THE FUTURE OF DENOMINATIONS

Denominational Christianity is aging out before our eyes.  Most of the existing congregations are late life cycle. In the near term, it is impossible to replace the saints who populate these churches, and who are steadily moving en masse to Heaven.  They are simply dying faster than we can recruit, convert, and disciple new people.  Total numbers and total dollars are now set to decline steadily for most groups, even as some of them ramp up the planting of new congregations.

The new groups (both churches and Fresh Expressions) are going to define the future of most denominations. They cannot, in many cases, be developed fully as plants of existing congregations. But they must be culturally indigenous to adults ages 20-40, with at least half of each launch team representing persons of color and/or persons.  This is a critical challenge.

When I was working in the UK last month, I had a chance to visit the site of an Anglican Resource Church. There are 100 Resource Churches across the UK. They represent heavy financial investment by the Church of England, investment into renewed facilities and staffing for ministry to families with children.  These typically move in to historic and/or strategically located buildings, with radical renovations of facility and programming. And they are working. While the Anglicans are still in decline, they have now planted 100 congregations with ministry design for a young, multiethnic 21st century Britain.  It is this possible to imagine a future for the Church of England.  Are there flaws in the Resource Church model? Yes. Can the flaws be corrected without damaging the fruitfulness? Almost certainly.

I am determined to study the Resource Church model in the year ahead with a few young adult leaders and to assess what possibilities the model offers us. We have to do something. Asking young adults to reinvent church in ways that feel compelling is critical.

In my denomination, the United Methodist Church, there is no good future emerging naturally from the current trends.  Claiming a good future will require leadership. And that leadership must be young and multi-ethnic. It must look like the rising America.