For years many have been saying the time for denominations is over. They point to the decline in most denominations and the fact that many churches are abandoning their denominational names. There has certainly been an exodus from denominational life for many churches, and this is likely to continue unless the denominations figure out how to respond to the concerns their churches have about the direction of their denominations.
I have been a denominational pastor since entering the ministry in 1981. I served as a regional denominational leader for 14 years. During that time I heard many of the concerns of our churches and saw several withdraw from our denomination over those concerns. Some of those concerns I shared myself. Other concerns were based on half-truths and a misunderstanding of denominational polity and policies. I found that many churches and church leaders read headlines without reading the entire article or look for things that easily fit into their personal agendas. It's like preaching a text without the context. Doing so makes it easy to prove just about any point you want.
Having said this, denominations are facing tough times. Perhaps some will disappear from the American landscape in the next few years. Others will struggle to survive and become must less than they once were. The struggle will be much worse for those who refuse to address the concerns their churches and church leaders have.
Because of my work with smaller churches and bivocational pastors one of the most common concerns I hear is that denominations care little for these churches and leaders. Because the smaller churches and bivocational pastors feel neglected and ignored by their denominations they, in turn, have little or nothing to do with the denomination. They may remain a member in name only, but they do nothing to support the work and ministry of the denomination. They give nothing to denominational missions or ministry. Many of these churches refuse to even fill out the annual reports their denominations may require. As a result of this sense of abandonment, as many as one-third of the churches affiliated with a denomination may have no relationship with that denomination.
II would remind denominational leaders that there is only one thing you can offer your churches they cannot get from para-church organizations or from other sources, and that is relationship. They can purchase materials and literature from a variety of sources. They can support independent missionaries. They can seek pastoral candidates from seminaries and online. They can get everything they need to continue their ministry from many places. The only thing their denomination can offer them they cannot get elsewhere is a relationship with the people in that denomination. If they feel abandoned or ignored by their denominational and regional leadership do not be surprised if they refuse to support the denomination and region.
If denominational leaders read this post and wonder what they can do to create such a relationship, that is a good indicator that such a relationship does not currently exist. Otherwise, you would not have to wonder what to do to have such a relationship. It is probably past time that you look at your denominational calendars and see how much time you are giving to your smaller churches and their leaders. How many training events are you offering that specifically address their issues and challenges? How much are you investing in that training? How many speakers from these churches do you use in your annual and biennial meetings? How many of these leaders do you use to lead workshops? What resources do you provide that speak to the smaller church?
It takes time to rebuild a relationship that has been allowed to be ignored so don't expect instant results. One regional leader told me a few years ago he was glad I told him to not be disappointed if few people came for his first small church leadership training event, because few people did attend. I had reminded him that it had been so long since his district had done anything for small church leaders that it would take time to build up that relationship. It will likely be true for you as well, but it you want to rebuild the relationship between your denomination and its smaller churches it will be time well spent.
No comments:
Post a Comment