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1.
we ask this of everyone, how would you define the
postmodern movement?
Postmodernism
represents the change in worldview based on the ideas
that there are no moral absolutes because truth is a
relative construct; that life is mosaic rather than
linear; that meaning is derived from the customization
of reality rather than the acceptance of a mass reality;
and that all you can know for certain is what you experience.
2. what do you see as the
three most important changes a church needs to face to
reach this generation? and why?
I’m
not sure what you mean by “this generation” but I
will interpret that to mean the Mosaics – the group
following the Baby Busters, a segment of people born
from 1985 through the end of 2002.
First, you cannot effectively evangelize most of
them by preaching at them.
Effective evangelism with this group requires
relationships, dialogue and a willingness to journey
together.
A Socratic form of evangelism – question-based,
rather than didactic; long-term rather than hit-and-run;
conversational rather than confrontational; backed up by
personal modeling rather than institutional traditions
and dogma - works best.
Second,
there is neither interest in nor loyalty to the local
church, so assumptions regarding the primacy of church
affiliation are ill-advised.
We do not want to automatically give in to
people’s desires, but we also have to face certain
realities regarding Scripture, culture and religious
practices and tendencies.
The format of the church that most people
experience was man-made, not God-ordained.
We have a lot of leeway regarding what the church
should look like, and very little leeway regarding what
we should believe.
Consequently, we have to re-think the shape or
model of the church required to penetrate young people
in a completely different and rapidly changing culture.
Third,
leadership is paramount to growing a healthy and
far-reaching Church among young people.
Vision, mobilization, motivation, and strategic
direction are necessary for both appeal and impact.
Having churches that lack strong, vision-driven
leadership won’t get far.
3. given the regular
decrease in church membership over the past ten years
(with few exceptions) what do you believe are the keys
to "bringing them back?"
People
respond to value.
If they felt they were getting something of
value, they would devote themselves to the ends of the
church.
Their absence suggests that they are not
receiving perceived value.
Value is reflected in different things to
different people.
For
regular church-goers value may be a great children’s
ministry, great preaching, belonging to a loving
community, and so forth.
For individuals who are not faith-focused, it may
relate to friendships, doing acts of kindness that make
a difference in people’s lives, gaining meaning in
life or achieving a sense of belonging.
When people adopt a church, they want a place
that fills in the gaps in their life or that helps them
to be someone they would not otherwise become.
Bottom
line, we must recognize that each person has to be
treated as an important individual and ministered to in
ways that reflect their individuality and
idiosyncrasies.
To bring people back to a church we must develop
significant relationships with them; live a credible
Christian life that makes such an experience desirable
or at least intriguing enough to explore; take advantage
of opportunities to engage them in dialogue about
meaning, purpose and truth; invite them to experience a
community of faith that provides value and does not
waste their time or insult their taste and intellect;
and mentor them in light of biblical principles as they
strive to make sense of life and faith.
4. reaching a generation of
"postmodern thinkers" is hard, what do you
believe are the "selling points" the christian
faith can bring forward to reach this generation?
The
key appeals would probably relate to having peace with
God; having a positive impact on the lives of others,
especially those who are less fortunate; gaining insight
into the meaning and purpose of life; belonging to a
group of like-minded, accepting people who are
supportive and focused; and receiving tangible support
in times of confusion, pain or struggle without
exorbitant and unreasonable expectations placed on them
in return.
We
talk a lot about having a relationship with Christ, but
that doesn’t make much sense to most postmoderns
because of their view of Christ.
We talk a lot about knowing and living the Bible,
but that does not appeal because they don’t believe
the Bible is authentic truth and they have seen few, if
any, Christians who effectively follow through on
Scripture.
Their starting place in evaluating everything is
themselves, so we are better off starting with them and
leading them to the cross through a patient, loving,
sensitive and intelligent process that responds to their
felt needs.
5. what current trends do
you see happening in successful churches today?
These
churches have great leadership: individuals who lead
within a team context, are focused on a vision from God,
and work hard to motivate, mobilize, resource and direct
people to effectively pursue that vision.
Those churches help their people to understand
and obsess on worship – genuine worship, not a studied
set of routines, but an all-out, heartfelt communion
with God.
Great churches typically set high standards for
disciples, and pour tremendous resources into enabling
believers to reach those standards.
Every
great church we study also has a vibrant youth ministry
and is well-known for actively serving the poor and
disadvantaged in their community.
One of the great misconceptions about great
churches is that they are large.
Many of them are mid-sized bodies.
It’s hard to be a great church when you’re
small, but small churches can start out great and
focused on being all that God has called them to be and,
as a result, inevitably grow larger.
6. given 911, do you see any
of the trends in question 5 changing over the next few
years?
No.
Spiritually speaking, 9-11 has not affected us as
deeply as many people would like to imagine.
The same patterns that have been emerging over
the past five years are continuing on track, seemingly
as if 9-11 never happened.
The only pattern that does seem to have changed,
and it is troublesome, is that people seem less apt to
donate to churches now.
There is a greater willingness to divert some of
their giving to other types of non-profit organizations
in the hope of having a positive impact on the world.
7. over your years
researching social trends, what three things have
surprised you the most about human nature and the
church? and why?
1.
How little we change.
We live in the midst of change, and we alter some
of our general behaviors, but our underlying values and
beliefs change remarkably little past the age of 18.
The same is true for institutions, such as the
Church.
People shift their emphasis in what seems
important from half-decade to half-decade, but generally
we are still fighting the same battles we were fighting
forty years ago.
2.
How ignorant people are of their faith in spite
of decades of exposure to teaching, preaching and
conversation about Christianity.
Most people say they know all the major
principles of the Christian faith and have no intention
of changing any of their perspectives – and they stick
to that.
However, when you question them as to what they
believe, it becomes apparent how ill-informed most
Americans are about the fundamentals of Christianity.
Getting them into Bible study groups, Sunday
school classes and more worship services seems to have a
negligible affect upon their faith knowledge.
Sadly, in many ways we seem to have inoculated
people to Christ.
3.
How important great leadership is.
Apart from supernatural intervention – which we
welcome at any time, in any form God chooses! – the
only hope of seeing the Church come to life in this
country is for godly, Spirit-filled, biblically sound,
vision-driven leaders to direct the church down a more
meaningful path.
Virtually every effective ministry I study has
just a handful of common characteristics, and those all
emanate from the presence of such leadership.
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