Church Growth

Well the title of this piece seems to be an oxymoron. Latest studies (who does these studies and why are they always late) show the mainline churches in decline over the last 10 years and even the "new" movement personified by mega churches that are big on entertainment and self actualization and pretty thin on the theology are showing some fraying around the edges.

So why might that be? Most;y, I think, because we spend a huge amount of our energy on social justice issues and precious little on the Gospel. Heresy you say!   Actually not.  The Episcopal Church (my brand) in particular has always been incarnational in its work in the world. Believing in the dignity of every human being, we have been leaders in social justice issues even before people called them that.

Here is the problem in my view.  We have, over time, minimized the importance of making ministry come out of our understanding of theology. We should do ministry as a gospel imperative, but very often we approach ministry using a secular, social service agency approach.  Here's a news flash: bad as some might be, social service agencies are much more adept and equipped to do their jobs than we are.

Passing resolutions every three years bemoaning the state of the human condition, doesn't really change the human condition. Dabbling in one ministry or another - the "ministry du jour" one might say, leads to little accountability and even less effectiveness.

That is not to say that churches, the Episcopal Church in particular - don't do good work in the world - we do. But we could do better if that work came more often out of what we believe about God and his call to us, as opposed to what simply "feels right" in any given circumstance.

Our primary mission is to know Christ and to make Christ known. Very often in the outreach we engage in, Christ doesn't make much of an appearance.  This is not about conversion, it's about naming the reason and motivation for the ministries we engage in.

Ministry to the world needs to be for the long haul. "Feel Good" ministries last, mostly, until feeling good is replaced by boredom, feeling put upon or simply being ready to try the next "feel good" thing.

Ministry needs to be rooted in something more than good feelings or the current trend. Ministries need to be rooted in the Gospel. Ministries, must be accountable - to each other, to those we serve and ultimately to God in Christ.  It's time to re- incarnate the incarnational Church.