Today was my first day of classes at the Pacific School of Religion. This is the seminary I graduated from 20 years ago. (gosh that makes me feel old.). I am taking a class put on by the Center for Progressive Renewal taught by Cameron Trimble and Mike Piazza. The class is called Renew, Skills for Leading and Renewing Churches.
Today the class began discussing what the teachers called,"The Situation." They began talking about the major shifts in our culture over the last decade. In December of 2010 Time magazine focused on the shifts occurring in the last decade. Here's a summary
2000 - marked the failure of our political system with the counting of hanging chads and the supreme court deciding our next president.
2001- with the horror of 9/11 marked the failure of our national security.
2002 - the beginning of the failure of our military system as the war on terror began.
2003 - marked the beginning of the shift in power when Napster and the advent of the Internet began challenging the powerful music industry.
2004 - China surpasses the United States in economic superiority.
2005 - marked our failure as a nation to manage natural disasters with the example of Hurricane Katrina
2008 - is the beginning of the failure of our economic system as the economy collapses.
This may all sound like doom and gloom, but I think our teachers were trying to show us that while we may feel like the church is in a time of terrible decline and that the church is failing, unreality life on every level is shifting and changing in huge ways.
We also discussed a book by Phyllis Tickle called "The Great Emergence." in this book Phyllis states that every 500 years Christianity has gone through some radical changes. He's a quotes
"every 500 years the Church feels compelled to hold a giant rummage sale. We are living in and through one of those rummage sales right now."
Which is to y that many. Of the old ways of doing church and being church, especially on an institutional level are in flux, and are changing.
But there is a new form of Christianity that is emerging. This is what some people call the emerging or emergent church. It's characteristics are:
It is radically Jesus oriented
It is communal
It is post denominational
It often is found in virtual reality
And it is getting rid of Christian exclusivism.
That was all in the first two hours.
Then last two hours of threat we talked about more practical things like church growth.
Here are some thoughts about church growth...
For your church to grow your number one asset is the visitor. Visitors are the VIPs of a church that wants to grow.
It is important as a church to have a clear identity as a church and to know who is likely to come to your church. We cannot be all things to all people. And that identity of your church should be clear to visitors when they come.
Once people come to church, here are some things that help people come back
Friendliness towards the visitor
Worship that is exciting and moving
Great music
Service opportunities
Good children and youth programming.(a teenager has absolute veto power in a families decision to come to a church.)
Hope for transformation
This evening I walked to downtown Berkeley and picked up some take out sushi. I spoke Japanese to the man in the store (and he understood me!). I brought the sushi up to the seminary campus and sat on the lawn as I overlooked the bay. It's been an amazing day full of challenging thoughts and expansive experiences. I am so appreciative to be here and have this opportunity.
Take care.
Amy
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