Articles on the "Future of the Church"
Growing in the Body
by Karen Matthias-Long
Sarah, a ninth-grade confirmation student, came to speak with me. “I’m annoyed with my class,” she sighed. “Out of the eight of us, only two of us are going to stay involved after we’re confirmed.” Sarah’s concern is one that the whole church has had over the years. The problem of confirmation dropout has been discussed ad nauseam. Many a church deals with this by evaluating its confirmation program and redesigning it. But, what if it’s not all about program?
If You Find My Sheep in Your Meadow
by Janet Landwehr
Membership should mean something these days, even at those awkward times when a letter of transfer is requested from a neighboring congregation.
Response to "Celebrating the Inactive List"
by Craig Van Gelder
Five questions are raised to further the discussion on inactive parishoners.
Transforming for Mission: Guiding Congregations into the 21st Century
by Tom Lyberg
Transformational ministry is the pursuit of following the Holy Spirit to guide members to be disciples, pastors to be visionaries and equippers of leaders, and local congregations to be centers for ministry that fulfills the Great Commission in an indigenous community in the 21st century.
What Will the Future Church Look Like?
by Craig L. Nessan
The church will continue to gather for worship and go out to serve, but it may look very different from the one we have grown up with.