Ben is tracing the journey of the UCC over the decades....the key issues of different times. We used to worry about issues like, when a child can receive communion. Today, the issues appear to be different but our anxiety....our sense of dislocation is much the same. It is all part of adaptive change.
We think our Opening and Affirming stance has led to our UCC downturn but Ben likes to look at Missouri Synod Lutherans whose stances could not be more opposite to us. They parallel us, as a similar size denomination, in the decline of membership or money given to National. So what is going on.
The shift in the church is from "keeping people satisfied" to "bringing meaning to people's lives". How we respond to this will help determine our future. Ben finds this encouraging and hopeful. People don't want to read our synod resolutions any more or read our minutes. They want a hammer and to put muscle in it. They have moved from being "social" to being "purposeful".
Ben told a story....about Ursula nuns that I can't summarize here...but until we get the video up...suffice it to say, that we are not going back to where we came from, "You don't need a monastery when an apartment will do." Our UCC values of Extravagant Welcome is what is wanted and needed. So, we are seeing a bubbling up....new churches like "Liberation Ministries" in the Pacific Northwest.
Our traditional ways of counting in denominations don't tell the whole story of our relational connections. How do we account for all the people who are dancing in relational connection with the UCC. We need new ways of counting to tell the Good News!
Ben is hopeful about the new shifts even if he prefers the security of the monastery to the apartment. He pointed out the ministry ideas like the Southern Baptist new ministry in Cleveland:
Thanks Ben!
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