The Local Church in Transition
"We're in a yeasty age;" says John Naisbett author of Megatrends, "this is a time between two ages. The fading industrial era is coming to an end, and we're moving into a coming information-process era." The comment was made a couple of years back and few would argue against his prediction that we live in an information-process world. In their book 11 Innovations in the Local Church, Elmer Towns, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird give its readers a look at recent church "styles" that are developing within local congregations across America. Others have covered all of these styles or innovations (house churches, multi-site, etc...) in books, articles, or seminars and each style are given a chapter in this book. If you are not familiar with these latest innovations, I suggest you pick up their book and see for your self what is on the horizon for the Church in America.
I was familiar with the trends that were talked about in their book, but one chapter caught my attention. It was the very last chapter entitled So What Does This All Mean? Like any impatient reader who can't wait to find out the killers identity in a mystery novel, I went immediately to this last chapter to find out what was their conclusion. Ed Stetzer was given the assignment of tying together their final thoughts. In one of his last paragraphs, he asks the question on why there were so many different church styles in America. His answer for the reason of the diversity of styles within the local churches was because, "we (church leaders) realize the North American Church is in trouble." Their conclusion is that the Church in America has lost its identity and that's why there are so many different ways of "doing" church.
There are some good observations on each church "innovation" and they do find at least one positive with each trend. As our country moves deeper into the postmodern, informational, post Judeo/Christian era, the shaping of the Church for the future is taking place now. Innovations, styles, or trends will come and go but the basics of our faith are what really matter. With a new generation making its mark within the church today, what will they use as their guide? It seems that the American Church of the last century had a blend of cultural relativism (whatever works) and biblical principles. The postmodern Church seems to be in a "let's try this" stage. The hope of many is that the Church will not forget that sound teaching of doctrine, a passion for the lost, and a God-centered worship was the core foundation for the early Church (Act 4:42-47). In a time of transition, it seems that the future of the Church hinges on its past.
I was familiar with the trends that were talked about in their book, but one chapter caught my attention. It was the very last chapter entitled So What Does This All Mean? Like any impatient reader who can't wait to find out the killers identity in a mystery novel, I went immediately to this last chapter to find out what was their conclusion. Ed Stetzer was given the assignment of tying together their final thoughts. In one of his last paragraphs, he asks the question on why there were so many different church styles in America. His answer for the reason of the diversity of styles within the local churches was because, "we (church leaders) realize the North American Church is in trouble." Their conclusion is that the Church in America has lost its identity and that's why there are so many different ways of "doing" church.
There are some good observations on each church "innovation" and they do find at least one positive with each trend. As our country moves deeper into the postmodern, informational, post Judeo/Christian era, the shaping of the Church for the future is taking place now. Innovations, styles, or trends will come and go but the basics of our faith are what really matter. With a new generation making its mark within the church today, what will they use as their guide? It seems that the American Church of the last century had a blend of cultural relativism (whatever works) and biblical principles. The postmodern Church seems to be in a "let's try this" stage. The hope of many is that the Church will not forget that sound teaching of doctrine, a passion for the lost, and a God-centered worship was the core foundation for the early Church (Act 4:42-47). In a time of transition, it seems that the future of the Church hinges on its past.
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on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 4:03 AM.
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