We are all tired of it. We are tired of the handwringing, blaming, wailing and general angst over the demise of church-as-we-have-known-it. We’ve been to the conferences and continuing education events wherein the 500-year cycle of large-scale church change has been analyzed up one side and down the other. We’ve read the books and engaged substantive dialogue with colleagues and congregations. We’ve observed congregations react and respond to the shifts in our culture impacting their expression of church. We’ve done the work of trying to make sense of this transition into the postmodern era. We’ve been there and done that. And it’s all growing wearisome at this point. Thankfully, something else is rising as we move toward the latter side of the big shift in church. Christian disciples are yearning for more robust, engaged, life-giving community of faith experiences than what we have known. Now, it’s as though Christian disciples and churches are the butterfly emerging from the … [Read more...]

I’ve heard many colleagues share how proud they are that they serve “purple” congregations where members from different sides of the political aisle worship together without arguing over politics. They lift this up as if it is the sign of a healthy church in the midst of the contentiousness in our current political context. But when I inquire as to how they’ve achieved this sort of utopian congregation, the truth comes out: They don’t argue over politics because they simply don’t talk about politics. They avoid conversations about issues affecting public policies and public life in their sermons, in their educational opportunities, in their Bible studies. These colleagues believe their job is simply to love their congregation while completely avoiding issues involving politics. But is this truly the sign of a healthy church? The moral fabric of our nation is being torn as the demons of racism, xenophobia, sexism, bigotry and hatred rear their ugly heads. Some in our mostly-white … [Read more...]