The Christian Chronicle (a Church of Christ newspaper) has been doing a year-long feature called "Are We Growing?" The short answer is "No." There are some pockets of growth but membership at most churches is plateaued or declining. This month they concluded the series with some articles about traits of growing churches. One of them was an interview with Scott Thumma (author of Beyond Megachurch Myths: What we can Learn from America's Largest Churches). His background is not Church of Christ so I was interested to see response to the last question they asked him. "What challenges do Churches of Christ face in thinking about growth over the next few decades?" Here's part of his answer...
This is a tough one for me. Clearly from what I've said, the majority of the Church of Christ are out of resonance with the predominant, contemporary, suburban, mainstream culture. Nearly every American lives with instrumental music every hour of their waking lives. In that, the Church of Christ has a serious challenge. But this characteristic and its other unique features could also be seen as a distinctive "brand," a niche, our unique message.
However, I say to you at the close of a year of self-reflection what I tell every church leader coming to me about the secret of megachurch growth. Above all, each congregation and the entire fellowship--the ministers, theologians, lay leaders, and members--need to ask sincerely, "What does God want of us, of our group, our traditions and our understanding of the Bible? What is God calling us to be in this new century? How are we to reach out into the world?"
What is God calling the Church of Christ to keep as core biblical beliefs, and what is God asking you to change?
Thoughts?
12 comments:
Russ,
The sad truth is that reaching the world and keeping the faithful is not always possible.
When it comes to matters of opinion and preference, (yes I believe that music falls in this catagory) the world is not impressed with, or interested in our tired old traditions. While the faithful on the other hand, are not impressed with or interested in change. We like things just the way they are - thank you very much.
Are we willing to risk losing the faithful just to reach the world?
Then again, are we willing to risk losing the world just to keep ourselves comfortable?
gary
Russ, What do you see as the commitment the church has to make to the people who can't handle the change?? Sure instruments will help reach new people and grow the church, but in a case like SW is it worth splitting the church? How do we balance our future (or lack of one) with meeting the needs of the present?
The Quakers and Puritans stood their ground and refused to change, worked pretty good for their respective faiths.
Shump,
You've asked the THE question of the next 5-10 years. How do we balance tradition with change? Actually, it's been THE question of the last 2,000 years. But to answer your specific question, if it would truly split a church then, no, I don't think that church is ready.
However, I do think that any church choosing to keep the a cappella tradition has to realize how peculiar it is and we need to do more explaining for guests & newcomers. I think those of us who grew up with a cappella worship don't think much about it. We're used to it and many of us enjoy it. But Thumma is right about the fact that our culture is immersed in music.
Think about it. It's in the background of every TV commerical, movie, TV show, etc. It's the first thing we turn on when we get in our cars. We listen to it when running, doing chores around the house, working. We go to concerts, purchase CDs, download .mp3s. It's played in the background of most lobbys, retail stores, athletic games, etc. It's everywhere! So when someone who's unfamiliar with our tradition comes to worship I'm sure the a cappella thing seems a bit odd. People are willing to adapt and they are often very accepting of it, but we shouldn't assume that they see it as normal and we need to be proactive in explaining our reasons for keeping it.
I think the music question is something that will be a major issue in our movement going forward. You'll see more churches of Christ adding an instrumental option for worship and you'll see more churches of Christ taking a hard line stand against it. But I suspect that most will be in the middle somewhere. Not ready to add instruments, but not strictly opposed to them. They'll keep the a cappella tradition, but won't condemn those who choose to do otherwise.
Don't you think those that take the hard line stance might as well put their building up for sale becasue its just a matter of time before they die, the numbers are showing this generation is not going to do it "just because" I am not saying that music makes that big a difference, there are plenty of churches that will die with great worship bands, but our heritage's inability to go there tells the world, especially the lost, that the priority around here is OUR PEOPLE, not you.
But those that realize the need and have a desire to reach out to the world but keep the faithful from stroking out need to be planting instrumental churches, and looking for everyway they can to lead their people to a better understanding of what scripture has to say about worship. The worst thing we could do it what we normally do, "the bunker mentality" we normally just put our heads in the sand and hope we don't have to make a decesion.
I don't see why God didn't tell us in the new testament that it was acceptable to use instrumental music (he only states to sing), when the old testament clearly shows instrumental music is acceptable. It looks like to me it would mentioned at least once if God wanted us to use instruments.
Dear Anonymous,
I think you are asking the wrong question. Don't you think God would have told us if he changed his mind on the use of instruments - especially if it were something that he would later send us to Hell for?
Nowhere in the NT does God even hint at changing the practice of praising him with instruments.
Psalm 57:7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music
eph 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
Gary
Jesus brought in a new law rendering the old law void. I don't see how we can look at a command from the Old Testament and say that it can automatically be transferred to the new testament.
Dear Anonymous,
Are you saying that having sex with animals is OK?
The Old Testement condemns it, but the New Testement is silent about it. (sort of like music)
Gary
I had been casually following the Chronicle's series during the summer. (I found their piece on the "loss" of youth very interesting; although, I would identify a different root reasons for youth leaving the CofC.)
I'm far more on a radical liberal than the CofC is ever likely to become. What bothered me about the articles was not that they weren't advocating the changes I would like to see (which won't happen), but seemed to be focusing too much on a bottom line of baptisms and looking to suburban mega-churches for a model. I'm highly skeptical of mega-churches. And watching the scandals surrounding Bellevue Baptist in Memphis hasn't done anything to alleviate that skepticism.
I feel that a church can have a more effective ministry at a smaller size. One, the ministry staff can actually know the congregations. (A member of a small Orthodox church once commented to me during a interview that the parish priest could actually be a spiritual "father" because the parish was small.) Second, and to me more importantly, the chances that the individual (or that the individual's ability to discern the word of God) will be overwhelmed by the collective (creed -- unspoken or written) is far less of a threat in a smaller community.
I would hate to see the CofC lose these traits, as I feel that they will be two of the most important for the CofC's progress. The suggestion in one comment to focus on the creation of new churches rather than focusing on expanding a home church strikes me as a better route than mega-church tactics.
God condemns sex with animals along with any sexual act that is not between husband and wife numerous times in the New Testament(1 Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 7).
In the Old Testament David was the one to introduce instruments into the worship of God (2 Chronicles 29:26 -- instruments of David, 1 Chronicles 23:5 - instruments I [David] made, Amos 6:5 invent to themselves instruments of music, like David). First mention of instruments in general is in Gen 4:21.
Pope Vitalian is said to be the first to introduce organ music to Christians around 666 AD.
There is no example of Jesus or his apostles or disciples using instruments to worship God the Father.
I still do not see how can "sing" be seen to mean "sing with instruments".
Dear Anonymous,
The verses you quote condemn sexual immoralty period. We know that includes sexually relations with animals only because the Old Testement tells us so. (Lev. 18:23)
"The Law" is our school master. (Gal 3:24)iT IS NOT JUST A HISTORY LESSON.
2 Chronicles 29:25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the LORD by His prophets.
Please notice the above verse that you quoted. FOR THUS WAS THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD BY HIS PROPHETS.
Please don't throw the OT away. it is still relevent! Acts 17:11 The Bereans were more noble because they searched the scriptures (Old Testement)
Keep studying.
Gary.
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