Church in the 21st Century

CONTEXT MAPPING

• Pew Research Center – Religion & Public Life
  • 2016 Interactive Website: Religion in Everyday Life
  • 2015 Video: How US Public became Less Religious (2 min)
  • 2015 Video: Discussion of 2014 Religious Landscape Study (58 min) – On Nov. 18, 2015, Pew Research Center brought together religious leaders and scholars for a discussion about the latest data on religious beliefs and practices in the United States and what the data means for congregations, clergy and religious groups.
  • 2014 Religious Landscape Study 
• On Point – Mar 22, 2016 – “Nones” and Religious Identity Today
• Margaret Wheatley’s Two Loops

NEW MODELS OF CHURCH

• Episcopal Church
  • New Church
  • Mission Enterprise Zones
    • Acts 8 Movement – collection of sites
• Fresh Expressions UK – YouTube Collections
• Fresh Expressions US
• Something More, Casper Ter Kuile and Angie Thurston, Harvard Divinity School, April 18, 2015.
• Uniting Church in Australia – Regenerating the Church
  • Models
  • A Strategy for Port Phillip West (Mission strategy, coaching)

MODELS OF UNAFFILIATED GATHERING SPACES

• How We Gather: A Report on Non-Religious Community, Casper Ter Kuile and Angie Thurston, Harvard Divinity School, April 18, 2015.

IMPACT ON MINISTRY and THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION

• David Gortner – Clergy Leadership for the 21st Century, In Trust, Summer 2014
• Reimagining Theological Education/Convergence
  • Reimagining Resources
  • December 1, 2015 – Summit I
    • Alice Hunt, President of Chicago Theological Seminary, Address

Alban’s Twelve Characteristics for Effective 21st-Century Ministry, Posted October 13, 2010

1. MAINTAIN BALANCE – personal, professional, and spiritual.
2. GUIDE CONVERSION – The task of evangelism belongs to every Christian. It is often, however, the pastor’s task to walk with individuals through a conversion experience and to help them become grounded in the faith.
3. MOTIVATE AND DEVELOP MISSION – identify and equip all members to be evangelists.
4. DEVELOP AND COMMUNICATE A VISION – talk, act, and lead as if the vision can and will be made real in their midst.
5. INTERPRET AND LEAD CHANGE – create an environment ready for change, lead the change process successfully, and to anchor the change in the congregation’s culture; the most successful churches will be those that embrace rapid change as a way of life.
6. PROMOTE AND LEAD SPIRITUAL FORMATION – understand parishioners’ longing to know God in a deeper, more meaningful way; reintroduce such traditional practices as prayer, Bible study, small groups, and discernment of spiritual gifts to give them new meaning in the postmodern era.
7. LEAD HIGH QUALITY, RELEVANT WORSHIP EXPERIENCES – focus on experiencing God through culturally relevant worship that has integrity and speaks to the heart of believers and believers-in-the-making.
8. IDENTIFY, DEVELOP, AND SUPPORT LAY LEADERS – coach.
9. BUILD, INSPIRE, LEAD TEAM of both staff and volunteers as well as comfortably be a team member when not serving as the team leader.
10. MANAGE CONFLICT – conflict, if managed skillfully, can be energizing and can lead to highly creative moments in the life of a church.
11. NAVIGATE TECHNOLOGY – be technologically literate and know how to encourage their congregations to use technology for the building up of Christ’s kingdom. See e-mail, Web sites, PowerPoint, video clips, and other media tools as additional resources for communication, pastoral care, evangelism, teaching, and worship.
12. LEARN LIFE-LONG, LIFE-WIDE, LIFE- DEEP – every experience is a potential tool for ministry.