It’s been over a week now since Rachel Held Evans tried to explain the “Millennials Exodus” to the world. Everyone had to get in their two cents (myself included). Can we now get back to the problem at hand?
Yes, Millennials are leaving the church. Women in their forties feel left out. I’m pretty sure if we dug a bit we could find that men in their 60s and dogs in their 30s (in dog years) are also leaving the church.
The problem is not the problem, folks.
The church is on the decline in the west. These are only symptoms. We’ll see the problem appear in Millennials first because they, of all living generations, have spent the majority of their lives in a world where the church is not a centerpiece of Western society.
I’m glad that RHE brought up the millennial issue because they are my people. But the best thing we can do for Millennials is also the best thing we can do for Xers, and Boomers and the Silent Generation: Hasten the transition into a Missional Church.
Rumor has it that the term “missional” is already on the decline, at least among book sellers. It’s probably being replaced by “radical” or “gospel” or “discipleship” or something else I’m not maven enough to know about yet. While missionally minded thinkers might not sell as many books, the Missional Church will continue to evolve. In the future, as the church is increasingly marginalized, mission is all that will matter.
There will be three types of churches in the coming decades, and you get to choose which one you want to be:
1. The Church that Was
Powered by foundations and denominational structures, these dwindling churches will become smaller and increasingly polarized. There will be left-leaning universalists and right wing politicians. They will make a lot of smoke but no fire.
2. The Imports
Immigrant churches from Latin America, Africa and Asia. They provide opportunities to celebrate their native culture and feature charismatic worship. They provide a means of community and acculturation. Expect them to be vibrant, that struggle to connect with outsiders.
3. The Missional Church
A rag-tag band of outcasts from #1 and #2, as well as Damascus-Road-style converts. They will be radically committed to experiments in local incarnations of the gospel. They will have a passion for hospitality and a heart for evangelism. They will be hard to fit into your categories, but likely be a whimsical and vibrant minority.
Mission is the cure to the “Millennials problem”. A missional church with heart for Millennials will simply ask “how can we be the incarnate church for Millennials?” In other words, how can we show God’s love for Millennials?
Mission is the cure to the problem of women in their forties getting lost “in a sea of hipsters” and the other dozen gender problems in the church. A missional church will fight to have each person engaged in using their gifts for the sake of the mission.
Mission is the cure for the race problem. Racial reconciliation is a part of God’s mission. There is no greater reconciling action than being involved in meaningful tasks together.
Mission is the cure for suburban loneliness. Mission is the cure for theological divides. If Pope Francis gets his way, mission will be the cure for the Catholic Church’s systemic sins.
Without mission,
Pastors become (just) counselors
Prophets become (just) bloggers
Apostles become (just) non-profit leaders
Evangelists become (just) salesmen
Teachers become (just) historians.
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. How we engage in our world is mission. Without mission, we are no longer ourselves. Without mission, we have nothing to offer the world.
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