Moving forward in the third millennium
Where do we go from here?
Published: February 2009
Related Topics: Liturgy, Scripture
It is no secret that Traditional Church is in decline. In the Diocese of Niagara, as in many Dioceses across Canada and other mainline denominations, churches have been closed due to declining membership and attendance and the ongoing inability to secure the necessary financial resources to continue operations. In Hamilton, two Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) parishes are currently discussing merger and relocation to a green field site since they are no long viable individually. Many of our churches have ever decreasing numbers of young people (age 45 and under) attending traditional worship giving meaning to the phrase 'churches grow younger and die older'! All this is happening at a time when more and more people are eager for community and spirituality in their lives. Do they satisfy this hunger with more stuff (consumerism) or with a relationship within a Christian context?
Perhaps it is time to ask ourselves;
- What do we, as Christian communities, have to offer?
- What are those looking for community and spirituality seeking?
- How do we close the gap?
Recently John W. Moses, lay member St. Barnabas' Church (Diocese of Quebec) wrote;
"...our parish is at a critical juncture in its history. In recent years many of our older and more supportive members have died and they have not been replaced by a new generation of church members and supporters. Though we have engaged in stewardship campaigns in recent years, the results have been modest and they are not likely to improve without an influx of new members. To attract new members and raise our visibility we must offer programs that serve our community. Merely keeping the doors open on Sunday is a losing proposition.
We need to have faith that if we can offer a lively worship community, that is, known to be an active force for good in our neighborhood, people will want to join and support that kind of ministry."
In other words, we need to look at and do things differently and trust in God's guiding hand to help us close the gap.
In the 80's and 90's the Church of England embarked on a journey to explore ways of arresting the decline in church participation. In 1984 'How to Plant Churches' was published. In 1994 the report 'Breaking New Ground' was published, and in 2004 the 'Mission Shaped Church' report was published. It is this later report that examined church in the postmodern context. Then in 2007 the Rev. Ian Mobsby published 'Emerging and Fresh Expressions of Church – How are They Authentically Church and Anglican'.
Inherited, traditional church will continue to be viable in many communities as long as there are people who continue to participate. But, as John W. Moses pointed out, that may not last forever or in fact much longer. Increasingly it is becoming important for declining traditional church to ask these questions of lapsed members;
What would need to happen on a Sunday morning to make it meaningful and worthwhile for you to participate in worship?
What could we do or what should we avoid to create an experience of community that is life-giving, life-affirming, and life-changing for you?
Many of our churches are firmly rooted in the inherited traditional model of church – a proper liturgy in a proper building with the proper clergy at the proper time on the proper day. And many congregations have evolved so that attendance has replaced discipleship, membership has replaced community, and internal functions have been prioritized over both evangelism and social involvement. In other words maintenance has overtaken mission.
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