You are already living in the post-Christian era in the United States. It seems like it happened fast but you’ve likely been feeling the effects for a while. You know the love and peace of being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ but when you share what you know with others they are skeptical and dismissive. You’ve experienced the beauty of Christian fellowship but your neighbors are suspicious of what you know is right and good. It’s clear that what used to work to grow the Church and make disciples is no longer effective.
The term post-Christian era doesn’t mean its over. You are still called to same mission to love God, love others, and to make disciples. However, owning the term means that you recognize that what worked in the past will not work moving forward. In order to help your family, friends and neighbors experience the love of God through Jesus your methodology for sharing that love has to change. And that is going to get uncomfortable. If you are serious about obeying Jesus, your devotion cannot be to church as you know it.
2 Methodologies that no longer work
1. Come-and-See
The Attractional Ministry model worked for a long time because overall the Church was considered a place of wisdom and safety. Being a city on a hill and letting the Iight shine was all it took to draw in the lost and the weary to a place of rest and hope. Charismatic sermons, relevant ministries and Bible studies for all walks of life helped people find a home in the Church. People belonged. You may even have come to Christ as a result of this model. It worked for you and it may still work for you—but it won’t work for your grandkids.
How do I know? Take a look at the people who attend your Bible studies and engage in your ministries. What percentage of them are brand new to a relationship with Jesus? What percentage would you consider mature believers?
This doesn’t mean to shut down all ministries and Bible studies and redirect everyone to something new. That doesn’t work either. While the come-and-see model is rarely effective to bring in new believers, it can work with those who are already comfortable with it. To start bringing about change, find a few people who love Jesus, want to start something new and start it with them. Do it quietly and intentionally and be sure every time you meet is at least equally inwardly and outwardly focused.
2. Prepackaged Ministry
Just because you are a pastor, doesn’t mean you are an expert in all things. What a blessing it was when experts on topics like stewardship and parenting came on the scene and offered the church packaged curriculums used to teach challenging topics. But was it? The tricky part about experts is they tend to teach a methodology what works of them. Those who adopted these curriculums know that, while they may be solid, only a few adopted these teaching long term. Some even mistook the curriculum as gospel and developed an unhealthy legalistic attachment to their methodology.
Not all curriculums are appropriate for all contexts. The Church needs to be careful to vet curriculum to ensure it is based on timeless principles. And we also need to resist adopting systems that cannot be adapted for context.
A Methodology that will always work
Authentic Relationships
The majority of the United States no longer trusts the Church—but they may trust you. Think about the most authentic relationships you have. What makes them special? You will have some unique specifics but your list also includes feeling safe to share your struggles and ask questions. Someone who is always there for you—you’re ride-and-die, as they say. People who validate your experience, enjoy you as you are, and challenge you to grow because they want the best for you. How did you develop this authentic relationship? It wasn’t overnight but honed over time. You probably went through some hard things together and have fought and forgiven one another.
These kinds of relationships are becoming more rare. But they are a core need in every person on the planet. This includes every member of your church—and they likely have developed core friend groups within the church. But it is also true for all of their family, friends, and neighbors.
All that talk about “the world” as people who have an agenda against the church didn’t stop the US from careening into the post-Christian era, maybe it hastened it. Helping Christians to expand their capacity for authentic relationships that include people who are not believers is equipping them to trust and love God on a deeper level, to share the unconditional love they experience with others, and introduce them in word and deed to what it means to be a disciple of Christ. It will be work but it is work that will result in the spread of the gospel.
Unpacking what that means for you and your church
After all this talk of methodology, I will not give you a recipe to do this. The truth is, you know your church, your people, and your community better than I do. Methodology will always work more effectively when it is customized to those factors. But here are some questions to help you think through what may need to be done:
- When have you felt unaccepted, like you don’t belong? Where do you see that happening, especially for unbelievers, in your church?
- What do you consider as the core attributes to authentic relationships?
- Where are you seeing those attributes on display?
- What vision is God giving you for building authentic relationships in your community? If it all went perfectly, how would your congregation and community look different 5 years from now?
- How can you work to discover your best first step toward making this happen?
- Who would be most helpful to discuss this with?
Resources
Build your ability to be creative and innovate- Everyone is capable of engaging in creative and innovative behavior. This competency-based set of resources are designed to help you understand and develop your relative skills or abilities in the areas of creativity and innovation.
Authentic Relationships– For a deeper dive into authentic relationships check out this 5-week study. Designed to balance inward and outward focus, it looks at how you can engage with people in ways that reflect the heart of God toward them.
Coaching- An excellent coach doesn’t tell you how to do it, but encourages and helps you develop your own path to success. Dr. Bob Logan has a couple of spots open on his coaching calendar. Email admin@loganleadership.com and request a complimentary 30-minute conversation with Dr. Bob to learn more about how coaching can help you maximize your effectiveness and move your vision forward.