I’ve been thinking about writing a series called “The Future of Churches of Christ.” Whether I’ll get around to that or not — who knows? Maybe I can get Doug Foster to let me do a blog interview. His guess is probably much better than mine.
I remember two articles we had in Wineskins in the ’90s. One was by Joe Beam — one of the most requested articles we ever had. Joe talked about the growing, yet-unnamed divide in the denomination (he may not have used that language) between the “progressives” and the “conservatives.” Let’s pause here to all say we hate labels. Of course we do. But you still need some way to describe what you’re talking about. But, he said, there is also a declining middle group that doesn’t yet know which way it is leaning.
Another article — actually a series, as I recall — was by Randy Harris. He was asking if the future for Churches of Christ is hopeful. His answers, in true Randy style, were “no,” “yes,” and “maybe.”
Today the picture is fuzzier. There is still an uneasiness between many churches over issues like, “Are we the only ones faithful to God?” For some, the answer is “yes.” Others of us can’t even fathom asking the question.
But there are other ways in which diversity is manifesting itself, too. Such as these:
Are the leaders reading scripture as fundamentalists or not? (I personally think this will, fifty years from now, wind up having been the most significant question.)
How does the church understand the kingdom of God?
What does it see as its purpose?
How important are the traditions of the church in a rapidly changing world? (Do traditions hold back or do they anchor?)
We’ll look quite different in twenty years. I’m pretty sure of that. Already — and this is such a small example — people who print the official C of C directory are having to figure out how they indicate that a church considers itself a part of Churches of Christ but uses instrumental music (Richland Hills, Farmer’s Branch, . . . ).
And I purposefully didn’t include style of music as one of the central defining questions!
Should be interesting times ahead.
Mike,
I think the future is profoundly powerful. One reason for such enthusiasm is the Church of Christ is continuing its commitment to growing in the Word. In sticking with the Bible, the church is discovering we have blocked people out whom God didn’t block, we have rejected ideas God didn’t reject, and we have imposed ideas God didn’t impose. Freedom to authentically serve and worship is spreading.
We’ll never be more than kindergarteners in our development as God is too large. But, we will enjoy going to class a whole lot more!
I love right now!
Mike, you are correct. The central issues will be how is it that this people and their leaders read the Bible? and how does this people’s self-understanding relate to or depart from the values and directives of the Kingdom of God? I’m not sure anyone in the movement has asked those questions since the early 20th century and those who did at that time left or were simply forced out. It will be interesting to watch.
I also think that one of the defining characteristics will be the shape of our conversations: will there be any, who will they be with, will it be out of a sense of curiosity or will it be didactic, etc. I’m not sure that you can have community without conversation, yet many abstain because of fear. Even with the extraordinary amount of means of communication, it seems as if very few know how to communicate beyond the surface.
Interesting times, indeed.
When I consider how much our little fellowship has changed in just the last 10 years, it is exciting (and a little scary) to think about where we will be 20 years from now.
Fasten your seat belt, it’s going to be a rough ride!
As a former Church of Christ member who still has alot of interest in the c of c’s, (as well as family members, small group members, etc.), a key to the future of the church is whether or not its members will truly allow not only conversation but also exploration. The freedom to pursue God by looking only at Him and not constantly having to look over your shoulder is amazing. Conversation seems to be allowed, but only from certain perspectives. I see the division lines growing between “conservatives” and “progressives” not only in Biblical interpretation, but also in political ideologies from both sides, views about the workings and involvement of the Holy Spirit, worship perspectives, and even acceptable areas and targets of ministry.
I have been attending a ind. Christian church for right at a year now. I still strongly identify with CoC. It is a part of the fabric of my life.
I think to a great degree the split is also a urban/rural issue. I don’t see many progressive/emerging churches of any denomination in rural areas. I see them in suburban and urban areas. Has anyone explored the demographics of churches who have made the moves? I think it would be interesting.
Mike, I read your second paragraph, apparently too quickly, and at first glance thought you wrote “we all hate liberals”. Had to catch my breath and go recheck what I read.
I like Terry Rush’s comment, and think it is true. We are finding, with a true commitment to the word, that some of the things we have become known for might not have been correct, and I think many are changing what needs to be changed–among the biggest of these is focus. We are worshipping Jesus instead of his church or a system, which is a Good Thing.
I am most encouraged by being on a Christian campus, where I can see a four year slice of the next generation of leaders at any one time. They are questioning, and bold in their faith and their pronouncement of the faith. (Bolder than I remember our four-year slice of it being. Maybe I just wasn’t hanging with the right crowd)
One thing I see that is disturbing to me is students who are rejecting any kind of faith at all, even on our Christian campuses. Again, maybe that portion has always been there, and I am just now positioned to see it more readily with my two oldest boys in that age group, but my bigger concern than the CoC is with the fact that faith, itself, is not as “automatic” as it used to seem.
Back to your question, as a “tribe”, I think one of the things that gives us an edge in the evolutionary survival of the fittest is our autonomy. Each congregation, if it is responsive to the Spirit’s guidance, can focus, change, adapt as needed and make sure the main thing continues to be the main thing. That’s also a Good Thing.
“Identity crisis” has been said a lot. A couple years ago our congregation was taking part in a multi-denom, Bible-based sex ed program. The rep from the local Catholic Church advised the planning group that they would be glad to participate in the speakers and the food, but that any actual teaching must come from “The Church”. “That’s OUR line,” I said to myself. It didn’t sound any prettier coming from anyone else. Are the only choices “We’re the only New Testament Church”, or (to quote Carroll Osburn) just another denomination in the “evangelical shopping mall”?
Michael
My brother figure Don is pretty sharp, isn’t he? You’d think after 9 years of sitting 10 yards away from him some of it would rub off.
God is faithful, and I try not to worry about “church” things. Only in America do we have the luxury of spare time and wealth that allows us to sit around discussing things that most of the world would find puzzling at best………appalling at worst.
Jesus talked to us about this worrying thingie.
As for me and my house, we are going to serve God,
DU
I wonder if the same discussions were going on back in the 50’s. People wondering what the future held for the coC.
I personally think that we have seen the high point of changes and that 20 years from now we will see many churches trying new things that are actually old things.
If you look at how technology changes, most of the time they predict these huge, radical changes in the next 10 or 20 years and what actually happens is very cool and advanced but not quite as advanced as they would have you beleive. For example, remember about 5 years ago when AT&T had that commerical of a grocery store and the person just rolling their full cart by the scanner and it scanned everything in the cart at once? When is that gonna get here?
All of a sudden, it seems, Churches of Christ have gone reflective. This happens, it seems, anytime a group gets richer, better-educated, etc. Donald McGavran calls this “redemption and lift.” I.e., Over time, the Christianity of Christians brings them to the better side of the tracks. Then, there’s more leisure, discretionary money, worldly prestige.
But reflective isn’t our style, is it? Nor does it tend to be the dominant way of a growing group. Exceptions aside, most evangelists don’t spend a lot of time just thinking. By definition, building will require us to nail something down, for us to have a certainty about the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (I use the archaic language for a reason; translating that phrase into something that gets our people excited is part of the answer, I think).
I don’t think many Churches of Christ are very hungry anymore. A lot of what I’ve seen our churches doing resembles something like cocktail hour for the faculty. We need prophets, people who will wake us up from our decadent sleep.
What?!? No Steve Jr.?!? He must be having a busy day at work
Or a busy morning at IHOP…
“Should be interesting times ahead.”
You know what the Chinese say about “interesting times.” Are you saying we’re in for a cursed future, Preacher Mike?
And Frank, there might be more prophets if it weren’t for all the stoning…
Change and questions have always taken place in our brotherhood. 100 year ago people were questioning and complaining about the “new” songs, Amazing Grace and Old Rugged Cross. 100 years ago people were thinking the youth were going off the deep end. And 100 years ago the c of c was trying to decide who they were going to fellowship and who they weren’t.
100 years from now the talk will be about the same things. What matters is God is good and He’s still in control.
BUT … it’s still interesting to talk about!
You wrote: “How does the church understand the kingdom of God? ”
Can you recommend any resources here, maybe from both the “Theology for Dummies” and “You have to have at least an MDiv” reading levels?
Sorry, GKB — busy at work
For what I think about all this, read the post I wrote last night. The whole stump speech is in there.
OK, now back to my chocolate pan— I mean, back to work.
It appears that not only Churches of Christ are wondering about their future, but seems as if all denominations (I know C of Cs are not technically a denomination but I believe viewed as such by others) are realizing the reality that the distinctive walls are coming down or at least blurring. I think part of this is an awakening to Mission and purpose within the global Church. I think the global Church is realizing that it is more important to act redemptively toward Creation rather than maintain party lines, and I find this very exciting even if I’m not sure where C of Cs will be 20 years from now.
I say “More stoning!” It’s what separates the men from the boys. (Or was that women from the girls?). Anyway, someone said that getting into hot water is what keeps you clean.
Where is the conversation about the future going to take place? We used to have Editor-Bishops, and then the Lectureships, but it seems that we are now without forum. In my experience the two subgroups (perhaps also defined as permissive and restrictive regarding the silence of Scripture) are creating caricatures and straw men of one another rather than conversation.
This self-reflection is a reaction to our loss of homogeneous identity, and theology is typically hammered out on the mission field (Paul, for instance.)
I vote Frank’s quote as one of the best lines of the day.
“I don’t think many Churches of Christ are very hungry anymore. A lot of what I’ve seen our churches doing resembles something like cocktail hour for the faculty. We need prophets, people who will wake us up from our decadent sleep.”
While we do tend to speak in terms of liberal or conservative, I too see a gap between hungry and satisfied. When satisfied we seem to have more time to visit about our likes and dislikes. When we are hungry we seem greatly urgent to reach the masses.
The reason I am enthused about the future is there are still so many hungry believers among us.
I see no difference, except hopefully, the outcome to us, of giving glory to the Lord today by discussing scripture and our root, than the Jewish rabbai’s of old. Each age must ask these questions to keep Christ centerstage. Will the answers be different? If we have faith and He is responding, the answer has to be yes. If we continue to look at others as very precious beings that God wants saved, the answer will be yes. It will require we free ourselves of our tradition comfort zones. I don’t think He ever wants us to just be comfortable here on earth-it’s not our home, we’re just a passing through. I struggle with this a lot myself. But out of brokeness comes blessings. So, in a way, I see a broken church as a healthy church.
Doesn’t the Highland Church in Abilene also using musical instruments? I always heard this, but since I no longer go to ACU I have no idea. Just thought I would ask this right out instead of assuming or in case I have been fed the wrong information.
As a former member of FBCC (Farmers’ Branch) they are doing great things for their singles and specifically the “women” of their church while being responsive to the needs of their community. They are a great example to those in the North Dallas area.
Mike-
I think this is an important issue, and, based on what I know about the readers/commenters here, this blog would provide a great (even ideal) forum for the discussion.
Here is how I would frame the issue:
1. Does the restorationist framework have anything meaningful to offer in a post-Christian/postmodern culture in the US? Does it have anything meaningful to offer in the new, global church?
2. If not, how can we best equip our kids and grandkids to transition from the CoCs into other, emerging faith traditions while continuing to minister to the aging populations within our own faith tradition?
Those strike me as the two big questions.
Mike, I am on the front line (so-to-speak) of this conversation. I feel too young and question my “equippedness” to tackle this issue head on. If, as someone commented, we need prophets (and in many ways I feel like a prophet…specifically Jeremiah), will these prophets risk losing their jobs as ministers? Do they risk their family too? I would like to say, yes. But I am in the middle of questioning my enthusiasm. The storm I describe in today’s post of my blog (christopherblair.blogspot.com) involves, oddly enough, wrestling with other church leaders who read the Bible differently than me. I will look for your series on “The Future of Churches of Christ.”
I am asking for patience, wisdom, and Jesus to reign as I continue work on campus with our future leaders.
One of my favorite pieces of Stone-Campbell history is the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery. I love the first item:
“We will, that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large; for there is but one body, and one spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling.”
Maybe Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:39 are prophetic for Churches of Christ as an entity:
“If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.”
I think my feeling are near those of David U. God is always in control. I have moments of getting fearful about the future in regards to the church; then I try to remind myself that my first responsibility is to keep my personal relationship with God strong. Also, I can pray that God’s will is done in this world.
Just got through listening to the first 3 CD’s on Unity by Rick Achtley. My wish is that churches of Christ would recognize that we are indeed a tribe….just not the only tribe in the United Kingdom. God dispersed his people way back at the Babal Tower which makes me believe he is pleased we are seperate and apart, yet still his children. The song I sang as a child takes on a whole new meaning to me now…”Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world; red & yellow, black & white; they are precious in his sight.” Precious yet different.
I did not grow up in the Bible-Belt but spent the last eight years of my life in it (Searcy and Memphis). I have now left it to serve with a congregation in New York.
The problem I see in my environment, is trying to get people interested in something that was planted as a product of the south. Thus we are trying to learn how to be an incarnational community of Christians to our own culture rather than the 1950’s era southern culture. The joy is that we are so far from the other CoC’s, we are learning to recognize and share in fellowship with other Christians who do not belong to the CoC’s. Those who get involved with their congregation seem to take great ownership (in the best sense) and invest their time and effort into the mission.
The problem I saw in the Bible Belt, was that for too many Christians in the CoC, “church” was part of the culture rather than who they are. In other words, church was just a social club that many people belong too. When their particular social club no longer satisfies them or behaves according to their expectations (i.e., is not traditional or progressive enought) then they just find another social club.
I am saying this to say that for a movement that supposedly has had a decent theology of the church, we need to once again ask ourselves what it means to be church. The above comments about the church and her relationship to the Kingdom of God will be crucial to this question. A further question then might be stated: How does the thgeology of the gospel, kingdom of God, and church intersect for us as a people called by God into community and mission?
The CoC, as it is now, will not survive IMHO. Either it will change and become something other than it is, or it will stay as it is and slowly disappear off the landscape. In either case, it is doomed.
Can the Churches of Christ change and keep their name?
From a person who rebelled and thought he would never be in a CoC to a person who thought he would never leave the CoC, to a person who is not attending a CoC that used to be a CoC.
qb just hopes that “we” will answer the big questions thoughtfully instead of superficially. It is easy to say that we’re willing to embrace the uncertainty and ambiguity of a postmodern culture and lexicon, but it is another thing entirely to enter into the conversation (and further, into the LIFE) without our minds closed off to new possibilities.
qb just got force-fed _Christ is the Question_ by Wayne Meeks, and now the game is on, as they say; qb now has to get accustomed to thinking of the kingdom of heaven as a cult, and then be intellectually comfortable with that. That’s beyond CoC “inside baseball,” I guess, but it’s similar to the quandary about thinking of the CoC as a “denomination.” It’s cathartic but not painlessly so, and the self-discipline required to do it yields the peaceful fruit of humble honesty.
Willard’s treatment of the “kingdom of heaven” in _The Divine Conspiracy_ is a real delight and a real challenge. If ya don’t mind being taught by a Southern Baptist, that is.
qb
Now Clint brings up a question I’d like to see answered.
Mike,
I hope that we will be more in tune with the Holy Spirit. Gifts. Outreach. Understand how deep, wide, high, long, is the love and grace is the love of God. I hope we won’t focus on the elementary teaching but move on towards maturity as a whole.
This is something I’ve thought about writing on as well, though I’m from the independent Christian churches and churches of Christ (Instrumental). I graduated from Harding on one day, and the very next day was ordained to the work of evangelist by the elders of a Christian Church. I then served in Brazil as a missionary for nearly three years, supported by instrumental churches in the States and working directly with acappella brethren in Brazil. The series I guess I would do would discuss my background and experience first, work through thoughts on unity and then look toward the future. My perspective has changed a lot over the past three years. I used to be QUITE conservative.
Pecs, I disagree. I know of many churches that are refusing to update or “change” that much and are doing just fine. I guess it all depends on where you stand. I was at a church in Florida once where it was all blue and gray hairs. Now that one probably won’t be around in 20 years.
I understand the significance of the question based on the fact that “this is our tribe.” But, does it really matter. As long as Kingdom expressions of community are emerging around us (including our own stripe) what does it matter if we have a future and survive or not? I understand the naivete of this position based on exisiting congregational ministry and the generations of “members” we have in single congregations. And I am not advocating this as a preaching series (”Our Demise - Future or Not”) but within this blog community where we ask these type of questions, does it really matter?
I am not ignorning the past or our history, I think it has a place. However I find myself increasingly drawn to the history of Christianity and the Ancient, not the American Restoration experience. In discussing postmodernism in The Younger Evangelicals, Robert Weber writes, “the road to the future runs through the past.” I think this is completely accurate for the postmodern waters that we swim in…but it is the ancient.
Preacher Man says:
“I hope that we will be more in tune with the Holy Spirit. Gifts. Outreach. Understand how deep, wide, high, long, is the love and grace is the love of God. I hope we won’t focus on the elementary teaching but move on towards maturity as a whole. ”
AMEN!!!
I am blessed to be in Christian higher education and to challenge the apathetic spirit of many. Don spoke the same words of concern that I see sometimes in students with regards to any faith at all. However, I have been privileged to see a group of students who are passionate about Jesus, just Jesus, nothing more or nothing less. They want to seek Him and desire to share Him with those who don’t know Him. Isn’t that what it is all about? Their spirituality is amazing, encouraging, and inspiring!! They do understand the “purpose” that Mike asks about….and some of them are quite frankly asking what is all the fuss with the instruments. Weren’t people gifted by God to play instruments? And can those people glorify God with those gifts even in assembly?
Identity crisis in that we have forgotten that Jesus’ identity was by the seaside among the people. When are we going to get to the “seaside” as opposed to our comfy buildings during the week and think that we have arrived at true Christianity? Organized religion in many cases has been detrimental to the church of Jesus Christ. When are we going to realize that relationship with Jesus is all that matters? And when are we going to truly believe that many people need Jesus, and not the identity of the Churches of Christ.
Mike, you nailed it: our view of the nature and function of scripture will be decisive.
Most Church of Christ cultures make fundamentalism the default approach to scripture, so departing from fundamentalism will require intention on the part of leaders. As a result, alternatives simply won’t get a hearing at very many churches where the leaders aren’t interested. Everywhere those alternatives do get a hearing, they will be met with hostility from some in the church, sometimes from most in the church. Paid preachers are right to voice concern for their continued employment.
Fertile ground for alternatives will be found where people’s hearts want a world that is different than that offered by the fundamentalist approach. We have already seen in the last 40 years some in the Churches of Christ depart from our past to reach for a better world. However, almost everywhere that I have seen that impulse reach maturity, it has resulted in the Boomer malcontents settling into a less toxic fundamentalism than that in which they were raised. Lots of people are going to have to become uncomfortable with this new resting place — a less-sectarian, evangelical-shaded fundamentalism — before fundamentalism itself can be rightly weighed and found wanting.
That is going to require crisis. Perhaps the blossoming crisis of morally vacant leadership in the Religious Right (Reed, Robertson, Falwell, Dobson, Santorum, etc.) will provide a turning point. It seems to be working that way in the younger generations of broader evangelicalism.
Why might it prove the turning point? I think it will for a reason that many of you have already mentioned: the increasing orientation of our churches to mission. If we take seriously God’s mission to the poor and troubled, we will see the aforementioned moral vacancy and it will repulse us. That guarantees nothing about the theological direction we will take, but it will provide the opening.
Whatever direction the Churches of Christ take (directions, really — congregational autonomy is not going away in our fellowship any time soon), I have faith that God will do his work.
Go ahead on Lil Sista!!! Keep bringing it!!!!
Thank God this blogging church is gender inclusive.
DU
Jeff W., you nailed it with your last line “I have faith that God will do his work.”
I do hope our tribe has a bright future, and am giving my life serving through us (not to say we are the only way). But I also believe it will be up to each congregation to yield to the Spirit’s leading by truly seeking that leading through prayer.
We are facing difficult decisions in our churches whether we realize it or not. Those that don’t realize there are decisions that need to be made have in essence made their decision to become increasingly irrelevant in reaching our culture.
I think the future of the CoC will vary dramatically from congregation to congregation. Those congregations that stand for something they believe in strongly will still be here. Those that have no convictions on anything will weaken and maybe die. That is for the better. Those who do not have an important message should dissolve and join with another group that does. And that will happen IMO.
Among those that stand up, there will be a whole spectrum of beliefs.
The main problem with Churches of Christ in the 21st century is that 90% of the time, we’re talking to ourselves. We expend unfathomable amounts of energy on “issues” that mean nada to anyone outside our fellowship. Our future depends not on how well we relate to each other and fix “our differences” — I have little hope of resolving many of those “differences” in this lifetime. Instead, our future depends on how we see our role in this culture, our relationships with the ones Jesus misses, our participation with God in his work.
In order for the Church to survive we must have Christ alone as our Head. We must teach wat Christ and the apostles taught and no more or less. We must reach out with love and compassion to those without hope in this world. To be biblical, we must reach people of ALL walks of life. They need to be snatched from the fire! Look how Jesus was. Part of our problem is we are just too comfortable in the church. We must stand true to the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach others in truth and love. We must be kind and tenderhearted and never sarcastic in our teaching. We must settle our differences in a better manner. We must be bold in our declarations but gentle. Look at how the apostle Paul was! He got on the level of the hearer. We must teach the nations. Bible correspondence courses are great. Set up some extra money to send to a mission effort. We must show the love and joy of Christ and the early Christians. They had joy in the face of Roman and Jewish persecution. In short, we must be in Christ. We must show others how to truly get into Christ by baptism. We must pray, and truly believe in prayer.
Hasn’t Leonard Allen just published a book about the COC’s future?
Does anyone know the title?
Mark…
Yes, Leonard Allen just published “Things Unseen” and it is outstanding in my opinion!
Scott
This is purely my personal reflection….If you gave what you thought was a great book on just about any church quandry issue to your elders to read - 75% of them would look at you as if you had a third eye…”What in the world would I do with this book?”. I’m not attempting to throw elders under the bus, I just have concluded 75% are not too concerned with bigger picture issues. The budget, Sunday night attendance, worship wars, salaries, in-fighting, etc. - that takes up 99% of their time. And therein lies the dilemma because virtually every cofC is controlled by the eldership.
I, personally, find the C of C quite hospitable for my heterodox beliefs. I’m often asked, “How can you believe X? Aren’t you a member of the Church of Christ?” My response is that the C of C is an ecclesial movement, a movement about how to do church. As such, it is extraordinarily devoid of any theological content. Which I find, if you can tolerate the ecclesiology, quite liberating.
There is a great and wonderful future for the churches of Christ ! And never forget the outstanding contributions of those generations before us that have dedicated their lives to world-wide evangelism and to more good works of compassion than any of us will ever know. There is no way of knowing how many people have heard the gospel and hurting people have been helped. Let us continue witht the same dedication and love for people. Sure mistakes have been made. We are humans trying to follow our Lord. Time can be spent being critical. Our time can also be used to proclaim good news and to touch lives with hearts and actions filled with Christ-like compassion.
Nicely put, Richard…
yeah…what Steve JR. said. (the last part…not the chocolate pancakes part…oh well, throw those in too while we’re at it.)
Arlene and Steve Sr. expressed my thoughts exactly…does it really matter to anyone outside the church of christ? Should it matter? Isn’t the most important thing that we find out what God is doing and join him in his work - regardless of labels?
May I add my fuel to the bonfire?
I, personally, am not here on this earth to preserve, protect, nor promote the Churches of Christ. God has placed me on this earth to declare Him, and His Son crucified for all mankind around me - to help the needy, be it from physical, emotional or spiritual want - to be prayerful, standing in the gap for others -to be a mentor to younger women - but above all else, that all these ‘activities’ declare the glory of God.
If I’m involved in saving the name of a particular group, no matter how much I may love it, maybe I’ve thrown my lot in with the Corinthians - “I am of Paul [ liberal CofC], I am of Apollas [conservative CofC], I of…” well you get the idea.
When, oh when will the day come that the denominational names are torn off the buildings - when we all come under the banner and Name above all names, Jesus, the Christ? Sadly guess I’ll have to wait for Heaven to see this come to be.
Richard B - Nice insight.
I deleted a comment from around 3:00 this afternoon because the person who wrote it e-mailed me and asked me to.
My Grandfather had two close friends who many admire..one was Marshall Keeble and the other, in Tuskegee, was George Washington Carver.
I always heard Marshall Keeble said we can’t judge but we can be fruit inspectors. The beauty of the church be it yesterday or today or tomorrow will be seeing the fruit of His love. Are we loving each other? Are we loving those outside the walls or are we about managing instead of ministering? Maybe I am a bit deviant in that I don’t think of how the church will be but how each one of us will be in our hearts. There was a woman who slipped a Bible to my Great Grandfather when he was a P.O.W in the north and I am a christian today because of it. Her impulsivity is what I want. I have been hearing alot of clanging symbols lately since finding myself in a different place in my life and it has concerned me and saddened me.
Will Churches of Christ “survive”? Of course they will. Whether some churches bear that name in fifty years (it’s almost impossible that none will), whether the CoC has identifiable descendant denominations or sects, or whether the entire movement is overwhelmed by various waves that will re-arrange the Christian landscape, the Church of Christ will have survived. It will continue to affect lots people, Christian and not.
That’s an easy conclusion. The real question: what heritage will we leave? We can squander our potential on navel-gazing and fortress-building, or we can seek renewal of our theology and practice so that the greater Christian communion will yet be blessed if some day sees our movements apparent disappearance.
Rex, Preacherman and all,
“I hope that we will be more in tune with the Holy Spirit. Gifts. Outreach. Understand how deep, wide, high, long, is the love and grace is the love of God. I hope we won’t focus on the elementary teaching but move on towards maturity as a whole.”
This statement in any form sounds ridiculous. In a world where God supossedly is love, I don’t see any from God. If you called God love and looked at the world he suposedly controls you would see God’s not doing so well.
I see people who exhibit love in this form and some of them are atheist. Most truly “loving” people wouldn’t change their sacrificial lifestyle if it could be proved (know it can’t but play along) God did not exist. Therefore their altruistic lifestyle has nothing to do with a supposedly Loving God.
For someone who doesn’t believe(me) it sounds like opium laced horse shit. People who are tired and hurting don’t want to hear God loves them when their is no visible evidence except the inane drivel that comes from believer trying to comfort someone.
Country Fred,
When my son died, about the only thing that was comforting at the time was knowing that God understood what I was feeling. And what was really amazing was that I did everything in my power to save my Son, God had the power to save his son from death but did nothing because of his love for us. When I wondered where God was in my suffering, I realized he was there in suffering too.
But since I understand what it is like to be “tired and hurting” a bit, I try and not speak when I meet others who are begining a journey of suffering. I believe my presence, my silent prayers, and my willingness to grieve with them will do far more good than telling them “It’s all right, God still loves you.”
Rex,
First of all I am very sorry for about your. I feel like a lowly son a bitch. But it is not about how I feel.
As a friend I would grieve with you and it would have nothing to do with God. It would be because I would hope to be a decent human being.
But as friend I would also be angry that you put your heart and soul into your son and into serving God and in your most dire time of need, God couldn’t or wouldn’t act to save him.
It also would trouble me as your friend that you gave God an out. If God is so powerful and you are certainly faithful why can’t he be held accountable for is lack of inaction?
If a man knowingly lets his son die in today’s world he is held accountable.
Since a lot of my thoughts have already been expressed, I will just say that I have mixed feelings about the future of the church. I do not think that success will depend on if we get everything “right”, but rather if we have shared the good news of Jesus and loved those around us.
On another note, I was blessed to preach my first sermon today in my preaching class, and I have to admit that it was incredibly empowering. It is amazing what happens when you allow Scripture to consume you and then try to portray that message to others. I think the biggest part of it is the process-I really enjoyed it and look forward to doing it again.
I can only imagine what it is like to do that week after week, year after year…thank you for allowing God to use you!
Blessings~
Rex,
My first line should have been:
First of all I am very sorry about your son.
I can’t type, speak, write or spell very well.
A person can lose everything but if hope is lost there is nothing left. There are two types of faith, one in nothing and one in God. The one in nothing gives you nothing, the one in God gives you hope. We each choose. There is no judgment from others unless we give them that power. For the one who loses everything, including hope, there is nothing left and some times that is appealing. I chose HOPE, “opium laced horse shit” and all.
Haven’t read the 60-some-odd comments, sorry.
A couple of days ago I posted on my blog my reluctance to take part in this year’s Lenten practices. Soon after I posted I got an e-mail from a Church of Christ-er chastising me for taking part in a pagan/Catholic practice. The question raised was, “Since when did the cofc start practicing Lent?” The e-mail went on to berate my theology as a whole.
Is there a future for the Churches of Christ? I’m not sure I care any longer.
I saw a sign on a building that simply said, “Christians Meet Here.”
Refreshing.
What I’m counting on is Jesus making it through to the next century in tact. He will have followers.
Isn’t the transparency of Country Fred refreshing? I don’t know him from Adam, but my guess is he also knows how to love unconditionally. Let’s see………that’s two for two on characteristics our fellowship is NOT known for.
Fred, I hope you keep coming back. I concur with Clint, in that my wish is that you will see the HOPE that fuels our faith.
DU
The church of Christ has a great number of members who constantly show love by their many good works and compassion . It has been that way from the beginning of the church on Pentecost all the way to the present and if we continue to teach the scriptures and obey the word then such amazing love will continue. There is a wonderful future for the church.
Country Fred,
There are some questions far too great for me to be able to answer. Yet, at the same time, when I remove God from the equasion, the list of those questions becomes even greater.
I don’t have any adequate answers for suffering and even the reason I believe there might be for why God allows suffering and even seems absense in our suffering at times is fraught with problematic notions. Nevertheless, one conclusion I have come to since the death of my son and the death of my younger brother (died at 27 from heart failure, leaving behind a wife and two children) is this: If there is no God and subsequently no hope beyond death then this life we live simply consist of suffering for a while until we meet our own death. If that is true, then this life is one cruel joke — one in which we should just wish that it would end sooner than later so as to spare us any more hopeless suffering.
So I live with hope. And as long as I live this life, with all of its happiness and sorrow mixed together, I will try to let God use me in my brokeness and weakness to comfort the afflicted.
Amen , Rex. I , like you , do not have all the answers to human suffering but have decided that I would rather have God, the church , scripture and prayer in the midst of my deepest pain and loss. To deny God does not alleviate the pain or bring back loved ones.
Man, I miss Mike’s blog for a day and I miss out on an opportunity to promote New Wineskins!
Randy Harris’s series “Will Churches of Christ Survive the 21st Century” is found online at:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
(No subscription required, temporarily.)
I haven’t been able to post archives for NW far enough back that the site includes Joe Beam’s article … but it’s on my to-do list!
I believe the Church of christ has got to start focusing on petty stuff (versions of Bible, Bible classes or not, small groups or not, Fellowship issues, womens roles, how to do worship, style of worship, communion issues, Bible classes or not,) elementry teachings and focus on out reach. We must be more in tune with the Holy Spirit. I believe the church of Christ as a whole has neglect the Holy Spirit and the gifts. If we want true revival that is where it is going to come. If we want to grow. We must look outward. It is time to leave the elementrary teaching behind and move on towards maturity. It is time for revival.
I meant stop focusing on the petty stuff.
It is time for true revival to take place within the Churches of Christ.
Rex,
Although we fundamentally disagree Thanks for words in the face of such trajedy.
I find comfort that you have walked and crawled this painful path yet you still walk. This inspires me.
From preacherman
It is time for true revival to take place within the Churches of Christ.
No, my brother, the revival has already happened. It is time for us to stop worrying about the perfecting of OUR institutions. This will never come! Satan would love for us to continue our incessant discourse about religion. It keeps us chained to our designs.
The GOOD NEWS is we are already free. Take your fredom in Christ. It is not going to come through the return/arrival of that great day in the church of Christ. It has already arrived and is available right now. Submit to Christ’s athority, seek Him in the word, relate to others as the servant of Christ, rely on the power that comes through Him, be of one mind with your brothers/sisters. If there are those in your chuch of Christ who keep you enslaved, pray for those who can encourage you. God will provide His Spirit.
The future of the churches of christ rests in the extent to which they will allow the general diversity of Christian faith to be friends with them, joining together in mission to save this world from hunger, disease, poverty, slavery, hatred, and deception. The churches of christ will become attractive to the world when they begin to resemble God and not a crazed fan of God that God Himself is ashamed of.
Christian unity through mission and diversity, erring on grace rather than condemnation; finding common cause rather than self-identifying disticntions; taking risks rather than imposing self.
Lord, come and get us, please!!!
THE CHURCH will survive. Who knows what name it will wear?? And frankly it’s becoming less and less obvious anyway. That’s what worries me . . . what separates THE church from other groups calling themselves “church?”
Country Fred,
Thanks for the kind words.
The church of Christ will continue to have a wonderful future because Jesus is the builder and head of the church. In the present and future let us keep our commitment to remain “of Christ.” Let us never be ashamed of that designation. To follow in the footsteps of Jesus , to maintain doctrinal soundness and the distinctive marks of the New Testament church.
I am just wondering lately if we are truley non-denominational and autonimous (seperate leadership, elderships from each other) why should care about what Farmers Branch and North Richland Hills is doing and tell them what they can and cannot do? Just wondering?
Preacher Man - if “we” were truely non-denominational and autonimous - then who’s “we”?
It’s not a bad thing to be a part of a denomination - as long as you are able to see that you’re a part of one.
I’m not even really sure that it’s possible to be “non-denominatoinal” today because we’re all so trained to be a part of something bigger than just our local congregation.
At Shannon Oaks - we’re now - “non-denominational” but are in the process of partnering with other similar “non-denom” congregations for strength and encouragement.
CofC’s will survive for the next 50 - 100 years … of course some will Mike.
The only way they won’t survive - is if the current “Baby Boomer” generation of leaders do something drastic - like completely “merge” with Christian Churches and abandon the cofC denomination.
And I believe - the Universities have more to do with that than the local congregations do.
If ACU, Lipscomb, Pepperdine, and one or two other schools completely united on the abandonment of the “church of Christ” affiliation - and embraced a full merge with the Christian Church - then cofc’s would die off in 50-75 years.
that wouldn’t be a bad thing for the kingdom - but would be a bad thing for the cofC denomination… and it is a denomination.
I don’t think the churches of Christ will grow very much - as is - unless they change ALOT.
Then again - I don’t think ANY church will grow very much in the future - unless it changes ALOT.
This isn’t a cofC question - it’s a Wester Church question.
As a longtime member and former minister in Churches of Christ, I am so eager to see our congregations and members come to define ourselves by who we are in Christ, rather than who and what we are not. I think that has become one of the fundamental problems leading to the angst, and even decline, in so many CoCs. We aren’t this. We aren’t that. We don’t do this. We frown on those who do that. (I use “we” here to refer to much of the CoC mindset and teaching I continue to experience in different congregations.) Several months into my move from family minister at “South” (Eddie P’s church family in BR) and into private practice as a counselor, Chemaine and I have really found ourselves struggling to get excited about church life. We have so many wonderful people in our church family. It’s just that as a church, we seem unsure about who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. And it’s a shame to see how common this is in so many churches.
Jeff,
I agree with much of your musing on the whole denominational muddle of Churches of Christ (notice the two capital C’s).
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Many of us who are part of JESUS Community Center in Miami have our roots in the CHURCHES OF CHRIST. Whether or not the Lord chooses to use, bless and grow CHURCHES OF CHRIST has much to do with how these churches handle the Word of God.
The ingenious stroke of the Protestant Reformation was the proposition that the word of the Lord, the Holy Scriptures, are provided to feed All God’s Children. All children of our Heavenly Father should be able to have free access to his word without official interpretations of the clergy. Pope John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council accomplished two incredible things for those within the Roman Catholic Church: (1) Vatican II sanctioned private Bible reading and study for the laity of the church and also (2) acknowledged that the body of Christ was broader than just the Roman Catholic Church.
When the Christians, who banded together as JESUS Community Center, talk about believing the Bible and following the Bible, this is not some unique claim for them. In a real sense, all those who profess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord also claim to believe the Bible and follow the Bible whether they are Catholic, Orthodox, some variety of brand-name Protestant or Nondenominational.
The time is right for Christians of all backgrounds to go straight to the Bible again but in a very responsible manner. Mold-breaking disciples believe that faithful Christians do not have to be spoon-fed by the clergy. This is true whether the clergy person is officially designated as called Priest, Pastor, Minister or Elder.
The bottom line is that these disciples believe that the Lord never intended to leave his people with a written message containing such ambiguity that disciples would have to employ Philadelphia Lawyers to decipher its meaning. God’s written word is designed in such a way that it provides both “milk for babes” in the faith and “meat for strong men.” They further believe that the more intimately Christians come to know Jesus the more capable they will be to responsibly handle the Holy Scriptures.
The gathered congregation is pictured in Scripture as the temple of the living God in which the Holy Spirit resides in a special way. With the naked text in hand and the Holy Spirit as the Divine Teacher present, the children of our Father can read and come to understand the meaning of the Bible as a collection of divine and wonderful love letters from their heavenly Father. A dependence upon the clergy-system, by whatever name, makes dependent disciples into weak Christians.
For faithful Christians, properly interpreting the Bible is the real key, interpreting it in a way that the sacred text really speaks to Christians as the Word of the Lord. They insist that the way all persons or groups interpret the Bible is largely born out of their understanding of the nature of God.
Any group’s interpretation of the Bible will be pretty legalistic and unnecessarily rigid if they see the God of the Bible as a “distant deity” who dispassionately holds the world captive to arbitrary rules and regulations. If anyone sees the Lord of the universe as a “hard taskmaster” they will live with some degree of spiritual anxiety and play it safe, neither walking by faith nor enjoying full confidence in the graciousness of the Lord. Such folks will tenaciously grip their understandings or religious performances, with which they feel safe, until their knuckles turn white because “the blood” is literally squeezed out their system. Such a theological approach creates spiritual victims rather than true sons. They feel compelled to protect what little they feel sure about and nervously wait for their final verdict from the Lord at the great Last Day. From this perspective, being a Christian is much like a pardoned man feeling like he is a guilty man on probation from which his life and freedom can be snatched away again for the least infraction of divine law. Such Christians seldom feel secure in their faith. Many subconsciously expect to be executed for crimes against the Lord for which the Gospel joyously announces they have already been pardoned. Probationary religion (as opposed to a full pardon from the King of the universe) is the most deadly of all heresies to contaminate the Gospel of Christ. This approach to the Bible is what drove the Pharisees of Jesus’ day to bind oppressive burdens upon the Lord’s people. Jesus was the Great Liberator who defied the Pharisees’ enslaving rigidity and literally mocked the way they used the Bible to do inflict harm on sincere believers.
A new breed of disciples is fervently praying that they will approach the sacred text in the same way its author, the Son of God, did when he was on earth teaching his very first disciples. Nobody ever took the Word of God more seriously than Jesus. Nobody ever held a higher view of the authority of the Scriptures than Jesus. The truth of God’s Word is not defined by how Popes or Councils interpret the text. It is not defined by how the Protestant Reformers interpreted the text. Furthermore, understanding the truth of the Gospel must not be limited to how Ministers, Preachers, Pastors or Elders interpret the text. The word of the Lord can be understood and dynamically enriched through prayerful study.
This is the one most critical question for any serious Bible student, “How did Jesus Christ interpret and apply the text of Scripture to the faith and lives of his first disciples?”
Jesus’ interpretation of Scriptures comes from his view of God Almighty as the One who was worthy of “love with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.” Jesus painted the picture of his Father and ours as the Father of the “Prodigal Son” who wants to forgive all and grieves until he has all his children back safe at home with him again. For Jesus, the Bible is largely a collection of loving letters from our Father, our Almighty God who always prizes “mercy above sacrifice.” (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13; 12:7)
Jesus did not view the Holy Commandments as spiritual tests to check and grade the meticulous obedience of a believer’s faith. Jesus made it too clear to miss that the faithful were not created to be “commandment keepers” but that the “the Sabbath (any commandment) was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (commandment).”
The Holy Commandments are for the benefit of believers. Jesus also insisted that the Book is stagnant and lifeless until believers permit the Divine Teacher, the Holy Spirit, to “enlighten the eyes of our hearts” (Ephesians 1:18) and “lead us into all truth” (John 14:25-26). It was not just for the Apostles, but is for all disciples, that the Spirit brings to memory the truth of the text as it relates to the living context of a believer’s current faith challenge or life situation.
True disciples recognize the need to be saturated with such a deeply personal knowledge of Jesus that they employ the Bible in the same manner that Jesus did. Christians in Hope desire total immersion in the person and presence of Jesus and in the manner by which Jesus interpreted the Bible.
These Christians also desire to see clearly how the Holy Spirit guided the Apostles of Jesus to interpret the will of the Lord in the New Covenant Scriptures. When people become fully acquainted with the Divine Letters of the Apostle Paul, especially his letters to the Romans and Galatians, they can never again remain silent in the presence of lifeless legalism. Legalism is any notion, ever so subtle, of saving oneself by obeying laws. Legalism may have an appearance of respecting the Law of God but it always creates religious systems which build high hedges around God’s Law. Jesus calls those theological hedges “the doctrines and commandments of men.”
The biblical doctrine of “the priesthood of all believers” does not necessarily suggest that formal training for the ministry has to be harmful. Formal training can be a good thing. But every student of the Bible must rely primarily on the text and the “Divine Teacher” for his understanding of divine will. Study of the sacred text, in its context, is critical to discovering the Lord’s will in Scripture. The context of Scripture includes a study of the linguistic, historical and cultural milieu in which each portion of the Bible was written. An understanding of the shaping of the biblical canon helps Christians understand how God has preserved his Eternal Word through the centuries. A working knowledge of the earliest biblical languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, may help explain the special ways by which the Holy Spirit used human agents and their languages to communicate the Divine Word of the Lord.
As a congregation working together, the Lord opened their hearts and led the JESUS Community Center in Miami to prayerfully and carefully define their understanding of, and commitment to “Biblical Truth.” Without hesitation, they committed to “go to the Bible” for all that they believe, teach and practice no matter what they might have believed, taught, practiced or the way they might have “done church” in the past. Their absolute and final authority in matters of personal and congregational faith, life and worship is the Lord’s will as expressed in the Holy Scriptures—nothing more and nothing less. They recognize the legitimate place for human reason, human experience and spiritual tradition and also understand how, at times, all these can help contribute to an understanding of the Christian faith. But these Christians affirm, without qualification, that Scriptures alone express God’s divinely revealed word. Therefore human reasoning, subjective experience and tradition must bow to biblical authority. They reject the notion that human reasoning, subjective experience or tradition can be used to promote any teaching or system which is contrary to the overall flow and intent of Scripture.
Few people can fully appreciate how bold these doctrinal expressions of the Lord’s will are for these particular Christians. Their background of affiliations were among different Christian groups of the “right church isolationist mentality.” All of these groups, with their distinctive way of defining authoritative doctrine, were designed and intended to be self-perpetuating, preserving a separatist and isolationist “religious culture.” This kind of religious environment defines its distinctiveness in terms of imposing unnecessary restrictive rules and regulations as these are perceived by others. These rules and regulations create, for each of these groups, a very nervous and insecure approach which tended to stifle the abundant life Jesus came to give in its fullness.
These Christians, who are part of JESUS Community Center, are trying to prayerfully yield their hearts and minds to the Lord so that he can continue to help chart the direction of their faith and walk together. What would Jesus do with each situation? How would the Son of God apply the word of God to the present question or challenge facing the believer? Unvarnished truth is seen as the most powerful and liberating force in the entire world. These Christians have one overriding aspiration with regard to their understanding and handling of the “sword of the Spirit” which is the word of God:
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5, NIV)
These disciples of Jesus believe that the Lord is guiding their collective study and enlightening their knowledge of the living Lord. They believe that the life, ministry and teachings of the Lord Jesus form the magnifying glass through which all people must look in order to see an accurate picture of the nature of the Lord God Almighty and his will in Scripture. They are deeply grateful for the Spirit’s leading. They praise Jesus for His incredible work among them as they prayerfully approach the Holy Scriptures with great care.
http://www.zianet.com/maxey/reflx272.htm
Mike,
This is a pretty good article to consider. I look forward to reading your thoughts on our future. Thanks for your online ministry.
His Peace,
Cheryl