Over the last six months I’ve been quietly asking anyone with an informed opinion what they think is happening in the U.S. evangelical church. I’ve been doing this for a few reasons:
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- It feels to me like the ground is moving: It feels to me like cultural norms are shifting at an unprecedented rate right now and that one of the upshots of this is that we (the church) are losing our home field advantage.
- It feels like the Church (Big C) is pretty soft: A second reason I’m asking around is because it also feels to me like the evangelical church (in the US) is pretty soft. We’ve had a long run of growth and a long stretch where it didn’t cost much to declare your allegiance to Jesus. One of the results is that consumerism has gained quite a toe-hold in the church and we (the “saints”) are not as refined as we might be. One of the symptoms of this is that people who used to attend church 3x a month are now content to attend once or twice a month and – and this is the critical point – do so without any sense that what they are doing is less than best. They (we?) now view spiritual issues as one of a host of enrichment options that unfold during a weekend. If it can fit it in, great. If not, well, you have to make choices.
- I’m trying to figure out how we best position ourselves for the future. Finally, I am also asking people where they think we are heading because, as a general rule its always best to skate to where the puck is going to be (thank you Wayne Gretsky). When lots of things are changing it’s not as obvious to anyone where they are headed. I would like us to be positioned to serve faithfully and well.
Many who I engage in these conversations go to a dark place pretty quickly. They announce that evil is winning, faith is waning and the sky is failing, etc. etc. If I listen to them for very long they start to wear me down. But as I’ve prayerfully considered what they are saying I find myself pushing back. Yes, I think they are right when they suggest that we will face a new set of challenges in the next ten years. And I think they are right when they suggest that in some ways things will be harder.
But I wonder if they will not be better.
I find it impossible to get too down. For starters: we are assured that God wins. Secondly: I do not think things are as foreboding as some suggest. And thirdly, if you study history you see that the church has generally done best – and the people grown the most – when the cost of following Jesus has gone up.
We are working hard to figure out where things are headed so we can make the wisest decisions possible. But be assured, God wins.