The Church:Called to a New Way of Being

Lori Megley-Best

Imagine being a grain plant in northeastern Alberta last summer. There had been little snow the winter before and the soil held little moisture as planting time arrived. Crops were planted in the hope that rain would come and relieve the worst drought in years. Days and weeks went by and no new moisture arrived to help nurture the little seeds. The plants grew half heartedly, using as much of their resources as they could muster in order to survive the lack of water. Surrounding plants died one by one. The only hope in being able to grow and thrive was the arrival of rain, something the plant could not will, only hope for.

When thought of as a metaphor for what is happening within many mainline Christian congregations, this image is frightening yet incredibly close to home. Decline in church attendance and membership is currently more common than church growth. The ability to recruit participants for the work of the church is decreasing, thus many of the time honoured activities in the life of the church are being abandoned or scaled down due to a lack of people power. The predictability in the life of the church has vanished. There are few resources for survival, only hope for the arrival of some type of new life.

Due to a lack of new membership, many of our congregations are made up of seniors or those who are nearing retirement. These people have been lifelong members of the church and have dedicated many years of service to their congregation. As they age and become less able to keep up the pace physically they are yearning for others to take over the work and business of the church. This is not happening and the few younger members that are present bear the brunt of resentment from the seniors for not pulling enough weight.

Younger people who have come into the church view the church from a perspective influenced by the consumer mentality of our culture. The dedication and commitment exhibited by the senior members of another generation is not evident in them. The younger generation is less likely to participate through a commitment of time or financial resources. This continues to leave the bulk of the responsibility on the senior generations of the church.

I believe that we need a shift in our thinking about the purpose of the church. Mainline churches have focused so much on keeping the church as an institution alive that they have forgotten what they are called to do. The church is called to be the body of Christ. That means more than maintaining a building and keeping committees going. As churches we are to be developing Christians committed to living out our faith both within the church community and in the world beyond.

Michael Foss, in his book Power Surge: Six Marks of Discipleship for a Changing Church (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2000) offers a description of the model of ministry that he believes underlies decline in the church. Foss identifies the membership model as the backbone of the current paradigm from which our churches operate. This model is one that was beneficial when the church was considered by most to be a respected, necessary component of the structure of the culture. It is a model where membership in a church ensured appropriate social connections, participation in the upholding of moral values in society, a sense of identity and the expectation that one would be ministered to by a pastor who was respected and played a major role in leadership within the community. This model is no longer relevant in a post-modern culture. The call to be disciples of Christ has been replaced by an effort to cater to the membership.

Foss believes that the church must return to its basic call and re-establish its primary purpose of making disciples to carry out the mission of Christ. This leads the membership away from a focus on prerogatives to one of commitment and provides a clear expectation of what living out that mission means. Foss compares the two models of ministry:

Membership is about getting; discipleship is about giving. Membership is about dues; discipleship is about stewardship. Membership is about belonging to a select group with its privileges and prerogatives; discipleship is about changing and shaping lives by the grace of God. (p. 20)

Leadership

Leadership within the church must play a major role if this shift in models is to be accomplished. Foss contends that the current, predominant chaplaincy model of church leadership must be abandoned and replaced with a style of leadership that is capable of identifying, equipping and nurturing the laity for offering their gifts within the ministry of the congregation. Church leadership must be willing to relinquish the need to do all the ministry and allow everyone in the congregation to develop their personal gifts and be part of the ministry.

The discipleship model that Foss describes, which is Biblical, offers much hope for the church at this time. I believe that it suggests three changes that if effected in our churches would promote long lasting renewal and ultimately growth. Firstly, the model veers away from a staff driven model through encouraging ownership of the congregation's ministry by the entire congregation. This discourages an unhealthy dependency of the congregation on the ministry staff and allows the congregation to grow and mature spiritually and psychologically.

The model encourages the identification and use of individuals' spiritual gifts for the life and work of the congregation. The identification of gifts calls individuals to live up to the potential that God created in them. It affirms individuals and creates a place for them within the life of the congregation. This form of belonging is part of God's purpose for us?to be in community?and is what I believe people yearn for in our individualistic society. As people discover and experience their gifts within the congregation, they develop purpose and intimacy.

Most importantly, the model calls for leadership that will nurture, challenge and mentor the laity for the purpose of developing faithful, committed Christians. This requires leadership who communicate their expectations to the congregation and work at enabling the congregation to reach its potential.

As paid, accountable ministry staff within the church the discipleship model is very exciting for me. I have always believed that the mission of the church is to be carried out by the members of the congregation. I believe that the staff within a congregation is there to facilitate the living out of the particular mission of the congregation and that when a staff member leaves, the community should be equipped and able to continue the ministry.

The image of the dying grain plants as the dying church is not so frightening when viewed in relation to the model of discipleship as a new paradigm for being the church. Many people have predicted that the church will have to die before new life can occur. Possibly, it is not the church in its entirety that must die, but the way we know the church at present. Possibly, it is the model of encouraging and equipping individuals to become committed disciples of Christ that will bring renewal.

Lori Megley-Best is the Staff Associate Minister of Congregational Care and Christian Development at Crescent United Church in Surrey, B.C.

Congregational Life Newsletter Vol. 9 No. 3 August 2003

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