MINISTRY LEADERSHIP
What the Church Is Not Talking About
by Edward Hammett
We need to ensure that our training, planning, and modeling will be in keeping with the best information available to help churches and their leaders move toward greater health and effectiveness in their ministries. Here are some of the vital issues many are overlooking:
Populations and demographic shifts are all around us. We are learning that when those from the north move to the south new challenges, cultures, and needs surface. Also, the graying of America continues, while there is a rise in the number of children and youth. However many of those are from single parent or no-parent families, with few, it any, of their extended family around them. The population shifts are creating many challenges. For now most communities have four or five different generations present for the first time in our history. People are living longer and are healthier. Such diversity is certain to surface generation gaps in styles, preferences of music, preaching, etc. It also surfaces challenges among leadership and the way they make decisions about the mission of the church or the way it is accomplished.
Economic shifts are everywhere. The aged population is basically carrying the economic demands of our churches. They are faithful, consistent, and committed to tithing and missions giving. The younger boomer, buster, and Generation X persons are not as educated, committed, or faithful to these traditional principles. Some of the reason is they haven’t been taught about tithing, but in large part their values are different. They want to be involved in missions and not just give money to missions. Frequently, when they are involved they give in excess. Much tension is often created in a church when the "purse strings" are held by those from the depression years and leadership is not representative of all generations seeking to work toward consensus. Another learning is that women are fast becoming the primary economic base in the world. We are also learning that the middle class is fading away. The "haves" and the "have nots" are two basic realities in our culture. Frequently our ministry objectives focus on one of the groups over another.
Multiculturalism is here to stay. People from all over the world have come to the shores of America. People with different languages, belief systems, world views, understandings of God, cultural traditions concerning holidays, family, economics, and education. . . . Some churches seem to be ignoring this reality or pretending it will eventually go away by their silence, or arguing to return to the "good way." This reality and struggle are here to stay. The mission field and other religions’ missionaries are now here evangelizing your community and mine. In North Carolina we are currently worshipping in 24 languages every week. We are involved in 197 ethnic congregations and are working strategically to start new work among other groups all across the state. Could you help? Give? Go?
Shifts in the job world abound, but the church again doesn’t seem to be intentionally working with these realities. The 24-hour world is here. Stores are open for business around the clock, therefore our people are having to work various hours and we still contend that the Sunday morning time for church is THE time we will offer Bible study, worship, and fellowship. Many say, "If they really loved Jesus they would come on Sunday." Who then will staff our hospitals, fire and police departments and the restaurants you and I go to after worship? The realities are the dual career households, people working from home, women in the work world, etc. What are churches doing to help these realities have a God-focus and a Kingdom objective?
The unclear line between the churched and the unchurched is real. Not only do the unchurched persons outnumber the churched, but in the day-to-day world it is increasingly difficult to tell those who attend church from those who do not. Currently the divorce rate among Christians is higher than the divorce rate of the unchurched. Ethical behaviors and attitudes of the churched are rarely discernibly different from the unchurched.
The changing nature of the family is also all around us. People are separated from biological families due to career or choice and are creating surrogate families among friends, colleagues, work associates, and community members. People are living together out of wedlock due to various economic and personal realities. Children are from blended families, multicultural relationships, and a host of varying belief systems, traditions and family schedules. Does your family night include these people groups? Do you want them to "be like you/us" or are you customizing and recognizing their uniqueness and meeting them where they are, rather than where we would choose them to be. Seems like Jesus had counsel for this in his encounter with the woman at the well.
The high tech world is changing our world rapidly. Because of the Internet there is an information explosion. Most of our preschoolers and children know more about computers than their parents and certainly their grandparents. However, because of technology we have instant communication. Letter writing has given way to email and now we get the latest information in real time on the Web. We can order groceries or visit our bank or doctor without ever leaving our home. Computer technology is now driving curricula design, learning environments, and opportunities via teleconferencing, phone bridges, and online seminars. New communities and relationships are being developed in cyberspace. Such technology is heightening our level of expectations about all printed materials and educational forums. Does your church still use a mimeograph machine or just a one-color printer? Are your records on computer or on paper? These issues make loud statements to persons from the high-tech world that visits your congregation. Are you sending a message of hope for the future or of being bound to the past?
Well, how are you doing personally with these realities? What about your Sunday School class or discipleship group? What about your deacons and church leadership? How might you introduce these to church leaders for an intentional time of prayer, study, and planning? Do you want to “Go ye into the world . . .” or do you just prefer to live in the world you create and are comfortable with?
We are all being called and challenged anew to remember that Jesus died for the world and not just for the church and that there is no comfort on the cross. We have lived in our comfort zones far to-long. Now we are challenged to confront and deal with stark realities. If we choose not to work with these realities we are probably deciding for the erosion of our church in the years ahead — for the world in 2020 will not be the world of today! The Gospel will not and should not be compromised, but the methodology and leadership style is to be adjusted.
Reframing Hints to Ponder
• Population shifts are creating many new challenges.
• As the aged population, who currently provides basis of our financial and leadership support, dies out the church faces a serious crisis.
• Multiculturalism is here to stay, but churches are not ready.
• Shifts in the job world are occurring but the church is not responding.
• Lines between the churched and unchurched are blurring.
• The nature of the family is changing, but the church is not responding.
• Technology is changing our world, but having a tough time breaking into most churches.
An excerpt from Reframing Spiritual Formation: Discipleship in an Unchurched Culture, by Edward H. Hammett. Edward H. Hammett is the Leadership Discipleship Consultant for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and serves various denominations as a consultant to assist churches in upgrading their ministries philosophies, and mission statements for effective ministry in the 21st century.
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