GOD BLESS THE CHURCH

By Duane Cottrell

 

Wouldn't you like to know what the Church will look like in 100 years? I sure wish I was able to see the future, but unfortunately no one I know has an accurately functioning crystal ball, and my Magic 8 Ball only says, "wait and see." On the other hand, I've spent the past half-decade pouring my guts into reinventing and rediscovering Church, so I do have a few ideas of my own. Admittedly, it's unlike me to climb up on a soapbox and shout, but this year I'm giving up tact for Lent. If what I have to say seems negative or bitter, please bear with me. I'm not trying to be another critical voice - we all know there are plenty of those already out there. The truth is that I love the Church. I believe in the Church. I am passionate about what the Church can become. And that is why I have to say what I have to say. I've worked too hard and sacrificed too much to let what I have learned go unheard. In the end, there should be a clear picture of what I have gotten a taste of in the past few years. Honestly, I don't know how to create a church like this - I already tried and it didn't work. I don't know how to change a church into this. I don't even know how to lead a church like this. I really don't know much at all, but I'm generous enough to share what I know with you, so here is my personal manifesto on what the Church of the future will be like.

 

Ecumenical

The Church of the future will be ecumenical. Labels just won't work. A denomination is simply a label that advertises what unique scriptural interpretations and doctrines a particular expression of Christ's body adheres to, and frankly, no one cares anymore. At least, no one outside of those denominations. The next generation won't commit to a denomination; they won't care about creeds or affirmations. What will be important are the basic tenants of Christianity, and that would be worth committing to. A slight move in this direction has been the rise of so-called "non-denominational" churches. But, as many have joked, it may not be long before there is a denomination to govern all those "non-denominational" churches. The reason this won't hold up much longer is because joining a non-denominational church requires you to "renounce" your denomination, in a way. If I grew up in an Episcopal church, I can no longer call myself Episcopalian if I join a non-denominational church. People need to embrace their history and their heritage as part of their own story. In an ecumenical community, individuals can retain their unique denominational heritage (even if they aren't even sure what it may mean doctrinally), and join together in unity with other Christ followers. "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

 

Contemplative

Candles aren't just cool. They are not used simply as an atmosphere trick to attract tattooed, flannel-clad bohemians. The fact is that contemplative spirituality will play a huge part in the Church of the future, and candles are just the beginning. More and more Christ-followers want to connect with something mysterious, something bigger than themselves. Canned sermons with PowerPoint and pre-packaged curricula won't work. We don't want our coffee mugs, pens, and doormats stenciled with various acronyms or obscure Old Testament prayers. What we do want is an opportunity to experience the mysterious and transcendent God that has been hidden from us. Many people are rediscovering ancient disciplines and practices that have been around for centuries, such as centering prayer and fasting. Movements like Thomas Keating's Contemplative Outreach are becoming well-known and popular. Liturgy is making a comeback, even in the most conservative evangelical churches. The overall bottom line is that this connection with the mysterious has a strange, unifying effect. To know that someone else in the world is praying the same liturgy as you makes you feel connected to something bigger. And, after all, it's time to make God bigger than ourselves again.

 

Missional

The future Church will be missional. I hesitate to use that word, because it sounds too much like "missions," which in my background means a special offering a couple of times a year, and a speaker who is home on furlough with a slide show that will make you cry while reaching for your checkbook. But that's not exactly what it means. The next Church will be about people discovering, and living, their own call. For too long, Christ-followers have relied on the "paid professionals" to do the work God has been calling them to do. There are poor and hungry people out there who need the hand of Jesus, and there are lost people out there who need to know about the love of Christ. If the Church is going to get anywhere, the more liberal mainline denominations need to discover world missions and evangelism (read, "missionary sending"), and the more conservative evangelical denominations need to discover social justice and the poor and marginalized at their own front door. Jesus was always about meeting the needs of the people we continually ignore, and that has to stop. But it means that individuals have to be taught about their call. First of all, they need to know that they have been called by God (yes, every believer has been). Second, they need to be empowered to follow that call. That means realizing we don't deserve to be called "saints" and "children" if we don't make Christ our primary vocation. Spend 40 hours making money someplace else, but make his Kingdom your primary concern. That's our Biblical mandate. Church isn't a hobby or pastime, it's a way of life - living for God's Kingdom. Churches need to stop perpetuating the idea that "call" is for paid ministers and missionaries who are somehow more holy than the rest of us. We have all got the same commission from Christ to play our part in his Kingdom, making our piece of hell a little more like heaven.

 

Community

If any one concept has gotten overkill lately, it is community. Little is left to be said about community except that no one knows what it is. We all try to explain it and define it and even create it, but it defies us all. Community is what you call it when people who share their lives are willing to lay down their lives for one another. It is not a common interest, or hobby, or lifestyle. It has nothing to do with social relationships or even getting along with other people in a group. It is definitely not about affinity-based small group Bible studies that meet in a living room on a weeknight. Community is more than all those things; it is each member playing a vital part in an unfolding human story. It is people genuinely caring about one another. It is people loaning their money and possessions to one another. It is people working together sacrificially toward a common mission or purpose. It is about being open, honest and vulnerable with your deepest soul. Christian community is not closed; it is open to every race, lifestyle, and age (yes, it is multigenerational). It cannot be faked. It cannot be created or forced. It can only blossom where the conditions are right. But when it does, you'll know it. I've only tasted it once or twice, but I've never forgotten. Church is supposed to be all those things. Church is supposed to be a group of people who are your family, your blood, and your life. It is supposed to be the beginning and end of who you are and what you are about. It is supposed to be a place where you can be accepted for who you are, without having to hide your sin. Honestly, I haven't been in too many churches that act this way, or inspire me to act this way. But I am convinced that it is possible, only because I believe in Christ and his Spirit, and I am convinced that it is going to be the way of the next Church.

 

Small

I realize this goes against 30 years of church growth theory and strategy. In fact, this goes against everything I believed for my entire life about Church. The Church of the future will be small. The megachurch will not be around much longer. I say this with a few conditions. When I say "small," I mean small like Acts...small like the First Century Church. We know the church in Jerusalem started with over 3,000 people - a megachurch by any definition. But the true church was what happened in homes. It's pretty clear that Paul defined a "church" by the house at which it met. He also defined "church" by city, thus unifying all Christ-followers in that particular city. This is where ecumenicism, contemplation, and community come together. All the real nitty-gritty stuff takes place when we're face to face, knee to knee with other people who care about us in community. But, like the church in Jerusalem, we are unified by worshipping together as one body of Christ-followers. Does this mean churches will be a couple of dozen people in a home, and once a week hundreds of these churches gather in a stadium to worship as one big ecumenical family reunion? Maybe. Or maybe it means that "churches" will be less than 150 people who worship together, but live out their faith in smaller community groups. I really don't know. What I do know is that the community, intimacy, and mystery that is being demanded is very hard to come by in a megachurch...and I love megachurches.

 

Commitment

I think I speak for millions of my contemporaries when I say I'm tired of hearing about lack of commitment. Many of the most committed people I know have been from a younger generation that has been labeled "non-committal" or "lazy." I say, give us something worth committing to and we will throw our entire lives into it. I've seen people commit to community, to the poor, to making a fortune, and countless other principles or endeavors. What people won't commit to, I think, are: institutions, jobs (companies), marriage relationships, and churches, among other things. Interestingly, all these things have a proven track record of breaking commitments to the very people accused of not committing. In the next Church, the only thing worth committing to will be Christ and his Kingdom. The Church of the future must understand that following Christ is nothing less than an all-encompassing, whole-life commitment, and it must be treated as such. If the Church can somehow manage to leave that commitment unadulterated, we will all see more commitment from the next generation of Christ-followers than any other in history.

 

Formation

Everyone I know wants a spiritual director. The problem is, we can't find any. Most people don't even know what they are, and are afraid of a spooky, "new-age," boogeyman when they hear the term. The real hunger is for spiritual formation. No more discipleship training. No more "Intro to This or That" classes. Most of the emphasis in the Church has been on educating the mind. We teach theology. We teach a logical, methodical way to approach evangelism. We dissect the Bible into bite-sized memorize-able sound bytes. But what has been missing is the education of the heart. People I know are dying of hunger - spiritual hunger - and the ones that aren't too attached to Christianity are bolting for more spiritual seeming things like Buddhism, Islam or even Wicca. What we need is to have our hearts educated in the ways of Jesus. That is the basis of all spiritual formation: shaping your heart to be more like Christ's. And it comes through reflection, contemplation, sharing, reading, listening, and prayer. It comes through the spiritual disciplines that have been practiced by our Church Fathers for centuries. Writers like Dallas Willard, Richard Foster and Eugene Peterson are our Godfathers because they are giving us a taste of what the spiritual life can be like as a Christian. In the next Church, the word discipleship will have to drop from our vocabulary for a little while. In its place we will all talk about spiritual formation and spiritual direction. If not, expect a significant exodus to alternate means of spirituality. I hope I have not been too harsh. As I look back on my history and formation, I am in debt to so very many people. The Church - just as it is today - has equipped me, educated me, trained me, encouraged me, prayed for me, and nurtured me along. As I said before, I love the Church, and these things I have learned are coming from a passion to see the Church become the Bride she was meant to be. I am grateful to all the expressions of the Church that have taught me these lessons: Trinity Baptist, Saddleback, The Village, Westwood Baptist, Forest Hills Baptist, and The Church of the Saviour. To all of them, and to all of you, I express my deepest heart in saying, "God bless the Church."

 

Duane Cottrell is a former youth minister, a failed church planter, and a struggling Christian who is currently unemployed. Along with his wife and daughter, he lives with his parents in San Antonio, TX, and is eagerly awaiting his 30th birthday. He has never written a book. He can be reached at duaneco@mac.com.