The American Church, What's next?

Much has been said of the decline within the traditional church in the USA.   All the statistics and the articles written about them boil down to this one statement: The modern US evangelical church is less in all areas than it once was and daily getting lesser.   So be it.  Those are the facts.   Let me provide the very simplest reason why: Those who think they are disciples aren't.  Oh, they may be saved, but they aren't disciples.   A disciple is one who learns about how to live from the Words of Jesus and then teaches what he or she learned to others, thus creating more disciples.  Consider this truism: If there were actual disciples in the US evangelical church then there would always be MORE - more of everything.  Though there is currently less in the US church, does this mean disaster for God? Is this the end of Jesus?  Nope, not at all.  God was prepared for this.  He saw it coming. Jesus doesn't need what we know as the traditional USA church for anything. He is God. He's survived much worse than the changing US culture; believe me.  What it does mean for us is simply - CHANGE.  We - followers of Christ - are faced with changes - in all areas and in our churches. It's up to us how we go forward from here. Will we quit playing "church" and change to become a real disciple creating other disciples or will we not? The answer does not lie with pastors in our churches or in the board rooms of our denominations.  It lies within each of us as individual believers. The fact of the matter is that unless you and I change who we are and become disciples of Christ then our churches will continue to fail, the denominations will quickly follow suit, and the mission agencies that rely upon denominations will cease to exist.   

Don't think for a minute though that God is through with those He called to be His people.  Though what we know as the traditional US church may close its doors, the real Church - the Kingdom of God kind of Church - the Church that is bold, that reaches into communities, neighborhoods and families will make the name of Jesus known throughout the land.   There is HOPE for the real church. It will be filled with those who are disciples. It will be filled with men, women and children who are bold enough to teach others what they have learned to be the truth. This church will act differently than the USA traditional church. Its' message will be Jesus and all He means; that message will not change, but the church's methods in communicating that message will be vastly different than what we have come to know as the norm now. 

This church may not even look like the USA traditional church.  There may not be red bricks and mortar or a steeple.  There may not even be an official address for this type of church.  I'm sure that some will be officially and legally incorporated, but there will be many others that are not.  I believe this new church will look a lot like its first century predecessor.  You see, that church was rarely tied to an address.  Some of the early churches had names - the church at Ephesus, the church at Corinth for example.  The church with the new methods in the USA may have a similar type name - the church at 212 Cedar Street or the church at Joe's house. This church, well, it will look smallish.  It will look kind of like a group of friends who get together regularly to pray, worship, read Scripture, listen to the Word (perhaps in a virtual format), partake in communion and together watch baptisms at a lake or in the neighbor's pool. This kind of church will take offerings, but the offerings collected will go to make a serious impact upon something that touches their collective hearts. It could be the homeless in their area.  It could be orphans in Uganda.  It could be unwed mothers. It could be a member of this church group who is going through surgery.  Who knows?  The sky is the limit. What I do know is that very little of their offerings will go toward keeping the doors open.  I believe I can say with 100% accuracy that very little of their tithes and offerings will go toward maintaining a denomination's administrative costs. Remember this new method church may or may not even have doors. Its location may change weekly. 

These small church groups will somehow find each other and gravitate toward cooperation.  I do believe the churches will have programming - good programing. They will see to it that their children have opportunities in the Christian arts and to get good exciting Biblical training among other like-minded young people.  They will find together a good Christian summer program for their kids and teens to attend. They may work with other churches of this type to create Christmas or Easter major events for their communities at large.  They may have to rent a local theater or community center in order to hold this type of service or services.  These small church groups will do mission work together.   They will likely find missions and mission agencies with whom they trust and can cooperate.   (If a denomination is to survive into the new future then they should consider now creating and maintaining amazing programing of these types they can offer to this new church.)   

These church groups will have leaders, though probably most will not have an actual full time seminary trained "pastor."  Rest assured though that someone will assume some type of leadership role.  He or she may or may not be compensated for their efforts either in part or in full. Membership in these churches will look vastly different than it does today.  If you come, participate and act with kindness then you will be included in the church group.  If you don't then you probably will not feel welcomed.  There will be very little room for those who do not participate and none for those who are rude and disruptive.  Participation in the church group will be tied to being a disciple!   

I do believe there will always be a mega-church out there somewhere.   This church will have a campus, plenty of buildings, all the technical bells and whistles, and large accompanying staffs. They will offer quality programming, technical training and advanced Biblical degrees - not only to their own church members, but others beyond. I can see these mega-churches cooperating with like-minded other mega-churches and taking the place of what we know of as denominations today. Many of these smaller group type churches will identify in some unique way with these churches.  (Perhaps they will download the sermons from that well known pastor.  They might attend pastoral or technical training or send their kids, tweens and teens to their camps or concerts.)  Even if these small churches don't identify with a certain mega-church there will be some outside respected leadership that passes through or near who will be held in high esteem.  He might be an author or an evangelist.  This group will go see them or will invite that person to their group - perhaps in concert with like minded groups in close proximity - if the need be. There will also be some admired leadership to which the church group will turn in order to seek advice and counsel from time to time.  These small churches will not exist in a vacuum. We do live in the "information age", you see.

This type of "new" church will have its' drawbacks and its issues. Everything will not be rosy. If we are honest - the church has always had its issues.  There will always be someone somewhere with little ethics and a failing morality. There will always be someone perverting the TRUTH. There will always be someone somewhere who has their own agenda, rather than simply glorifying God and being a true disciple.  But should we fear this change in our future?  No, because there is hope in the real Church - the Kingdom of God kind of Church.  There is hope in those that are called DISCIPLES of JESUS.  We can without fear and trembling boldly go into the future. We can embrace whatever changes the future may bring, as long as we are the disciples of Christ. You ask: "How do I know this?"  Well, I've seen it.  Come with me, and I'll show it to you. 

Blessings,
Steve D