Just a Thought

I was thinking a bit today about the struggles facing today's churches. The little congregation that I'm serving right now is facing some serious difficulties. We are not alone in that. All over the U.S., small rural churches are confused about what to do.

Repeatedly, I come back to wrestling with the same difficulties when it comes to church life. The mainline church has effectively disconnected from the world in which it dwells. If Len Sweet's analysis in Soul Tsunami was correct a few years ago, then the current average age of the Presbyterian Church (USA) should be around 70 years old. And the church's regular pattern serves well for the senior citizen group. But when people throw up their hands and wonder "why aren't we growing," well, maybe it is because the church'es regular pattern serves well for the senior citizen group.

In no way should this be seen as being disrespectful for senior citizen spirituality, as if it is any less "valid" than young adult spirituality. But it is to say that the mainline has a problem adapting to much else. And where there is an unwillingness to adapt, then there will be a declining denomination. They kind of go together.

The church is like a boat being carried by the river of time. If you want your boat to work as it was meant to, then you actually have to pick it up and put it in the water.

The world has changed. To paraphrase Len Sweet, the bottom line is simple: change or die. If we truly value the possibility of making a difference in this world as distinct Christian communities, then we'd better figure out what we need to do to reconnect with the world in which we live...and soon.