Is there a Future for the Church?

Over the years, I have read a number of articles about the state of denominations. Bruce Reyes-Chow wrote about the demise of the Presbyterian Church. He wrote about this with hope and optimism for the future. George Bullard wrote about the decline of the denominations in general. This morning as I ponder cleaning out my office (ok stall before packing), I read Matt Appling article about the decline of mainline denominations.

As a Presbyterian, I am aware of our church's decline. We have lost members over the years. I have had friends leave the denomination for a variety of reasons. To be honest, I have wondered "is the PCUSA the right place for me?"

As I ponder all this, I have come to the conclusion that we have forgotten what church is about. I think we are so caught up in numbers and programs that we have forgotten to be focused on the message. Whenever I talk with fellow pastors (both non-denominational and those who belong to some denomination), one of the questions is always about numbers. How many were in worship last week? How many come out for your Bible Study? How many people are you serving? How many? How many? When did the Gospel get focused on numbers? (Yes in Acts we hear about Pentecost and the large crowd that came to believe that day) I think we long for the past because we long for days when were looked important because we had larger crowds. We mistakenly worship the past rather than let the past guide us to the future. The past should be a guide to us but churches use the past to dictate the future and it limits the ability of the church to minister and share the Gospel.

I say all this as I pack up my office. August 15th will be my last Sunday at my current church. I have been here for 5 1/2 years and I like my small church. But the numbers are shrinking mostly because it is an aging congregation in a community that is dying. I think this church may not be around in a few years, and while my heart grieves.....it may not be a bad thing.

I think Matt may be right that we need to go about being church differently than we do currently. We need to get past the labels and DO the work of the church. We talk too much about what needs to happen and don't spend enough time actually doing it. I am not saying denominations should go away, but maybe we should spent more time focused on the mission and ministry of the individual church. Denominations can be a blessing. The church just needs to figure out how to balance the connectional nature of the denomination and the ministry of the individual church.