IN SEARCH OF THE UNCHURCHED
Chapter 10 The Changed Society: How It Affects the Church
Sixteen additional transitions that show how the change from a churched to an unchurched society directly impacts congregations.
Congregational Transitions
Struggling congregations resist change – they believe that their best days are in the past, and they try to recreate them.
Growing congregations have found ways to work with transitions – they believe that their best days are in the future.
Are our best days in the past or in the future?
Transition 8: Congregations focus beyond current membership
Churched context
- familiar stories, hymns, activities;
- long-term members;
- programs interest current members;
- newcomers expected to conform.
Unchurched context
- sensitivity to characteristics of unchurched;
- familiar expressions of faith practiced in ways that do not exclude newcomers;
- customs of long-term members supported, but new activities added;
- much wider advertising, intentional outreach.
In what ways do non-members actively participate in our congregation?
Transition 9: Congregations defend the faith by proclaiming the faith.
Churched context
- many time-honored ways of explaining beliefs;
- great care taken over individual words in liturgies etc.
- resistance to change in faith statements;
- distrust.
Unchurched context
- time-tested practices not valued as once they were;
- new members have new preferences;
- drive to express timeless faith in new, more accessible ways;
- more than one way used to proclaim truth;
- distinction between the truth and approaches to promoting the truth, that is, between what is sacred and unchanging and what is simply tradition.
How many hours do we spend proclaiming the faith to members?
How many hours do we spend proclaiming the faith to non-members in ways appropriate to their cultural expectations?
Transition 10: Unchurched people have faith.
Churched context:
- those with faith automatically participate in congregations;
- if people are not coming to faith, it is because the Holy Spirit is not working faith in their hearts;
- congregational activities do not play a major role in outreach.
Unchurched context:
- millions have separated faith from participation;
- millions have no communal memory of worship or tradition;
- but, about ¾ of the unchurched claim some level of faith;
- effective congregations must find effective ways to reach the unchurched, while accepting them as they are.
Does our congregation really desire to come into contact with unchurched people?
Transition 11: Joining a congregation is a 6 step process.
Churched context:
- build churches, and they will come;
- high levels of denominational loyalty;
- no special efforts to reach newcomers;
- rapid move into membership.
Unchurched context:
- lower denominational loyalty;
- fewer immigrants from European churches;
- much longer process for joining, involving awareness, relevance, interest, exploration, adoption, and reinforcement.
- Significantly more effort needed in reaching newcomers.
What do we do now, that we did not do ten years ago, to touch the lives of non-members?
Transition 12: Worship attendance and the number of people served, not membership, tells the story.
Churched context :
- membership was the most important statistic;
- denominational funding based on membership;
- most effective evangelism was by immigration, or the maternity ward.
Unchurched context:
- focus is on reaching those who are not members;
- weekly worship attendance a better indicator of congregational health;
- numbers served in mission are important in ministry planning;
- emphasis on making church relevant to newcomers.
What trends can you see in our worship attendance numbers?
Are we serving more people than we were ten years ago?
How many people in the congregation does it take to assist one person not in the congregation?
Transition 13: Congregations create multiple points of entry.
Churched context:
- programs designed to meet the needs of members;
- activities support the structure of the church;
- social activities provided or sponsored;
- few activities designed to reach others;
- worship, in one style, the main entry point.
Unchurched context:
- multiple points of contact designed;
- most programs include outreach;
- wide variety of activities to meet human need;
- share a meal, instead of just providing one;
- worship, in a variety of styles, is still the main entry point, but not the only entry point to the congregation.
Do we have many activities that specifically include non-members?
Transition 14: Congregations organize around mission, not maintenance.
Churched context:
- churches organized around operational needs of the congregation;
- programmatic emphasis with system of checks and balances;
- complex system of approval for all activities; often an authority figure with final say;
- no overlap of responsibilities;
- emphasis on filling committee slots.
Unchurched context:
- churches organized around mission;
- abandonment of committee structure in favor of action teams for short term commitments;
- governing body concentrates on coordination, not control.
How many times in the last ten years have we modified our structure in order to respond to changes in the people to be served?
Transition 15: Congregations view so-called mistakes as opportunities to learn.
Churched context:
- mistakes are to be avoided at all costs;
- past mistakes are archived, and remembered, to make sure they are not repeated;
- fear of failure, perpetrators are chastised;
- emphasis on why new ideas should not be tried;
- lack of trust; few individuals empowered to act.
Unchurched context:
- no such thing as a mistake;
- all events, whether or not they achieve their intended outcome, are celebrated as learning experiences;
- new ideas are encouraged;
- high level of trust; many people empowered to act.
Do we encourage new thinking, or prevent it?
Transition 16: Congregations make maximum use of the “priesthood of all believers.”
Churched context:
- dominated by clergy, or by long-serving elders;
- evangelism assigned to a specific committee or person;
- pastor expected to attend all meetings;
- pastor’s time totally consumed with ministry and meetings focused on existing members;
- growth limited by time available to key leader.
Unchurched context:
- activities require leadership by a wide variety of people;
- high levels of trust, and of delegation;
- evangelism is everyone’s responsibility;
- congregation understood as an outpost on a mission field.
How many people participate in the decision making process in our church? How many see evangelism as their responsibility?
Denominational Transitions
Growing out of the transitions already noted, these changes are harder to accept. Some denominational agencies need to completely re-engineer their structures and functions.
Transition 17: Congregations are unique.
Churched context:
- congregations are similar, programs that work in one will probably work in another;
- characteristics of congregations are stable over a long time;
- worship and social activities do not change much over several generations;
- clergy skills do not change, what is learned in seminary will suffice for a lifetime of ministry.
Unchurched context:
- each congregation is a unique mission field;
- unchanging truth is communicated in a wide variety of ways;
- specific activities need to be adapted to meet specific circumstances;
- keeping up with congregational realities is a major challenge for seminaries and judicatories.
If we compared our activities with those of a congregation that was being successful in reaching a large number of unchurched people, what differences might we find?
Transition 18: Congregations look beyond denominations, and especially to other congregations, for materials.
Churched context:
- denomination functioned as sole source of resources;
- relatively few resources were needed;
- experts wrote materials for worship, evangelism, Christian Education, stewardship, etc.
- brand loyalty was strong to denominational publishing houses;
- denominational publishers were trusted for doctrinal propriety and procedural integrity.
Unchurched context:
- total number of resources needed has grown tremendously;
- resources are changed regularly to meet changing context;
- ideas are taken from any available source;
- denominational publishers must compete;
- locally produced materials may be more professionally produced than those available nationally;
- congregation to congregation learning is valued above denominational events;
- some non-denominational resources are more reliable, doctrinally, than those produced by the denomination.
From how many different sources do we purchase resources? Where do we go for new ideas?
Transition 19: Regional denominational offices relate differently to congregations.
Churched context:
- centralization of regional staff people with program expertise;
- easy transfer of experience from one setting to another;
- financial support from congregations allowed regional bodies to have several program experts on staff.
Unchurched context:
- expertise requires local knowledge;
- networks of congregations replace hierarchical structure;
- declining financial support has led to fewer staff.
How much affinity with Presbytery do we really feel?
Is the Presbytery Office staffed by program experts or by network managers?
Transition 20: National denominational offices relate differently to congregations.
Churched context:
- denominational structures support many aspects of local church life, from educational institutions to government relations;
- national experts could direct national programs, used throughout the denomination;
- financial support from congregations allowed the growth of national bodies.
Unchurched context:
- congregations find that other congregations often have more helpful advice than the national body;
- a feeling of distance has developed between national bodies and local congregations;
- decreased funding for national bodies;
- demoralization of regional and local staff members;
- renewed emphasis on work “at the coal face” of the local congregation, and of the need to get help from wherever it is available.
Where are we most likely to get our good ideas?
Transitions Affecting Everyone
These transitions describe overarching concepts and provide a general framework for the other transitions.
Transition 21: Uniformity is being replaced by choices and paradoxes.
Churched context:
- search for the one, best program to meet a general need;
- publishers produced materials based on what was identified as the one, best answer;
- seminaries taught the one, best way to do the business of the church;
- the system worked.
Unchurched context:
- hundreds of programs and activities are produced to meet specific needs;
- there is no one, best way of doing anything any more;
- many choices are available for every function of the local church.
How could we go about finding help with specific local issues – for example, the timing of worship services?
Chapter 10 The Changed Society: How It Affects the Church
Sixteen additional transitions that show how the change from a churched to an unchurched society directly impacts congregations.
Congregational Transitions
Struggling congregations resist change – they believe that their best days are in the past, and they try to recreate them.
Growing congregations have found ways to work with transitions – they believe that their best days are in the future.
Are our best days in the past or in the future?
Transition 8: Congregations focus beyond current membership
Churched context
- familiar stories, hymns, activities;
- long-term members;
- programs interest current members;
- newcomers expected to conform.
Unchurched context
- sensitivity to characteristics of unchurched;
- familiar expressions of faith practiced in ways that do not exclude newcomers;
- customs of long-term members supported, but new activities added;
- much wider advertising, intentional outreach.
In what ways do non-members actively participate in our congregation?
Transition 9: Congregations defend the faith by proclaiming the faith.
Churched context
- many time-honored ways of explaining beliefs;
- great care taken over individual words in liturgies etc.
- resistance to change in faith statements;
- distrust.
Unchurched context
- time-tested practices not valued as once they were;
- new members have new preferences;
- drive to express timeless faith in new, more accessible ways;
- more than one way used to proclaim truth;
- distinction between the truth and approaches to promoting the truth, that is, between what is sacred and unchanging and what is simply tradition.
How many hours do we spend proclaiming the faith to members?
How many hours do we spend proclaiming the faith to non-members in ways appropriate to their cultural expectations?
Transition 10: Unchurched people have faith.
Churched context:
- those with faith automatically participate in congregations;
- if people are not coming to faith, it is because the Holy Spirit is not working faith in their hearts;
- congregational activities do not play a major role in outreach.
Unchurched context:
- millions have separated faith from participation;
- millions have no communal memory of worship or tradition;
- but, about ¾ of the unchurched claim some level of faith;
- effective congregations must find effective ways to reach the unchurched, while accepting them as they are.
Does our congregation really desire to come into contact with unchurched people?
Transition 11: Joining a congregation is a 6 step process.
Churched context:
- build churches, and they will come;
- high levels of denominational loyalty;
- no special efforts to reach newcomers;
- rapid move into membership.
Unchurched context:
- lower denominational loyalty;
- fewer immigrants from European churches;
- much longer process for joining, involving awareness, relevance, interest, exploration, adoption, and reinforcement.
- Significantly more effort needed in reaching newcomers.
What do we do now, that we did not do ten years ago, to touch the lives of non-members?
Transition 12: Worship attendance and the number of people served, not membership, tells the story.
Churched context :
- membership was the most important statistic;
- denominational funding based on membership;
- most effective evangelism was by immigration, or the maternity ward.
Unchurched context:
- focus is on reaching those who are not members;
- weekly worship attendance a better indicator of congregational health;
- numbers served in mission are important in ministry planning;
- emphasis on making church relevant to newcomers.
What trends can you see in our worship attendance numbers?
Are we serving more people than we were ten years ago?
How many people in the congregation does it take to assist one person not in the congregation?
Transition 13: Congregations create multiple points of entry.
Churched context:
- programs designed to meet the needs of members;
- activities support the structure of the church;
- social activities provided or sponsored;
- few activities designed to reach others;
- worship, in one style, the main entry point.
Unchurched context:
- multiple points of contact designed;
- most programs include outreach;
- wide variety of activities to meet human need;
- share a meal, instead of just providing one;
- worship, in a variety of styles, is still the main entry point, but not the only entry point to the congregation.
Do we have many activities that specifically include non-members?
Transition 14: Congregations organize around mission, not maintenance.
Churched context:
- churches organized around operational needs of the congregation;
- programmatic emphasis with system of checks and balances;
- complex system of approval for all activities; often an authority figure with final say;
- no overlap of responsibilities;
- emphasis on filling committee slots.
Unchurched context:
- churches organized around mission;
- abandonment of committee structure in favor of action teams for short term commitments;
- governing body concentrates on coordination, not control.
How many times in the last ten years have we modified our structure in order to respond to changes in the people to be served?
Transition 15: Congregations view so-called mistakes as opportunities to learn.
Churched context:
- mistakes are to be avoided at all costs;
- past mistakes are archived, and remembered, to make sure they are not repeated;
- fear of failure, perpetrators are chastised;
- emphasis on why new ideas should not be tried;
- lack of trust; few individuals empowered to act.
Unchurched context:
- no such thing as a mistake;
- all events, whether or not they achieve their intended outcome, are celebrated as learning experiences;
- new ideas are encouraged;
- high level of trust; many people empowered to act.
Do we encourage new thinking, or prevent it?
Transition 16: Congregations make maximum use of the “priesthood of all believers.”
Churched context:
- dominated by clergy, or by long-serving elders;
- evangelism assigned to a specific committee or person;
- pastor expected to attend all meetings;
- pastor’s time totally consumed with ministry and meetings focused on existing members;
- growth limited by time available to key leader.
Unchurched context:
- activities require leadership by a wide variety of people;
- high levels of trust, and of delegation;
- evangelism is everyone’s responsibility;
- congregation understood as an outpost on a mission field.
How many people participate in the decision making process in our church? How many see evangelism as their responsibility?
Denominational Transitions
Growing out of the transitions already noted, these changes are harder to accept. Some denominational agencies need to completely re-engineer their structures and functions.
Transition 17: Congregations are unique.
Churched context:
- congregations are similar, programs that work in one will probably work in another;
- characteristics of congregations are stable over a long time;
- worship and social activities do not change much over several generations;
- clergy skills do not change, what is learned in seminary will suffice for a lifetime of ministry.
Unchurched context:
- each congregation is a unique mission field;
- unchanging truth is communicated in a wide variety of ways;
- specific activities need to be adapted to meet specific circumstances;
- keeping up with congregational realities is a major challenge for seminaries and judicatories.
If we compared our activities with those of a congregation that was being successful in reaching a large number of unchurched people, what differences might we find?
Transition 18: Congregations look beyond denominations, and especially to other congregations, for materials.
Churched context:
- denomination functioned as sole source of resources;
- relatively few resources were needed;
- experts wrote materials for worship, evangelism, Christian Education, stewardship, etc.
- brand loyalty was strong to denominational publishing houses;
- denominational publishers were trusted for doctrinal propriety and procedural integrity.
Unchurched context:
- total number of resources needed has grown tremendously;
- resources are changed regularly to meet changing context;
- ideas are taken from any available source;
- denominational publishers must compete;
- locally produced materials may be more professionally produced than those available nationally;
- congregation to congregation learning is valued above denominational events;
- some non-denominational resources are more reliable, doctrinally, than those produced by the denomination.
From how many different sources do we purchase resources? Where do we go for new ideas?
Transition 19: Regional denominational offices relate differently to congregations.
Churched context:
- centralization of regional staff people with program expertise;
- easy transfer of experience from one setting to another;
- financial support from congregations allowed regional bodies to have several program experts on staff.
Unchurched context:
- expertise requires local knowledge;
- networks of congregations replace hierarchical structure;
- declining financial support has led to fewer staff.
How much affinity with Presbytery do we really feel?
Is the Presbytery Office staffed by program experts or by network managers?
Transition 20: National denominational offices relate differently to congregations.
Churched context:
- denominational structures support many aspects of local church life, from educational institutions to government relations;
- national experts could direct national programs, used throughout the denomination;
- financial support from congregations allowed the growth of national bodies.
Unchurched context:
- congregations find that other congregations often have more helpful advice than the national body;
- a feeling of distance has developed between national bodies and local congregations;
- decreased funding for national bodies;
- demoralization of regional and local staff members;
- renewed emphasis on work “at the coal face” of the local congregation, and of the need to get help from wherever it is available.
Where are we most likely to get our good ideas?
Transitions Affecting Everyone
These transitions describe overarching concepts and provide a general framework for the other transitions.
Transition 21: Uniformity is being replaced by choices and paradoxes.
Churched context:
- search for the one, best program to meet a general need;
- publishers produced materials based on what was identified as the one, best answer;
- seminaries taught the one, best way to do the business of the church;
- the system worked.
Unchurched context:
- hundreds of programs and activities are produced to meet specific needs;
- there is no one, best way of doing anything any more;
- many choices are available for every function of the local church.
How could we go about finding help with specific local issues – for example, the timing of worship services?
Transition 22: Control is being replaced with trust.
Churched Context:
- control was assumed, uniformity expected to prevail;
- worship was expected to be standardized;
- participants were willing to accept opinions given by experts, and to be under denominational control.
Unchurched context:
- control is having to be replaced by trust, or relationships are broken;
- leaders concentrate on mission and ministry, not on administration;
- disagreement is seen as an opportunity to grow and learn;
- emphasis on goals, rather than methods.
What happens when trust is replaced by an attempt to regain control?
Which of the 22 transitions do you consider to be accurate?
What are the two or three transitions that have the strongest impact on your life? on the church?
Jesus said: “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
How well are we responding to our Lord’s Great Commission?
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