A couple of days ago in my post, What are the Top 10 Issues the Church Will Face in the Next 10 Years I spoke about a number of issues that the church is dealing with. In the post I mentioned that these are not the 10 issues that will make it into the book, but some of the issues that I see.
Here are a couple more.
1) Holiness - I was having dinner with a couple on Friday night. They are also involved in ministry at a local church. They talked about the seeming lack of desire for holy living that they see in so many people their age in their church. It's easy to get discouraged. It's as if we have a generation of people who want to be Christian, but be able to do what everyone else in society is doing. A challenge for the church in this and every generation is how do we live in such a way that pleases God and inpact society. How do we say, "No," to sinful desires and pursue righteousness. It's like the quote I posted by John Piper last week. "Sin is what you do when your heart isn't satisfied with God."
2) Lack of Credibility in Church Leaders - The trust level of those who lead churches has been damaged in recent years. Tales of corruption, unethical behavior, and church leaders who live anything but holy lives has hurt the cause of the church. Human beings are flawed. We are sinners. But, those who have the unique role of being leaders in the church of Christ need to live lives that are above reproach. This can only happen when the Holy Spirit is controlling us. One of the challenges that pastors face in this generation is the amount of time that it takes to earn credibility. So many pastors jump ship after just a couple of years in a church. We need leaders who are committed to serving for the long haul.
So, what do you think are some of the issues that the church has to grapple with in the next several years?
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5 comments:
Hey, Brian
I commented on your original post.
This is probably the biggest issue facing the American church... a full-blown identity crisis that we ourselves have actually asked for.
One thing that I feel the church needs to address is how some people are so stuck in their denominational lines and are unwilling to look past them.
One other question that I have is if the idea of Evangelical Christian is to general now. Should some of the groups under the Evangelical “umbrella” be labeled (I know we shouldn’t label people) in a different way?
Franske,
I agree with you. We desperately need a kingdom mindset when it comes to the body of Christ. Some of the most precious seasons of ministry that I have experienced are when I'm working with brothers or sisters across denominational lines.
And, yes, Evangelical has become a confusing term. Ultimately it would be those who agree with the NAE doctrinal statement, but there are a number of people that would call themselves Evangelical and have no concept of what Evangelical doctrine is, let alone hold to it.
B"H
Hi Brian,
Nice site you have here. Time is tight right now, but the one issue which I think is paramount for the Church in the near future is the issue of anti-Judaism in both theology and practice. Consider this, John Howard Yoder, whom some of you might know from his classic book, The Politics of Jesus, was working on this topic before his untimely death. Now the bulk of his thought on has been published posthumously as The Jewish-Christian Schism Revisted. Yoder was one the foremost Anabaptist theologians of our time and yet he felt that this was topic of supreme importance.
As I have stated in several other blogs and on my own site in particular www.xanga.com/ps29v11 those who are interested in reconciliation and how to use the Bible in that discussion, need to start with a proper understanding of how GOD sees the relationship between Jews and non-Jews. That statement is a loose quote from Prof. Richard Hays (Duke Div. School - Durham, NC) who wrote a massive tome entitled, The Moral Vision of the New Testament.
Blessings,
Shlomo
Schlomo,
I'll pick up the book.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'd love to learn more.
B
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