More folks are once again losing jobs. Great harm can and has been done when churches cultivate a hostile, shame-infused environment, where people wrestling with questions about their sexuality and bodies do not feel safe to be honest. Greater polarization and divisions. The be and do whatever feels right to you philosophy of expressive individualism is fundamentally at odds with Christianity, which calls us to bow to the lordship of Christ. That has led to a flood of churches available for sale, and a range of opportunities for the once holy buildings. As giving has fallen in some congregations, pressure mounts on many people in the church, especially the . The primary moving force of today's economic global system is the transnational capitalist class made up of globalizing bureaucrats, politicians . About a quarter of the young adults who dropped out of church said they disagreed with their church's stance on political and social issues, McConnell said. Not only were many predominantly white denominations explicit perpetrators of racialized theology and supporters of systems that oppressed and disadvantaged BIPOC people historically, as MLK Jr. said, Sunday morning continues to be the most segregated hour of the week. The first major wave of COVID did not have the sense of hopelessness that is endemic with the second wave. 5) Boredom. I must not, however, assume that everyone would . Suite 900-337 We have short attention spans and get bored easily, and this poses a huge challenge to the church. At its foundation, racism is idolatry; it denies the image of God in all persons. Now that was interesting! Quite simply, people in churches (and even moreso those not in churches) may pay lip service to the importance of the Bible, but by and large they do not read it or know it. It's one more example of how a change in strategy requires churches to also consider a change in structure. But social media (and texting too!) 2. (615) 669-8201. There are some positive things social media offers, but there are many things about it that pose challenges to the contemporary church. 50 percent of graduating high school students think Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. Increased cynicism toward the government and politicized scientists. Churches today must work extra hard to cultivate this. It is not. Fishers, IN 46038 We are playing a very dangerous game when we entrust the government with that level of authority. In the first wave of COVID, churches faced divisions over politics, masks, regathering, streaming services, and social distancing. If wrong, make the next one! In 1972 92% of Americans said they were Christian, Pew reported, but by 2070 that number will drop to below 50% and the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans or nones will probably outnumber those adhering to Christianity. Christ calls us to missional living out in the world. Denominational structures destabilizing. Racism includes personal bias or prejudice of one person against another that trades on a socially constructed (and arbitrary) hierarchy of being that makes light-skinned (white) people superior to darker-skinned (black or brown) people. Head in the right direction and adjust as you go. We are all tired. "Some churches have done fine financially, but some have really struggled from reduced income," he said. The tricky task of the church in the 21st century is to lead people to awe, wonder and worship without watering things down or constantly reinventing the wheel. Both church leaders and members can get ornery and critical as a consequence of their exhaustion. When presented with a list of possible challenges facing their church today, half of Protestant pastors note that "reaching a younger audience" (51%) is a major issue for their ministry. But with the second wave, we see many denominational structures destabilizing. We increasingly live our lives via screens, streams, apps, phones. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadnt grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. The trajectory of technology is away from incarnational presence and toward disembodied experience. For many (very valid) reasons, younger generations today have a real distrust of authority. 20) Distrust of Authority. Contact Seth if youre ready to jump-in or have questions about what the process could look like in your congregation. I think that dampens it down until you get the millennial generation for whom the cold war is just a vague memory from their early childhood.. The rights of one vs the rights of many has long been debated. One of the reasons young adults feel disconnected from church or from faith is the tension they feel between Christianity and science. All those divisions still exist, but the polarization over vaccinations has been added to the mix. Complex social issues shaping your congregation are not distractions from the real work God is doing. Listening can be sacred work in your congregation. I believe the church needs a strong dose of freedom not courage. Many ministers are producing daily podcasts and having daily services that get large numbers of views from people worldwide. This means getting outside the walls of the church. This is why we must be careful not to assume that just because a congregation is egalitarian does not mean there are male-centric assumptions and structures that marginalize women. And there has not been sufficient growth in discipleship that is comparable to the growth in numbers. Patriarchy often hides inside a leadership culture characterized by top-down, command-and-control decision making, zero-sum power games, rationalist modes of thinking, and an aversion to vulnerability. The firm found that seven out of 10 had stopped attending church regularly. Again, the church has a long, dark history with sexism and patriarchy. That means these issues often produce trauma and abuse in our congregations. Racism has a long and dark legacy, especially in the West. One of the top answers was church members seem to be judgmental or hypocritical, McConnell said. A church will go through a life cycle. We chat with multiple people at a time, post one fragment of our lives here and another there, consume visual media in one window and read the Bible in another. She is near and dear to my heart. "The church needs to quit talking quite so much about visions, plans, strategies, new teachings, authors, bands, missions, buildings, teams and heresies," advises Brad Vanderburg. Understanding your context is the first step. Another challenge facing churches in the past year is financial, said Nate Rauh-Bieri, Financial Shalom program manager for PCR. We need to remember that, while the members of our church may have trusted in Jesus and therefore have hope, our communities are filled with people who have not heard the gospel and do not have hope. Great answer, but I'd suggest that they biggest challenge facing the church is the privatisation of faith and belief. Convicted terrorists will be banned from taking a leading role in religious services and face more rigorous checks for extremist literature. While few church leaders today would explicitly condone overt sexism, many church traditions continue to explicitly operate with a structure in which women are made subordinate to men. 1. . Hospitalizations were down. Like racism, sexism includes personal prejudice where individual persons harm other persons, this time on the basis of a socially constructed hierarchy that makes one biological sex superior to the other sex. 6) Temptation to Reinvent the Wheel. They're often so focused on helping take care of others that they forget to take care of themselves. When Im out in public, I take all the necessary precautions and continue to wear the mask so thats about the best we can all do. They cant have it both ways, and Im sick and tired of the double talk. If children are added to the mix, then the number increases to 86%. That aside, closures are often due to a failure of churches to adapt. NHS services across England will face major disruption throughout today as nurses walk out in a 28-hour strike over pay. has been, and continues to be, affected by the sin of racism in complex and often subtle ways. You felt in the first round that it would be over and done, even if it took a year or so. Other issues seen by more than half of American pastors as major concern facing the church in the U.S. include: poor discipleship models (63%), addressing complex social issues with biblical integrity (58%), prosperity gospel teaching (56%), reaching a younger audience (56%), and political polarization (51%). At the beginning, leaders must resist the urge to prescribe the right answer or solution and rather seek to describe what is happening and why. 1) Biblical Illiteracy. Hopefully if we get to herd immunity by vaccination (a race against time before a variant shows us that can evade vaccines) , we can get back to normal unmasked church. Be glad you have the internet where worship can still occur. The attitude God will take care of us, and theyll have to take care of themselves is not a Christian attitude. Dr. Ligon Duncan empathizes with church leaders and reminds them of their ultimate hope during discouraging seasons. The closures arent spread evenly through the country. But with the second wave, we see many denominational structures destabilizing. Silver membership includes our Know Your Budget tool and 24/7 answers to your church questions in our digital community. After reading through just a brief overview of those heavy issues, you might be feeling overwhelmed. CHALLENGES FACING THE AFRICAN CHURCH: SOUTH AFRICAN THEOLOGIANS SPEAK OUT Stephen Victor Coertze Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MAGISTER ARTIUM in the Faculty of Theology Department of Science of Religion and Missiology University of Pretoria PROMOTER: Prof PGJ Meiring April 2005 One of the difficulties many people have (as alluded to elsewhere here) is the desire to make the perfect decision. Those patterns and themes will begin to tell a story about how difficult issues shape your congregation, in either constructive or destructive ways. By vaccinating the healthy, young people, we left no hosts for the virus. In 1910, only 1 percent of the world's Christians lived in sub-Saharan Africa; in 2010, this percentage had risen to 24 percent.3 The growth has not only come in Pentecostal or charismatic movements but in mainline Christian traditions. As I soberly take on this new role in my local church I pray that God grants me and my fellow elders the wisdom to navigate these challenges with humility, faith and fortitude. 42% of pastors seriously considered quitting ministryin the last yearthat's two out of every five pastors! You can get started addressing difficult issues right away by listening, naming the truth, and experimenting with concrete action steps. It is simply the next decision they have to make. Not only are they causing confusion, but they are also often hidden beneath the surface, shaping your congregational culture in ways you dont realize. The challenges of today's church are many and it is difficult to define which are the most ominous. Some will thrive. Frequently churches become housing or care homes, while some of the churches are bought by other churches wanting to expand. This second wave seems to be ushering in a new era where church leaders must rethink everything about both full-time and part-time staff. God has certainly blessed our efforts as we see new visitors weekly, and our average attendance is up by quite a bit. This second wave seems to be ushering in a new era where church leaders must rethink everything about both full-time and part-time staff. Fatality is a fallacy in Christianity! Many who had covid but gratefully recovered are facing incredible medical bills. They dont know their own future, so they are often at a loss to help the churches they serve. But there are many more issues that individuals in the Church are dealing withissues that the Church Body should be talking about. The scientists have contradicted themselves too many times for me to trust them. Pst Fana Skosana from gauteng, South Africa As you begin to name the themes and patterns that emerge, begin a dialogue about the story they tell about who your community is in practice, about your points of struggle and pain, and also about how God might be bringing renewal into the future. Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether even as faith continues to dominate American politics. This makes church inherently challenging for them, not only because they have a hard time trusting leaders but (more importantly) they struggle with submitting fully to the authority of Christ and the authority of Scripture. There could be serious conflict or even concern about toxic or abusive systems related to racism, sexism, religious trauma, or any variation of the issues addressed above. Make it! Your email address will not be published. This exacerbates existing Gnostic tendencies (a cerebral rather than embodied faith) and subtly deemphasizes the crucial physicality of the church, the body of Christ in the material and not just theoretical sense. 19) Hyper-Intellectualism. Closely associated with social media, the allure of celebrity and platform has become pervasive in the 21st century and can destroy a church, particularly when pastors and leaders become more interested in impressing their audience than tending to the flock of God. To subscribe to my latest blog posts, enter your email address here. Do you remember the excitement when the data began to point to a waning of COVID? The values of routine, tradition and stability that define the church are distasteful in our fidgety age. Almost every aspect of social life (economics, voting, housing, jobs, education, etc.) None of us wants to dispute the extraordinary growth of the church. Each of these issues is also fundamentally about people and the way idolatry destroys our humanity, not merely abstract doctrinal problems. 3. The Church now faces serious challenges which threaten the destruction of Christian faith. This diversity is a challenge or, better said, an opportunity. The biggest challenge? Greater polarization and divisions. Christians ought to be people of presence, connected to God and to one another through the inhabiting, unifying power of the Holy Spirit. There are great organizations and ministry interventions that work with churches in crisis. Gathering and scattering for mission. The recent Massachusetts state law, which forces churches to allow transgender people to use church bathrooms and shower facilities of their choice, is just the tip of the iceberg. The church in the 21st century must embrace the mystery and embodied elements of Christianity, the experience of God rather than just the conception of Him. Many church leaders find themselves reminding their church members of the hope of Christ more than they ever had. The science I read indicates that its not necessarily the unvaccinated that allowed the virus a chance to mutate.The best explanation I heard as to why you dont mass vaccinate, indiscriminately during a pandemic is that it leaves nowhere for the virus to go, thus making it more virulent just like overuse of antibiotics. a. And there are many. When you were closed for three months, you were able to get over it, Muzyka said. The Delta variant spread faster and caused more infections. 1) Pastor/Church Leader; 2) Executive/Management. "Just start. The good news is that God is already working in the midst of these issues, bringing newness and transformation. Most challenges confronting the church today involve how local churches respond . Fasting is one of the traditional disciplines of Lent, but because its so counter-cultural and difficult for us, not many people know how to fast well. There are practical ways leaders can address these issues head-on in ways that better illuminate whats going on in your congregation and avail you to more just and loving forms of life together. The church is no exception to this legacy. Pastors are experiencing burnout, anxiety, and depression and leaving ministry at rapid rates. 8) Consumer Christians. And churches, once again, are in the middle of this challenge. As important as apologetics, theological training and rigorous rational defenses are for the faith, if our presentation of Christianity is entirely cerebral it is missing something. When we were shut down, we quickly developed a radio broadcast for our seniors who are not tech savvy and dont do Facebook or other social media. 4) Compartmentalization. There will not likely be a new normal any time soon, if ever. Franklin, TN 37069, [emailprotected] In fact, we are now beginning the initial stages of exploring an expansion of our current facility to meet our current and future needs. The second and majority view was that churches would face a new normal and must learn to adjust. All those divisions still exist, but the polarization over vaccinations has been added to the mix. In the meantime, I would love to hear your insights. I wonder what is causing the stress and concern? The scientific and medical communities have done a remarkable job of learning and implementing on the fly. No longer can church leaders simply sidestep complex questions around human sexuality, hoping that merely teaching the right answers or avoiding controversial questions will somehow cause the issue to fade into the background. The new rules are part of a government plan to crack . No one foresaw the virulence and spread of delta Variant. Churches will need to disentangle from the government to the extent that they can (return to house-churches? I know it is no fun, but we are all in this together. Get our latest resources and curated links FREE each week. The days are numbered for churches to freely conduct their affairs according to traditional beliefs and practices on issues of sexuality and gender, without government interference. Get a curated list of interesting and edifying articles every week, plus FREE resources for leading like Jesus, living on mission, and making disciples. We also live in a time when we need to pool our ideas as well as take a good hard look at the resources that our church has available to it and how we are using them. Lack of love for God 6. listen to the interview with Wade Mullen on the Gravity Podcast, Its a Good Day to Read Dr. Martin Luther Kings Letter From a Birmingham Jail, Exvangelical Meaning: Recovering from Evangelical Christianity. Yes, theres financial pressures that will close a church, but oftentimes, its more that they didnt figure out how to change when the community changed, or they didnt have enough young people to continue the congregation for the next generation., Friend of Satan: how Lucien Greaves and his Satanic Temple are fighting the religious right, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. There were refinements to their treatments, but by the time they reached the patient, they had been tried, tested and generally accepted. Who knew? Our congregations are seduced by the ideology of Christian nationalism when patriotic or nationalist identity takes priority over Jesus call to identify with, care for, and welcome strangers, outsiders, or foreigners. With the first wave of COVID, church leaders expressed confidence in one of two paths forward. What happens in America that I think dampens down the rise of the nones is the cold war. When people leave, congregations dwindle. 7) Complexity. It is fueled by ungodly power dynamics, where power is hoarded by a few to control and dominate others (a.k.a. Its hard to have to return to masks in church again. SOME OF THE CHALLENGES ARE: 1. This whole pandemic is like the HIV discovery on steroids. We did parking lot church for several weeks in order to bring everyone together. Wound up within racism and patriarchy is Christian nationalism, which is another kind of idolatry that has to do with ungodly power that is hoarded in order to dominate and control. The counterintuitive way forward into transformative territory is facing problems and difficult issues head-on, rather than avoiding them or hoping they will fade away. Some things work while some do not. The churches will remain open, even if the pastors are by themselves preaching over Zoom or FB Live. As Ive reflected on this new responsibility of guarding the flock and caring for the church of God (Acts 20:28), Ive been thinking about the particular challenges facing the 21st century church. 16) Gender and Sexuality. We are an antsy culture. Bullivant said most other countries saw a move away from religion earlier than the US, but the US had particular circumstances that slowed things down. The goal is arriving at a handful of practical experimentsconcrete responses to what God is disrupting and renewing. The people I know are sympathetic to clergy who did change many things. But Here's How We Keep Going. You can see all of the segments in the graph below. One is tempted to just become Catholic so as to avoid the nauseous glut of The church must become _____ to survive blog posts and book rants. The mandated closure of businesses across the country has led to massive job loss. Even while scientists are learning new things about it, their knowledge quickly becomes obsolete because the virus, as all new just-born life, experiences more frequent and drastic changes in its early days. We are far less likely to be affiliated with a religion or a political party than previous generations were, and we get married at lower rates and later in life than our parents and grandparents did. Being paralyzed by a fallacy that it could determine the outcome of their local ministry is simply unreasonable. What is the future of Catholic schools on all levelselementary, secondary, and collegiate? Our team at Church Answers has been working with thousands of church leaders about leading in the second wave of COVID. Yes, church leaders can make unwise decisions that lead to the further spread of the COVID-19 virus, hospitalizations, and deaths. Deaths were declining. In our prayer time, that is the message we kept hearing: preach the word. In the first wave of COVID, churches faced divisions over politics, masks, regathering, streaming services, and social distancing. Although leaders may not be perpetuating personal bias in the pulpit, they can unwittingly center exclusively white/Euro-centric forms of theology and worship that leave BIPOC people and their experiences of God and life on the margins. Below, we are going to see a few of the trials we can see currently being faced by . This is where transformation begins to really take root. Churches that celebrate, embrace and embody this reality in their communities will thrive, while those that resist diversity and cling to their ethnocentric privilege will falter. Had enough people been vaccinated, delta variant would not have been as bad it is. Issues related to gender identity and LGBTQ+ rights continue to come into the foreground for churches as well as society more broadly. I am a scientist with a PhD. That was ten years ago, but the shallowness persists. There is a difference. The power of the gospel is that of unifying diverse groups of people, breaking down the walls of hostility that naturally divide us (race, class, culture, gender, music preference, whatever). Complexity is cumbersome. walked on Earth as testified both in the Acts and the epistles till today. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); All during this pandemic our church has stood firm in our convictions that no matter what, we will do SOMETHING to keep getting the word of God to our congregation. Churches are beginning to realize they need a new team creating content and experiences targeted specifically to an online audience. When we go to churches that fit us (how we look, talk and worship) we will naturally be surrounded by people who look, talk and worship just like us. To do nothing is not an option, regardless of government mandates. Yes, in my experience, a decision is never final. The organization of the church needs to be simpler. The bottom line is that these issues are not problems to be solved, but opportunities to get under the hood of congregational life and join Gods re-creating work. The good news is that listening is not merely procedural. When I say messy, I mean that there is often a gap between a churchs ideal vision for itself and the reality of life that actually constitutes beliefs and behaviors in real time. Some of these challenges include compromise with the standards of the world or walking the path of the world. Vision and strategy that aren't aligned Scripture is clear that without vision, people are more likely to turn to their own way. Tagged: authenticity, authority, Bible, church, commitment, consumerism, elder, holiness, Incarnation, Individualism, race, relevance, religious freedom, sexuality, theology, uncomfortable, 21 Challenges Facing the 21st Century Church, 91% of us expect to stay in a job less than 3 years. As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic. Just over one-third of pastors (34%) marks this statement as a top three concern for their church, with 12 percent noting it as the top concern. If anything, we are learning from the pandemic, it is that the 21st century church must be nimble and resourceful. These are several challenges, but let's focus on one more: the trend toward post-denominationalism. The report will also make provocative observations about whats happening and how God is inviting you to respond. They offer simplistic and unsatisfying answers to huge questions and in so doing they foreclose a whole arena (the life of the mind) wherein God can be worshipped and holy wonder cultivated. We have an fixed, inflexible way of looking at things. But the 21st century world busies our lives and distracts us so that every moment pulls us away from presence. We come alongside your congregation and craft a custom research project that helps reveal hidden dynamics and gain a more clear understanding of whats happening in your particular context. The end goal is not endless dialogue, but action, particularly the kinds of embodied practices your church can do to lean into the new life God is making available. This requires out-of-the-box thinking. Should we be forced to shut down again, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to carry on. Download our free Study Guide for our book Having the Mind of Christ. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life. You felt in the first round that it would be over and done, even if it took a year or so. The entire process usually takes about one month. One of the biggest challenges for theologically conservative churches will be to maintain a consistent biblical ethic on these matters, speaking in truth and love about (for example) the witness of Scripture on divorce as much as the witness of Scripture on homosexuality. 10) The Authenticity = Brokenness Fallacy. General and special revelation. One thing is certain: I am NOT giving up my constitutional rights including my freedom of assembly and freedom of worship simply because the government thinks I should. Vaccines are still useful in preventing most cases of severe illness and death, however. It involves seeing to the needs and concerns of others, those outside our particular fellowship. In 2021, if coming to Christ means coming to your church in a set location and a set hour, you need a new strategy. Our church may have resources that are going unused because we do not see them as resources. +27 84 730 6764 Integrity is wholeness (integer = whole number), all parts of our lives integrated and reflective of the Lordship of Christ. Your email address will not be published. Leadership Coaching for Pastors & Church Leaders. We need to get rid of this type of thinking. colonialism). Schools are wondering what to do. As Russell Moore recently observed, In an age suspicious of all authority outside the self, the appeal to a word that carries transcendent authority can be just distinctive enough to be heard, even when not immediately embraced.. There seems to be change after change with no time to catch your breath. Racism, white supremacy, and colonialism often show up in our congregations hidden inside other forms of idolatry like individualism and consumerism. What it needs more than anything is people who put their faith in Jesus and emulate his teaching and example, live the life that he has called them to live, a life of faith, holiness, and love, a life that glorifies God.
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