The Emerging Mainline – part four
this is the fourth and last post in a series about the emerging mainline church and how mainline churches can attract young adults.
part one is here
part two is here
part three is here
here is part four and the conclusion:
Lessons for Mainline Churches
Now that we have looked at the hallmarks of emerging churches, what lessons can mainline churches learn from the movement? How can a church that can seem to be stuck in modernity make the jump off the cliff and into ministry in the 21st century? Any attempts by mainline churches to embrace postmodernity will involve an element of risk-taking, but it is only through trial and error that we can authentically move our churches into this new era without sacrificing our core identity as mainline churches.
It is important that mainline churches act in such a way that their core identity is not lost. Mainline churches should not seek to change just for the sake of change. The long history of mainline churches includes many times of transitions, and it is with this history in mind we should intentionally move forward. Successful change in churches is organic in nature. It arises out of the people, not by some edict pronounced from the denomination or the pastor. Change must be a collaborative effort between the lay leadership and the pastors. There is no 12-step plan for moving from a modern church to a postmodern church. Each church needs to chart its own course.
All this being said, I do want to propose some key ideas for churches wishing to engage in discernment and discussion about the vitality of their ministries towards emerging generations. First, churches need to radically rethink the way they are organized and the way decisions are made. It cannot be business as usual if the church is serious about making changes. All too often I have seen churches say they want to change, but the systems in place in the church make it difficult for any real change to be made.
In order for churches to think differently, the organizational structures of the church (i.e. boards and committees) should be encouraged to move away from a business model approach.[1] Instead, boards and committees should become spiritual communities, allowing the Holy Spirit to be their guide in decision making. Practicing discernment is how we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. There are many resources for congregations to draw from on the subject of discernment, and I want to share four steps that Jim Kitchens sees as key to the practice.[2]
1. First, pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you begin the process of discernment, and assume that you will be granted that gift.
2. Second, understand that whatever new shape of congregational life we discover through discernment, it must remain consistent with the tradition of which we are heirs, and especially with the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
3. Third, find colleagues – both clergy and lay – who are also seeking to be open to the leading of the Spirit in this enterprise, and compare notes with them.
4. Fourth, as you begin to employ your best guesses, watch to see if they produce good fruit of the Spirit.
Discernment must be grounded in prayer and careful dialogue if it is to be effective. Unlike a business approach, discernment may take a considerable amount of time. As a method of decision making in the life of the church, discernment is attuned to postmodern sensibilities.[3] The emphasis on hearing many voices decentralizes authority from the pastor or chairman, and spreads it among the community. The use of scripture and prayer engages the biblical tradition with the broader culture that may influence decisions. Decisions are arrived at by consensus, adding another layer of community building appealing for postmoderns.[4] Discernment is conducted in dialogue, allowing the participant to get to know the community and the issues on a deeper level, bringing understanding to all points of view.
Another key idea for churches is to engage in serious bible study. Postmoderns are looking for churches that are committed to a biblical faith. This is not to mean a literal interpretation of the bible, but a serious attempt to faithfully interpret the bible in light of the cultural context of postmodernity.[5] The bible should also be studied to catch a glimpse as to what the church is called to be and do.
At my field education church, I had the led a bible study on the book of Acts. “First Church and the first church” was a study designed to lead a group of people committed to changing the church in trying to figure out what stories from the first church could be helpful to the current situation. Over six weeks, we sought to discern what God was calling our church to become. The curriculum for this study is included in Appendix A. Together we developed fourteen “big ideas” that could serve as guides towards reclaiming the biblical idea of church. These ideas weren’t the high point of the bible study however; the real joy came from the serious dialogue and discussion that occurred surrounding the future of the church. The group, consisting of both young adults and older members of the congregation, became a committed and cohesive group of church members who were determined to see the church remain a vital congregation.
Taking a lesson from this bible study, another key idea for mainline churches to remember is to include young adults in the conversations about church change. If we are excluded from the conversations (a sad fact that is all too common), there is little chance of us seeing changes as anything other than a gimmick designed to lure young adults to a church that hasn’t taken the time to engage us in a conversation about what it is that we look for in a faith community.
While it is important for each congregation to chart its own course, it is also crucial that congregations not to re-invent the wheel. There are many resources for congregation studies on the market. Prayerful discernment, dialogue, and bible study should not be without careful study of the myriad of resources devoted to postmodern congregations. A suggested reading list is included in Appendix B. The church I completed my field education training in, in addition to the bible studies, held book clubs on a number of titles in this list. These book studies became the impetus for real change in the congregation.
Mainline churches must also sincerely commit to change. Approaching change half-heartedly will spell disaster. Young adults may end up leaving the church hurt and even more put-off by organized religion. A serious commitment to change means the congregation must devote the time and resources needed to implement change. Real change does not occur overnight. Real change requires a reallocation of resources.
Real change also means that mainline churches need to encourage practices that fit within the hallmarks of emerging churches described above. Mainline churches that are successful in their ministry to emerging generations engage in practices that meet young adults in the context of their culture. What follows are some stories of mainline churches actively seeking to be postmodern congregations, meeting people where they are in life, and encouraging them on their walk in the way of Jesus.
Cornerstone United Methodist Church, Naples, Florida[6]
Cornerstone UMC is a unique fixture in Naples. Brand-name Protestantism is not thriving in Florida, but somehow Cornerstone is. Sunday mornings are a time for the diverse community to gather for worship. Diana Butler Bass visited Cornerstone on a hot Sunday in January. Upon walking through the door, Bass and her husband were greeted with smiles and words of welcome. She saw a “preppy-looking” older gentleman engaged in conversation with a young adult covered in tattoos. While the congregation was mostly white, she did notice that people were of many social backgrounds. The congregation at Cornerstone actively practices hospitality, a kind of welcome and embrace described by one member as, “We don’t care who you are, where you came from, what color you are, what your background is, with whom you share your life. You are her, now, at Cornerstone and you are a brother or sister in Christ.”[7]
Hospitality is understood as a risk at Cornerstone, but they seek to see people for the human being they are. They speak of living out the “apostolic core” of Christianity, welcoming “newcomers, liberals, little girls on their way to Disney World, or recovering convicts.”[8] Hospitality is not a program at Cornerstone; it is weaved into the ethos of the congregation, standing at the heart of their faith.
Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington[9]
Phinney Ridge is located in one of the most secular cities in America. Set up on a hill, the congregation strives to be the “city on a hill” imagined by John Winthrop and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The church links the biblical practice of justice with entry into a Christian life. A few years ago, the church was asked to host a tent city for the area homeless. The church staff agreed to it, preparing to hear people say, “If you bring Tent City to this congregation, we will leave, we will have to find someplace else to worship.”[10] Instead the heard, “If you don’t bring Tent City to live on our front lawn, we’re afraid we won’t be able to stay with this congregation.”[11] The congregation clearly understood its call as a Christian community to live out a missional life.
Scottsdale Congregational UCC, Scottsdale, Arizona[12]
Eric Elnes, pastor at Scottsdale Congregational UCC, describes worship in his congregation as “incarnational.”[13] Worship is filled with multi-sensory experiences within a flexible liturgy. There are auditory, visual, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory forms of worship each Sunday. The goal of worship in his congregation is not to teach people about God, but to “open people up to experiencing God at the heart of their everyday lives and embodying their experience.”[14] There are two worship gatherings held each Sunday at Scottsdale Congregational UCC. The first service is traditional for a congregational church, but it still seeks to be incarnational. The second service, called “The Studio,” is designed to resonate with all ages. It looks like many worship gatherings in emerging churches – filled with art, music, contemplation, and dialogue. Each week, the theme of the worship allows the congregation to experience God in worship and gives them the tools to see God in everyday life.
Church of the Holy Communion, Memphis, Tennessee[15]
The Church of the Holy Communion is located smack dab in the middle of Southern Evangelicalism, yet it stands out in stark contrast to the fulminations of the religion that surrounds it. Sunday evenings are a time for corporate spiritual practices at Holy Communion. Each week, the congregation gathers for a contemplative worship experience. The atmosphere is ancient, lit by candles and adorned with Celtic icons. They take their cues from the Rule of Saint Benedict, fostering a monastic type of spirituality that permeates the ethos of the congregation.[16] They are seeking greater connectedness with God, increasingly more difficult in the 21st century. One church brochure explains:
Living in the 21st century at times seems to be all about being connected – to the satellite, to the internet, to the network, to the wireless world. With the demands most of us have on our attention, it’s common for our lives to be come unbalanced – and for the lasting connections in our lives to become weakened.
At Church of the Holy Communion, we work to foster the connections that matter – connections with one’s self, with one’s community, with one’s family and with God.[17]
Church of the Epiphany, Washington, D.C.[18]
Located in Washington, D.C., Church of the Epiphany is surrounded by talk. Everybody in Washington seems to have something to say, but hardly anyone listens. A few blocks from the White House, Christians at Epiphany are learning to genuinely listen to each other as they practice dialogue and discernment. These two practices are linked at Epiphany. In order to practice listening, silence is kept after sharing. This rhythm of sharing, silence, response, and silence, allows the congregation to really hear what each other has to say. It is true Christian dialogue.
Conclusion
Mainline churches are at a crossroads. Those congregations that are set in their ways and refuse to change will continue to see membership dwindle and the members will be considered by outsiders as the “frozen chosen.” Congregations that embrace this time of change will become vital again. Young adults do not want to be part of dying congregations. Emerging generations take their faith seriously, and expect to be taken seriously by faith communities. Mainline churches need to examine their membership and seek the young adults in their communities to invite them into the conversation about the future of the church. Only then will the church survive into the next century.
[1] Jones, 134.
[2] Kitchens, 37-41.
[3] Ibid., 90.
[4] Ibid.
[5] It is important to note that some postmoderns do look for literal interpretation of the bible, but this would not be true to the historical interpretation of biblical faith by many mainline churches.
[6] Bass., 78.
[7] Ibid., 82.
[8] Ibid., 83, 84.
[9] Ibid., 162.
[10] Ibid., 163.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Eric Elnes, “From Message to Incarnation,” From Nomads to Pilgrims: Stories From Practicing Congregations, Diana Butler Bass & Joseph Stewart Sickling, eds. (Herndon, VA: Alban, 2006), 67.
[13] Ibid., 68.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Bass., 115.
[16] Ibid., 123.
[17] Ibid., 122.
[18] Ibid., 90.
