There is not a week that goes by
that I am not reminded of the fact that the church is in trouble. It happens every Sunday when I look out over
more empty pews than people. It happens
each month when we review our financial report and constantly worry about our
deficit. It happens every year on All
Saints Sunday when the number of candles we light for members who have died
exceed the number of new members who have joined the church. It’s not just my church—it’s almost every
mainline denominational congregation.
No major Christian tradition is growing in the United States today.
There
are many reasons. The percentage of
adults in the US who identify as Christians fell from 78% to 71% between 2007
and 2014. At the same time the
percentage of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated grew from 16% to
23%. Institutional loyalty is declining
across the board. Churches have a lot of
competition on Sundays, including youth programs which involve the entire
family. Few businesses are like Chick-fil-A;
yes, they still close on Sundays. Technology has changed our church attendance
habits. Even committed Christians are
attending church less frequently. Less
than 20% of the population will be in church on any given Sunday.
Look
around your church and see who is there and who is not there. You will see at lot of folks who look like
me, old people! And you won’t see a lot
of folks who look like my grandchildren.
The most significant demographic missing from most of our congregations
is young adults, age 18-29. While this
age group represents 17% of the US population, it is less than 10% of the
church’s population.
Well
friends, what do we do? Do we bury our
heads in the sand and pretend nothing is wrong?
Do we give up on the church? Do
we change everything about our church in hopes of improving things? Absolutely not!
I
certainly don’t have the answers to our problem, there is no silver bullet, but
I do know this; answers will not come through more promotions or programs or
preachers. Answers are not found in
worship styles, musical selections, or theological stands. The answers will be found when God’s people create
an authentic community where everyone is welcomed without judgment and loved
without limits.
Dietrich
Bonheoffer called this community “life together.” Martin Luther King described it as “the
beloved community.” Jesus defines it as
“the Kingdom of God.”
The
church cannot be an exclusive club; it must be an inclusive community. The
church cannot build walls; it must open doors.
The church cannot judge and condemn; it must forgive. The church must be a safe place where God’s
love is found in abundance and everybody is somebody.
I
will never give up on the church, because God never gave up on me. And
remember, the church is not our church, it is God’s church. When Simon Peter confessed that Jesus is the
Christ, the son of the living God, Jesus responded by telling Peter that he was
not only right but “upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of
death will not prevail against it.” The
church cannot die as long as Jesus is Lord of the church and remember, “If God
is for us, who can be against us?”
What is the key to renewing the church? It’s simple really. When asked what was the
greatest commandment Jesus answered, “Love God and love your neighbor.” That’s not very complicated, but that’s what
we need to do. Don’t give up on the
church—there is hope!
