Becoming the Church and Disciples that Tomorrow Requires David Schoen Evangelism Ministry Team Local Church Ministries United Church of Christ Including material used with permission from Rick Morse, V.P. New Church Ministry, Christian Church (DOC) Church Extension © 2007 All rights reserved

Thank you! Thank you for the opportunity to be with you! Thank you for your vital ministries here in Idaho and Oregon Thank you for your contributions to Our Church’s Wider Mission that make vitality possible in regional, national and international ministries.

Exodus 3: Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, `What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. (Yahweh)

YAHWEH I Will Be What Tomorrow Requires

The Future Question God will be what the future demands, but,……. Will we be the churches and disciples that tomorrow requires?

the world has changed  60 – 80 % unchurched  80 % of baby boomers left  80 % of youth have negative view of church  Culture does not support church

Congregational life has changed too: Mimeograph Yellow pages Volunteers Hospital visits Organ Stairs Committees Budgets

Churches are stressed today: Sustainability levels Generational Challenges Population shift Birth rates Numerous cultural factors

Sustainability Levels 1930: 30 AWA 2000: 130 AWA  Factors leading to growing sustainability factor: Health Insurance & other benefits Higher cost of construction Utility costs Lack of volunteers BASICALLY EVERYTHING

More generations today than ever… Gen Z (0-2) Millennials (3-22) Survivors (23-43) Boomers (44-61) Silents (62-79) Builders (80+) Each generation has unique events that formed it, and a different view of life.

For church development purposes we tend to think of two main cohorts: Boomer +The rest of those youngsters…

Churches didn’t use to worry about generations… Founders Their children Grandchildren & families A few transplants Stephen Compton

Many Churches have Lost a generation or 2: Churches do not anticipate loosing youth…(even though that has been the pattern for 40 years) Young adults report:  Relocation after college or school  Difficulty in assimilation because church style  IF they visit—little generational affinity  Most mainline youth become unchurched Roof and McKinney

The result is aging congregations While the younger cohort equals 65% of the population, they are only on average about 30% of existing congregations Growing Gaps in understanding

Another cultural factor is Population Shift: The majority of housing in the US was built since Population has moved to metropolitan areas Migration to South and coasts Population has moved away from existing congregations!

Birth Rates: Since “the pill” Anglo birth rates dropping 1 /1000 2 /1000 2 Mainline Anglos have a very low birth-rate due to aging populations VERY Little Biological Growth!

There has been significant change in our racial-ethnic population Racial ethnic composition of most neighborhoods has changed since 1960 Many congregations have little or no affinity with their neighbors

Racial ethnic growth must be recognized Ethnic growth:  In the next 50 years the US Pop. Will grow by 50%. 90% of that growth will be people of color  In 2000, Hispanics became the largest racial ethnic minority  The US has the 3 rd largest Spanish speaking population  By 2050 there will be no majority racial group  By 2100 Hispanics will be the largest group

Did you know? More people of African descent live in America than any country except Nigeria More Cubans live in Miami except than in Havana In the 90’s the Asian population grew by 107%, Hispanics by 38%, Native Americans by 38% while the general population grew by just 6%!

Racial Ethnic Birth Rates: African Am Native Am Asian Pac. I Hispanic 22.6 (Anglo 11.7) Per 1000 Most future growth will be in Racial Ethnic congregations

There is also a shifting attitude towards “organized” religion 65% of the US population cannot remember a time when clergy were respected. Denominational loyalty means nothing to most people. The average person believes that no particular religion has claim to truth.

Shifting attitudes towards faith

Since 1991 adult population in the US grew by 15%. During that same period the unchurched population grew by 92%! 75 million US adults do not attend church 'Unchurched' Americans say church is 'full of hypocrites' consider Christianity to be more about organized religion than about loving God and people, according to a new survey.

44 percent -- agreed that "Christians get on my nerves.“ Vast majority of young non-Christians view Christianity as anti-gay, judgmental and hypocritical. But 78 percent said they would be willing to listen to someone who wanted to tell them about his or her Christian beliefs. Almost three-quarters percent -- agreed that God "actually exists“ and an even larger percentage percent -- said they believed they could have a good relationship with God without church involvement.

It’s a Whole New World UCCvitality.org

21 st Century Culture and Church Post-Modern – It’s a Whole New World “Big Five” of hallmark modern values: Anthony Robertson  Reason  Optimism & Objectivity   Universality & “The Grand Story”

21 st Century Culture and Church Post-Modern - Modern World is crumbling Reason  Where moderns wanted their preachers to explain mystery, post-moderns want to experience mystery. Optimism & Objectivity  Post-moderns are not so sure that salvation is around the corner or that ‘objective’ science and technology are our saviors. What some call ‘objective truth,’ is the interest of the powerful and privileged.”

21 st Century Culture and Church Post-Modern - Modern World is crumbling Universality & The Grand Story  Post-moderns revel in the local, indigenous and the particular. Post-moderns tend to be skeptics about this big story. Small stories, particular stories, and different versions of reality appeal to the post- modern mind.

21 st Century Culture and Church While modernity was liberating and powerful in many ways, it was also and especially for Christianity, reductive.  highly moral, but not especially spiritual  modern Christianity explained miracle and mystery (away) and proposed moral values and lessons as universal truth.  What was missing was spiritual connection and experience, the experience of a sacred, numinous, transcendent Other.

21 st Century Culture and Church Post-Modern - Modern World is crumbling In the last thirty years while interest in “spirituality” has been huge People felt yet church was not the best place to pursue their “spiritual” interests. Transformation was lacking

We are all at a threshold, a ‘kairos’ moment: God is Still Speaking has shown that the harvest is ready. There has been a great response of people looking for a church like the United Church of Christ.

Tomorrow require of us to be Missional, Relational & Conversational Vital congregations in 21 st Century are Missional in purpose Relational in outreach Conversational in witness

Missional in Purpose Vital congregations  clear sense of purpose Vital congregations  driven by mission Vital church mission  reaches out beyond itself

Vital congregations discern God’s call and mission The greatest characteristic of a vital congregation is the ability to articulate and live God’s purpose. What is God calling this church to be and do at this time, in this place, with the gifts we have on this corner of God’s realm that we are placed?

Missional Statement Cathedral of Hope  The Mission of the Cathedral of Hope is to reclaim Christianity as a faith of extravagant grace, radical inclusion and relentless compassion. We are a people of compassion We are a people of inclusion We are a people of liberation We are a people of hope We are a people of Jesus

Missional Statement First Grace UCC, Akron OH  First grace…..then faith and works! First Congregtional UCC Santa Rosa  Making God’s love visible Others  Strangers no more  Jesus loves you…this we know!  Keeping faith, reaching out, welcoming all!

UCCvitality.org

The Church Vital-O-Meter This brief survey takes the pulse of your congregation. Like a pulse, it gives only a rough estimate of how strongly your “heart” is beating. We are always ready to try something new The current morale of this congregation is high This congregation is strongly focused on serving the widercommunity beyond the congregation V I T A L I T Y

Exploring Your Congregation’s Vitality

Discerning Your Church’s Mission V I T A L I T Y

Vital Churches are Relational in Outreach Ministry in 21 st Century is Relational Build community with those outside the church Get to know the unchurched people and culture

Relational in Outreach Bridge the gap by building relationships The days of waiting for people to come to church to welcome them are over. Instead of waiting inside, we go outside

Online Demographics Report

Knowing Your Neighborhood

Relational in Outreach “ I stopped wondering about how to draw younger folks into my church and started focusing on how to draw my congregation out of its building and into relationship with the world outside its doors.”

Relational in Outreach “No Matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, You are welcome here!” makes the theological statement that belonging, being in relationship, is the first step of believing. Relational Outreach is about helping people belong so that they can believe.

Conversational in Witness The postmodern world calls us to be conversational in witness and invitation. Count conversations, ……….not conversions. More Ready than You Think, Brian McLaren

Conversational Ministry The postmodern world calls for disciples who reach out to a world that is hungering for good conversation about faith, values, hope, meaning, purpose, goodness, beauty, truth, life after death, life before death and God. Engaging in everyday faith conversations will not only help others become Christians, it will help us become better Christians, who know and love the still speaking God more than ever.

Conversational Ministry A world of spiritual seekers wants to talk. We are the ones who are not talking! An unchurched world doesn’t know why we do what we do.

Witness and Invitation UCC-Style V I T A L I T Y “Tricking” the church into Evangelism – Taking it back! What do you say when someone asks you about your comma? “For us it means God’s not stuck. God still has more light and truth for us today.” “My church believes that God is still speaking to us today.” “It means that no matter how bad things are in my life or in the world, God is in the midst of it.”

Are You Ready to Talk?

Conversational in Witness Vital churches are communities in which the pastor and members have invited 5 to 15 new folks to consider discipleship in the past six months.

Go Forth… into the Virtual World We seek to build Christian community online because that’s where we can encounter members and potential members of our church:  1.1 billion Internet users worldwide  100 million on MySpace  70 million bloggers  34 million students on Facebook  4-8 million on SecondLife

i.UCC On Line Ministry and Community

i.UCC.org Outreach to spiritual seekers Create Virtual Community online Foster online network and relationship Provide opportunity for discussion, information, spiritual development, questions and prayers Serve as teaching tool and opportunities for congregations, conferences and national ministries

i.UCC Prayer Chapel

i.UCC Web Conversations

V I T A L I T Y

Where will we be in 2020….? The still speaking God calls us to become Churches that the Future Demands  Missional in purpose  Relational in outreach  Conversational in witness

Blessings as you get ready and set to be the Vital Churches and Disciples that Tomorrow Requires