The modern Christian church

The modern Christian church today finds itself at a crossroads: a two-decade decline in membership and attendance is slowly being reversed, yet many churches are still in a steady downward spiral and some may not survive. The Christian church in America stands on the threshold of one of the most explosive periods of evangelism and growth it has ever witnessed. Sociologists, scholars, and church growth experts have all observed a gradual shift in the religious attitudes and inclinations in the United States over the past decade. That shift is marked by a genuine yearning for the fundamental moral and spiritual values contained in the Bible.

Effective church leadership is seen as crucial to the process of capturing a vision for the future of an individual body of believers. According to Rosabeth Moss Kanter, leaders must be able to communicate the vision and also inspire the belief that the dream is attainable (Weems, 12). Kanter also contends that leadership is not an individual thing, but rather finds its abode in the relationships between individuals (Weems, 13).

In the present analysis, we will examine the hypothetical "First Church of Woodside," set in a suburban Nebraska community. It is a moderately-sized church of nearly 500 members, and is well-respected within the community at large. We are told that it has effective ministries for children and singles, as well as "broad-scale programs serving the conventional religious needs" of its members. Some

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ht! Then what must our lofty, realistic vision contain? Let's first set our sights on a minimum growth of fifty percent over five years. Those desiring to unite with us will be repelled by inadequate facilities. This requires us to enlarge the campus, since, at present, we cannot seat more than 500 in the sanctuary. But what of the fears of those who do not welcome such growth--those who fear the loss of intimacy a modestly-sized congregation such as ours confers? We have to refocus on the importance of the church as an institution. Methodists believe that sin manifests itself in the lives of individuals through guilt and that, of ourselves, we are unable to overcome the power of that guilt. Are we to deny those who seek Christ's power and grace to cleanse and restore the efficacy of the Cross for all mankind simply because we like the size of our congregation today? The life and future of the church will be found in the new families which buy the homes and seek the church. Actually, we need to broaden our sense of mission: we will seek out those new families and invite them to fellowship with us. The vision is now taking on a wider field of view and importance, yet it is also becoming more specific. So how d

Category: Philosophy - T