or more.


What difference does it make? The key lesson for me as a believer is that local congregations and emerging faith communities may survive or they may not, but the Church--catholic (universal) and eternal--will continue. The Church goes on. The way it is structured may change; the location may change; the liturgy may change. It may not look exactly like what we have experienced, but the Church will survive.


Our role is to be part of the Church and contribute to its ongoing ministry. The way we live that out is negotiable; the call to be do it is not negotiable.

Comments

Cally said…
We have a young couple visiting our church who moved from Kansas City and were part of an emergent church. It got me thinking more about it and I checked out the emergent village website. It seems like "cohorts" are disenfranchised with the institutional church.

I don't know a whole lot more about it, but do wonder as you do about their future. That might not be the most important feature of the movement.
Barnabas File said…
Cohorts tend to be "conversation" groups in a geographic area who gather (either at a coffeshop or a bar) for fellowship and theological discussion. They tend to draw people who are involved in many different churches including some mainline ones.

There are emergent churches (although they may call themselves "faith communities") that meet for worship, study, etc. Some are large groups (like "Solomon's Porch" in Minneapolis) and some are more house churches like "The Story" in Nashville (a group TCBF is partnering with).

Because of their spontaneous development, the transient nature of their participants, and their mobilty (when it comes to meeting space), their roots are not deep, so their survival is up for grabs.

At the same time, how many of the first century churches in Palestine, Asia Minor, etc., survived past the first century?
Rex Miller said…
Excellent perspective. We are also seeing city planners, churches and others coming back into once dead communities with renewal and restoration. A restored old thing can often be far more valuable than a brand new thing because it has a story to tell if restored with love.

Rex
Barnabas File said…
When new faith groups move into older structures, they may make some internal changes, but they tend to show respect for the building and perceive it as "sacred space." What a wonderful way to honor the past while moving into the future.

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist.  I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age.  I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving.  This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students.  We supported missionaries at home and abroad.  We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course).  I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition.  Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect.  There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself.     The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church.  Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs.  What once worked no longer seems to be effective.  Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s  “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor.   He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.”   In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.”   Jesus turned this around.   In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner.   His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced.   He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality.  These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church.   On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter.  Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year.  He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business.  For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates.  He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.