Some notes about two of the best recent publications on worldwide trends, especially in terms of Christian churches…

1. Eddie Gibbs, Churchmorph: How Megatrends are Reshaping Christian Communities (Baker 2009). Dr Eddie Gibbs, who teaches Intercultural Studies at Fuller Seminary, has been writing about the church worldwide for over thirty years (two other recent titles – Emerging Churches, and ChurchNext – both excellent).

His latest book describes how different ecclesial communities are creatively redefining ‘church’ in a ‘post-Christendom’ environment. There’s certainly a need for radical changes in the way many of us ‘do church’. A decade ago a majority of 16-29 year-olds in the U.S. were ‘favorably disposed’ towards Christianity. The figure is now 16%, and only 3% of that sub-group have ‘favorable views’ about Evangelical Christianity (pp. 13-14). That’s serious. So Eddie is encouraged by younger leaders especially who are ‘reimagining’ ways of being the church. The book is full of interesting examples.

The five major ‘megatrends’ impacting Western churches are the transitions from modernity to postmodernity, from the industrial to the information age, from Christendom to post-Christendom contexts, from ‘production initiatives to consumer awareness’, and from ‘religious identity to spiritual exploration’. In all this turmoil, ‘churches will either morph or become moribund’ (p. 31). The exponential spread of the Internet and access to powerful search engines have led to a ‘democratization of knowledge [which has] undermined the power positions of elitist leaders who previously held a monopoly on information’ (p. 23).

Mainline churches are waning, but not religious/spiritual interest. It’s too early to say how successfully the many forms of missional/ emerging churches are reaching ‘de-churched’ or ‘unchurched’ persons. They defy classification, but Eddie quotes Scot McKnight who identifies five ‘streams’ – prophetic/provocative, postmodern, praxis-oriented, post-evangelical, political. But one trend is probably inevitable: they too, over time, will succumb to the ‘routinization of charisma’ (Weber’s famous phrase). Human institutions do that, eh?

Where do megachurches fit into the picture? Here’s an interesting comment: ‘Until recently, it was widely assumed that megachurches were antithetical to the emerging churches’ understanding of the church. This had to do primarily with the stance of most megachurches as attractional rather than incarnational, and consumerist rather than participatory. But now that is beginning to change, with some prominent megachurches reassessing their strategies, seeing themselves playing a role within a larger missional movement’ (p. 87). (I heard yesterday about a vigil held by neighbours and families of three black teenagers shot dead in a Los Angeles neighbourhood: of the hundreds who turned up, there was no one from the megachurch two blocks away).

Another trend is ‘The New Monasticism’ where Eddie quotes Tom Sine: ‘Most of the groups in the monastic stream have no interest in church planting. While large numbers of twenty- and thirty-year-olds are involved, it is comprised of a larger number of the over-forty crowd than three other streams (emerging, missional, and mosaic). It is also significantly more multicultural and multinational than the emerging and missional streams’ (p. 138).

2. Well, that will do for an appetizer. Let’s now turn to Tom Sine’s latest book: The New Conspirators (IVP 2008). Like Eddie Gibbs, Tom is well traveled, so both books cite many situations on both side of ‘the Pond’ (the Atlantic) and, in Tom’s case, more Australian and NZ models than does Eddie Gibbs. Tom’s also stronger on social justice. His message: let’s discover how followers of Jesus all over the planet are discovering new ways to give expression to the Kingdom. Tom organizes these into four major streams: emerging, missional, mosaic (multicultural churches reaching out to a new generation) and monastic.

Rather than opine, let me whet your appetite with some random quotes where Tom got my attention:

* More missionaries are killed in traffic accidents than from any other cause

* Brian McLaren: ‘It’s not about the church meeting your needs: it’s about joining the mission of God’s people to meet the world’s needs’

* Emerging leaders are much more into gospel as story, narrative and metaphor and have little interest in a propositional, dogmatic approach to theology common in many conservative churches

* By 2060 the U.S. will become the first non-European Western nation – a nation [with a majority] of Latinos, African Americans and Asians

* I think history will demonstrate that the invasion of Iraq has done more to spread terrorism than quell it

* If the U.S. economy sneezes there is a high risk that everyone could catch the cold (Tom wrote this book before the Global Financial Crisis: I’m looking forward to his comments on the GFC in his next publication)

* Lesslie Newbigin: ‘For a biblical writer, continued existence as a disembodied soul is not something to be desired but feared with loathing’

* Walter Wink is correct when he reminds us evil is not just personal. It is also structural. Principalities and powers have been embedded in every human empire from Babylon and Rome to the global economic empire that has such huge influence over our world today

* When churches ask new monastic leader Shane Claiborne to speak, he has a ‘carbon reduction request’. Someone from the inviting church forgoes using their car to offset his share of carbon output in a flight to and from the speaking destination. Shane says that the first thing he does when he begins his presentation is to thank that person by name

* The total wealth of the world’s 946 billionaires grew by 35 per cent in 2006, topping $3.5 trillion in U.S. dollars

* I am a strong advocate of designing no-interest loan options for the under-forties who are willing to devote five years to working in urban mission or social advocacy…

You get the idea: Tom Sine’s is a very challenging read. His ‘Join the conversation’ discussion-starters make it an ideal book to study in your church-groups.

Rowland Croucher

November 2009

*****

Shalom/Salaam/Pax! Rowland Croucher

http://jmm.org.au/

Justice for Dawn Rowan – http://dawnrowansaga.blogspot.com/