September 8, 2006

Gene and I attended a provocative seminar on Wednesday sponsored by New Covenant Presbytery.  The speaker for the event was Reggie McNeel, who now works with the Leadership Network in Dallas. He is the author of a well known book among church professionals entitled The Present Future.

He began the conference by sharing some good news.  He indicated that according to all reliable data the fastest growing religion in the world today is Christianity.  In fact in any given 24 hour period of time 175,000 people will become Christians.  50,000 of those new Christians will be living in China.  40,000 will live in India.  One minister in India commented, “We are growing so fast we don’t have time for evangelism.” 

 That’s great news!  Then he shared with us the bad news.  The Church in North America isn’t growing.  It’s going the other way entirely.  South Korea now sends more missionaries out than does the United States.  In fact the United States is the 2^nd largest receiver of missionaries in the world.  We are the largest English speaking mission field in the world today.  In 1900 80% of all Christians were white and lived in the western hemisphere.  Today 80% of all Christians are non-white, non-western and live in the southern hemisphere. 

 While we need to celebrate what God is doing in so many places in our world today, we need to seriously examine what we are doing in America today and throughout the western world.  Whatever it is, it’s not working as well as it once did. 

What can we learn and how can we catch up with what our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are experiencing?  McNeel said there is another Pentecost happing every hour somewhere in our world today!

 Let me wet your appetite with a few of his suggestions.  First we have to stop thinking about church growth and instead focus on kingdom growth.  The wrong question is “How do we grow our church?”  The right question is, “How do we transform our community?”  Second, more and more we need to release God’s people so they can carry out ministry and mission.  The wrong question:  “How do we turn members into ministers?”  The right question:  “How do we turn members into missionaries?”  Third, there is a hunger for spiritual formation.  People really do want to grow.  The wrong question:  “How do we develop church members?”  The right question:  “How do we develop follows of Jesus?”  Jesus continues to have wide appeal in the west.  It’s the church that doesn’t seem to be attracting much interest. 

 I believe WCPC has and is asking the right questions.  We see that so clearly as we look at our past, how God birthed and has shaped this community for the past twenty-five, and we see it clearly as we look to the future and the growing passion for discipleship.

 Honestly I don’t believe there has ever been a more exciting time to be alive as a Christian in North America.  The challenges continue to grow, but the resources God has placed within each of us and within the Church are up to the task.  I’m excited about the directions New Covenant Presbytery is heading in.  I’m even more excited about the direction God is moving us in.  It won’t happen overnight, but maybe some day in another seminar lead by another generation’s Reggie McNeel, they will share the goods news of what’s happened in North America and the west. 

 To God be the glory!

 Your pastor,

 David Jones

 P.S.  I will begin teaching a Sunday School class this Sunday in the sanctuary during the Sunday School hour.  It’s for both men and women.  We will be studying the Acts of the Apostles.