Today's Minute

My friends at Stephen Ministries shared with me the membership trends of major denominations over the last 5 years. Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, United Church of Christ, Southern Baptists, Disciples of Christ, and Reformed churches all show significant losses...and the losses are accelerating.  Roman Catholics and Assemblies of God show growth but their growth is slowing.  Bring it home: How does attendance at your church compare to what it was 10 or 20 years ago?  Have you yourself given up church-going?

Dr. Peter Steinke has written about congregations facing change.  “Deep change…is no easy process.  Change, even minor ones, can destabilize whole systems, and the homeostatic (we won’t change!) forces will take revenge.  Reactivity reaches irrational highs.  Polarization hardens.  Seeding suspicion of others flourishes.  Brazen behaviors multiply.  Blaming metastasizes like cancer.”  Bringing it home again, if you attend a declining church, do you see any of those conducts?

Dr. Steinke has consulted with many congregations struggling with change.  Here’s one factor he’s seen in all congregations: “Resistance to change is far less intense and protracted when change is made for the sake of mission.”  Jesus says, “Follow me!”  Are some churches not thriving because they’re waffling on the mission?  (“A Door Set Open,” (49, 2)

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Copyright © Dale A Meyer 2011