Hi Rowland,

I was wondering if this article was suitable for your clergy mailing list.Currently I am completing a Masters in Online Learning and I am thinking through its implications for church life in the future. I hope that it sparks some discussion and would appreciate any input. I also work part time as the families pastor in the Burleigh Heads Church of Christ.

Thanks

Chris Gribble

Good church is still Good Church

Christian Schwartz in his book “Natural Church Development” identified eightfactors that are required to be present if a church is to grow. In his research he found that these factors are universal, transcending denominational tags, worship styles and church hierarchies. a.. Empowering Leadership b.. Gift orientated ministry c.. Passionate spirituality d.. Inspiring Worship services e.. Functional structures f.. Holistic small groups g.. Need orientated evangelism h.. Loving relationships This is a church in which the leadership is committed heart and soul to church growth; in which nearly every Christian is using his or her gifts to edify the church; in which most members are living out their faith with power and contagious enthusiasm; in which the church structures are evaluated on whether they serve the growth of the church or not; in which worship services are the high point of the week for the majority of the congregation; in which the loving and healing power of Christian fellowship can be experienced in small groups; in which nearly all Christians, according to their gifts help to fulfill the Great Commission; in which the love of Christ permeates almost all church activity.

Is it conceivable that such a church could stagnate or decline?

(Christian Schwartz. Natural Church Development)

When I read about such a church I feel a tingle of excitement. This church is the one that I want to belong to. I agree with Schwartz such a church cannot fail to attract people and inspires me to be more obedient, worshipful and committed.

Advances in technology are rapidly changing the way in which we communicate, relate and live. In our adaptation to this onslaught most of us have adopted one of two positions. We have accommodated it and adapted existing functions to the technology or we have tried to ignore it and become luddites. However a new way of relating to technology is evolving in a generation that only knows a world of technological innovation. Young people are trained to multi-task. They can complete homework, communicate across several chat forums and defeat another computer in a computer game.

‘One of the primary advantages of Web use is that it appeals very much to the way our students now prefer to learn (and relate). Seymour Paper (Paper, 1993) calls the computer the “children’s machine,” because students in our public schools and in a good many in colleges and universities do not know a world without the computer. They relate to the computer in ways that baffle adults. It is an integral part of their world. They play, are entertained by, and learn with the computer. They tend to be more visual learners than previous generations because their world is rich in visual stimuli. They also thrive on interacting with the device’.

Good churches will always have those factors that Schwartz mentions as his “biotic” principles. We face a challenge in using available technology to create the most favourable circumstances for these principles to occur in.

You can make a plant grow outside its natural environment but it won’t produce as much fruit. The same may apply for us in the church. We can drag young people into our church buildings and train them to fit into our culture but we may not be creating the most favourable conditions for their spiritual growth to occur. To enhance their growth may require a rethink in the environment that we provide.

How well we adapt to these changes may be a significant factor in ensuring that we are positioned for survival/growth in the next generation?

Although we may not ascribe to the theory of natual selection there are plenty of bones that attest to the reality of extinction.