The Future Chruch

I am going to share this with you. Keep in mind this was a class assignment where I had to pretend to be the Pope,(Pope is really another word for Bishop, so keep that in mind when reading this as I am not arrogant enough to think myself a Pope or Bishop). The assignment was to write a paper about the future of the chruch. I hope you like it and please make comments.
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The foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ, the cornerstone, and Peter for whom Christ said he would build his Church (MT 6:8). We know who founded the church and from whom the church was built; thus we also know that the Church is the Bride of Christ “Not only is the universal church described as the bride of Christ, but so is the local church” (Devenish, p.41) So, what is the future of the church? It is a tradition which has, for over 2000 years, grown and faced challenges of it own as it strives to do the will of God, through the Son and with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Church was created so that the people of God could join with him in his redemptive mission of the world (McNeal, p.15) Will we be able to continue that mission in the future as we examine what the church of the future will be like? If we are, what ever the future holds for the Church it must be Christ centered.

The Future of the Church will need to focus on three key areas for its future, with a simple policy of growth and sustainment of growth, with three focal areas; other than being Christ centered, which are leadership development, spiritual formation (discipleship) and mission. These three focal areas for sustainment of growth will have more impact on the future of the church than any other areas of consideration and I will ensure these three concepts backed by policies and church governance to support the growth plan.

Effective leaders are long term planners and look well into the future to ensure that what they do today positively influences their church for future generations. In 2004, Bishop Joseph Pennel of Franklin TN said that "every congregation deserves spiritual leaders," and; "…we need leaders today who are concerned about more than institutional maintenance. We need leaders who are more concerned about faith than maintaining the status quo. We need leaders today who are nailed to the historic faith, which brought the United Methodist Church into being."

If the Church is to have a future then leadership will be a key aspect of the future of the Church. Bishop Pennel further stated that "leadership determines the path and pathos of an institution and organization" of which the church is applicable. I recently heard a sermon by Adam Hamilton, a UMC pastor at the Church of the Resurrection in Leewood Kansas. Adam mentioned that it seems as if God had stopped calling young people into ministry within the UMC and that he was calling second career pastors at a more rapid pace. I can relate to that and maybe there is a reason for that. Maybe the church is at a point where the business world experiences of someone such as my self can be of critical importance in the future of the church or is it that with the noise of the world and the call of the secular world young people, analogous to the call of Samuel, need someone to help them hear the call. (1 Samuel 3:1-10)

No matter the reason, we need to mentor and encourage the young people of the church to hear God’s call. They are our future leaders and it is essential that we develop young leaders within the church. “The number of clergy (UMC) under 35 fell from 3,219 in 1985 to 876 in 2007, but it increased in 2008, according to the study. The consistent decline in under-35 elders as a percentage of all elders seemed to hit its low point in 2005, when it sank to 4.69 percent, the study noted. In 2006 and 2007, the percentage increased to 4.89 percent and 4.92 percent, respectively.” (Green)

Can the foundation of the Church, which is Jesus Christ, withstand what the future brings and can we as a Church grow outward and into the world for which Christ came to save; for at its core the Church is established to make disciples so that no one will be lost. The Church over the years, in some context, has become more of an institution where people come to hear a message and then they depart until the same time next week. From an outsider’s perspective, some churches could be construed as social clubs in some aspects. The average church goer today is self seeking in one sense instead of seeking to grow in the spirit in order to go fourth into the world to fulfill the great commission. “In a Christian age we needed a pastoral church. In the largely pagan age of today, we need a missionary church and that is profoundly different” (Devenish, p.127) In other words, the church is a place to develop Christians to go fourth into the world, the place outside the church walls, to seek the lost and bring them to know Christ.

How do we ensure the future of the church and do what it is God calls us to do? First of all “Our understanding of church needs to large enough to embrace all the bible has to say about what it means to be His people, and what it means to be in the world” (Peterson, p.171). Being in the world is one aspect of the future church. “It seems that Jesus regards his Church as a people sent into the world-in other words, he calls us for mission!” (Devenish, p.20) So a vital part of the future church is that of mission so it is essential that I as the Pope help the Body of Christ “recapture the mission of the church” (McNeal, p. 12).

In most churches today there are a few in missions or interested in mission. Many people just show up to church to be served instead of learning to serve or even desiring to serve. As Pope, I will ensure that the Elders are encouraging and making the Church about mission from the pulpit. In this modern day era where some churches preach a form of self help and prosperity preaching little is said about helping or serving the least of those in society as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Of course by saying missions are important and preaching on missions from the pulpit is important are not enough. Christians must consider the work of missions as vital to their own spiritual formation and spiritual health. Unfortunately for the church, “we have made following Jesus all about being a good church member” (McNeal, p. 72) We have not done a good job of teaching or preaching about spiritual formation and growing in both personal and social holiness. In addition to that “we have assumed that if people come to church often enough they will grow” (McNeal, p. 80). That is not of course necessarily true. Church is about worship and learning, but it is a place to prepare Christians to go fourth into the world in Christian service, that is missions.

Though in spiritual formation we teach and encourage and allow the Holy Spirit to work in people and as they grow in faith then their faith will result in works of love and kindness to those in the world who are in need such as the homeless, the poor, the windows and the lost. “The spiritual formation process is important for the community of faith and should be an environment where the number one pursuit is the development of human beings created in the image of God and redeemed into this family through Jesus” (McNeal, p. 91)

We cannot as Christians hide behind the walls of the church for “The whole essence of the church is that it exists for mission” ((Devenish, p.21). If our lives as God’s people are to be lived out in full view of the world, we need to take conscious, deliberate steps to be sure this is happening” (Peterson, p.173). By developing spiritually formed Christians who understand their duties as well as Gods plan for their lives as a Christian; they can fulfill their call as it relates to personal and social holiness in order that we may transform the future church. This requires us to challenge people with the Word of God and their understanding of the Trinity. Christians must understand that “the Trinity is missional. The father sent the son. Father and son send the Holy Spirit (29) “So in the Church, Jesus forms a community that reflects these qualities of the Trinity” (Devenish, p.29)

The future of the Church will require us to maintain laser focus on the 3 key areas noted in this paper. Through a Christ centered approach to leadership development within the church we will have leaders who can teach and disciple to the people of the church (spiritual formation) who then are ready and prepared to go fourth in mission. The first two focal points are parts of the whole but necessary in order to fulfill the ultimate call of the church which is to be in mission.





Bibliography




Anderson, Leith. A Church for the 21st Century 1992 Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Devenish, David. What On Earth Is The Church For? A blueprint for the future for church based mission and social action. 2005, Authentic Media Waynesboro,GA.

Green, Linda. Young clergy numbers rise, bucking leadership trend January 6, 2009 http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=4862911&content_id=%7BB6902198-9170-4477-9FE0-1082BB1EB5F3%7D¬oc=1 Accessed November 7, 2009


McNeal, Reggie The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church Jossey Bass 2003 San Francisco CA

Pennell, Joseph. Church’s future depends on developing leaders. http://archives.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=2&mid=5830 accessed November 7, 2009


Peterson, Jim. Church without Wall: Moving Beyond Traditional Boundaries 1992. Navpress, Colorado Springs Colorado.