JESUS AND THE CHURCH

A couple of years ago, while wandering in a bookstore, I came across They like Jesus, but not the Church by Dan Kimball.  His argument is essentially that the way we practice ministry gets in the way of people connecting to God.  Although Kimball was particularly focused on younger generations, I think this is no longer a generational issue, but applies across our culture.

My own passion is connecting people to Jesus in the context of a vibrant Christian community.  I've been willing to experiment with a lot of different tools over the years as a parish pastor - some have worked, some have not.  My experience with failure has been my greatest teacher.  Learning from those mistakes has lead to some tremendous insights and new practices for mission and ministry.  I've become a big fan of failure, even the ultimate failure - on the cross.

I don't have to tell you that there is a great deal of change in our world today, and its impact on the church is profound.  I know there is a great deal of anxiety about church attendance, finances and the future in general.  As one person said to me this summer, "I just hope there is a Lutheran church in twenty years."  That's a statement filled with fear and dread.

The statistics are enough to make a new bishop wonder what he's gotten himself into and what's going on.  According to one study only 17% of Americans are affiliated with a faith community on a regular basis, in New England it could be as little as 9.8%.  The Barna research group found that 91% of young people between the age of 16 and 30, when asked in a word association question, what they thought of when they heard the word 'Christian', responded by saying "judgmental."  Ouch!

So how are we going to approach this situation?

First off, I'm not going to lay out a seven point plan for fixing the church.  That's not my style, and that's not going to be helpful.  My view is that we begin with a reality check. We need to acknowledge honestly and openly what is our present reality.  It is for this reason that I am spending so much of my time in these early months getting around the New England Synod.  In the video below, I describe what I'm seeing and hearing from people.  This is only from the first two weeks, but it's a start.

Second, I'm encouraging people to get back to Jesus.  Who is this man?  What did he do, say, teach, practice?  I'm engaging in a personal spiritual discipline of reading and listening to the gospels this year.  If you are a highly disciplined person, and want a system such as everyday reading two chapters from Matthew, then Mark, then Luke, then John - go for it.  If you are a bit more free spirit, pick up a Bible when the spirit moves you.  Outgoing types read aloud with some friends, or those of us on the road a lot, try an audio version and listen to the gospels.  

I'm also immersing myself in two books, John Ortberg's Who is this Man?, which also has a pretty solid DVD series, as well as the more scholarly The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark.  

If they love Jesus, but not the church, well, maybe we in the church out to get into Jesus a little more.  At least, that's how I'm spending my time, in between visits to your congregation.  I'd live to come and see what you are doing and how you are living.  In addition to preaching on Sundays, I'm also creating time to be in the places and spaces of daily living.  The first of these will be "Bishop in the City" in Boston.  You can download a flyer for more info by clicking here. 

Sincerely,

Bishop James Hazelwood