What’s the future?

Identity and mission can lead to renewal

Will each of the 525,600 minutes of 2006 bring mainline denominations in the U.S. closer to extinction? Or will each minute advance them closer to new life? Are the cracks—and there are cracks—in the denominational egg signs of imminent demise or life struggling to be born?

Kenneth Inskeep, director of ELCA Research and Evaluation, and I explored those questions and more in Chasing Down A Rumor: The Death of Mainline Denominations (Augsburg Books, 2005). Among our observations about these churches:

Mary Ann Moller-Gunderson takes up timeless questions during her sermon at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Lake Geneva, Wis. , and offers answers rooted in traditional Lutheran theology. The 100-year-old congregation of 800 was facing closure when she was called as pastor 11 years ago.

* The rumor of their decay, decline or death, if believed, has an immobilizing effect by functioning as self-?fulfilling prophecy.

* The statistics are neither bad nor good.

* The differences within each denomination are as great as the differences across denominational lines and must be addressed to achieve a workable (not perfect) unity.

* There are significant activities being undertaken, born neither of denial nor despair, in nine areas: better self-understanding; dialogue and relationship-building; forming alliances (rather than mergers); outreach and evangelism; alignment of structure with mission; working with and learning from the poor; connecting across national borders; transfer of learning in and among mainlines; and valuing diversity.

* Compared to organizational studies like Built to Last by James Collins and Jerry Porras (1994; available from http://www.amazon.com), which identifies the factors that cause organizations to last over time, mainline denominations stack up pretty well on such matters as clarity of identity, actions that push identity forward, a flow of new ideas, organizational learning, community-building, conservative treatment of finances and fit of mission to context.

* Three worries about them are: an inability to overcome the consumerist and individualistic character of most contemporary U.S. religions; inadequate application of the great strength of mainline theology to solve real problems; and either turning tradition into traditionalism or jettisoning it all together.

* They are worth saving. U.S. and international church life and mission would be diminished without them.

Decline, decay and death are not the appropriate words for the situation at hand. The time for mainline denominations has not run out: There is still time to act.

Twin obstacles

What can be done? Bible scholar Walter Brueggemann has a suggestion based on his reading of the parallels between today’s church and society and that of the Hebrew exiles in the Old Testament. These include loss of privilege, certitude and?domination.

What Brueggemann “hears” in the voices from those in exile and which he recommends to today’s church is addressing God with “sadness, rage, loss, anger, honesty” and “cadences of new possibilities.” A time of dislocation calls for “ways of thinking and ways of speaking that can give us remedial access to the crisis, that can go deep into the crisis and so avoid denial; and imagine past the crisis and so avoid despair enacted as abdicating silence” (Deep Memory, Exuberant Hope; Fortress Press, 2000).

On the path to new life stand two obstacles marked “denial” and “despair.” Denial blurs reality: Things as they are not literally seen or heard but a strong sense of reality is needed for renewal. Despair thwarts possibility. It impairs the ability to “imagine past” the crisis, picturing a different future and working toward its fulfillment.

Renewal comes from a strong grip on reality and having a delightful array of options. Reality plus possibility equals renewal. Mainlines with ways of thinking, speaking and imagining into and past the crisis will turn out not to be “cracked eggs” but incubators of new life.

The first step for mainliners is to listen to ourselves. Do you hear the sounds of denial? “There are no problems.” “We will return to better days.” “More of the same will save us.” Or do you hear the words of despair? “There is no hope.” “The steady decline of mainline denominations is set toward an inevitable end—closing the doors.” “Mainline denominations will do what they are good at doing, which is nothing.”

The speech Brueggemann “hears” from the exiles can be and is being heard again today. One review of our book concluded that its first implication is to “just say no to an attitude of defeat.” Saying “no” to self-fulfilling prophecy of the three D’s of decline, decay and death isn’t sufficient. But it’s the beginning of sensing and following the new opportunities God is placing before us.

The power of identity

After we say “no,” what must we do next? Pay attention to identity and mission. Both—not one or the other.

Identity is composed of those more durable elements of a people or person. There is truth in the contemporary search for discovery of “Who am I?” or “Who are we?” Mainline denominations need to be who they are: It’s OK to be mainline. No apologies necessary.

Given the present numerical success and political clout of “the evangelicals,” our study found that some mainline congregations try to become like “them.” Are there alternatives? Yes, and we need to highlight and learn from them. Congregational occasions such as anniversaries, celebration of a new community ministry, a new building or new pastoral leadership provide moments for building identity.

Every congregation and denomination benefits greatly from a well-prepared history. The United Church of Christ prepared a “hidden history” report in which it describes 11 not-so-well-known aspects of its history, such as the influence of Japanese Congregationalists, the impact of female leaders and anti-slavery advocacy. The denomination calls these forgotten parts of its history the “strength of pluralism.”

Likewise, the Christian Reformed Church in North America uncovered and reaffirmed three emphases among its adherents for understanding and living their faith: doctrinalist, pietist and transformationalist. The Church of the Brethren concluded from its history that it’s distinctive, not competitive: “We are another way of living, continuing the work of Jesus peacefully, simply, together.”

Some years ago Pilgrim Lutheran, an ELCA congregation in Portland, Ore., did a search for photographs of its history and combined them with a narrative created from interviews of members and community leaders, and church records. Parishioners prepared a slide show that told a compelling and attractive story of faithfulness and determination in the face of many adversities.

Then-pastors Mary Ann and Mark Moller-Gunderson recalled, “Every time we showed it, the photographs and words helped the congregation to appreciate its past and become more hopeful about its future.”

These all are ways of overcoming the twin obstacles of denial and despair. Resiliency, not perfection, is discovered. We overcame before. We can do it again. These histories are full of pluralism, trustworthiness and renewal.

Identity-building also helps clarify external relationships. For example, the ELCA’s “full communion” agreements with the Reformed and Episcopal churches and the new interim eucharistic sharing with the United Methodist Church are one piece of our identity that includes strong ecumenical relationships. Those concords are an expression of ELCA identity and also link the ELCA to partners who can strengthen one another in moving toward a renewed future.

The drive of mission

If identity is the centripetal force that binds a congregation and a denomination together, mission is the centrifugal force that pushes them into the world. Some claim that the church is mission. A more complete description is that the church has an identity and is engaged in mission.

Years ago J.B. Phillips wrote Your God Is Too Small (Touchstone, 1997; may be available from http://www.half.com). We need a book today called Your Mission Is Too Small. The ELCA is one of the mainline denominations that defines itself as called by God into a broad and deep mission. Mission and church are understood to be “both/and.” Mission is both near and far away, both evangelism and social ministry, both in reach and outreach, both for congregations and the wider church, both Lutheran and ecumenical.

Young worshipers crowd around Mark Moller-Gunderson during the children’s sermon, a popular part of the contemporary service at Immanuel Lutheran Church. “We’ve been revolutionized by the Spirit,” says Moller-Gunderson, called to join his wife two years ago, about the congregation whose community outreach includes an after-school program. ELCA members worship together and then scatter into the nearest and most far-flung places of the Earth. The ELCA cares for victims of society, calls government to accountability when it neglects its responsibility, and, if necessary, becomes a nuisance of conscience.

The path to renewal overcomes the obstacles of denial and despair by operating with a full sense of mission. The ELCA understands itself to be “called and sent.” Congregations and denominations should do a regular “mission checkup” to diagnose mission failures and develop mission capacity (see “ELCA: Diversity within unity”).

Engaging in mission without attending to identity tempts churches to latch onto anything “blowing in the wind,” to plan a program “fad of the month.” Or identity can be misunderstood as static and unchanging. Just sit there and enjoy who you are, as if the world doesn’t need anything from you. Just occupy space, and the end will come sooner than you think. Now try both.

Mainlines are learning that identity and mission work together. They play off of each other. They are meant for each other. They belong together. The cup is filled—identity. The cup is poured out for the sake of the world—mission.

Leaning into the future

The “bottom line” for mainline denominations is not to run into the future with arms and heads full of hyper-programmatic activity. Running against the wind will lead to fatigue and a recurrence of despair. Standing still can also get mainlines in trouble and can lead to being blown over.

Leaning into the future is best. Leaning isn’t passive. It involves wanting, receiving, giving and intention. The interplay of identity and mission is the key. Denial and despair are banished in the dawning of resurrection light.

The early disciples learned from the Risen Lord that they weren’t called to burial preparations but to tell others that it wasn’t over, there was still time (John 20:1-10). Our calling is like it: not to bury mainlines but to pray and work for their renewal.

http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=5807

March 2006