In these chaotic political times, many people speculate what our world will look like in 5, 15, or 30 years. There are questions about what we can do to prepare for the future. There are many visions of the future, but it is only when the future becomes the now that we will know. Some are speculating about what the Church will look like in the future. We look at the statistics and see declining numbers and resources. Other denominations are similar. What is God asking us to do to prepare?
I can only speculate about what the Church will look like. I think the Church will survive but will look very different from now. Similar situations recorded in scripture and history give me hope.
“The Exodus,” when a small group of people fled from Egypt, following a leader not trained as their leader, into a foreign land where they faced heat, drought, and hunger. They had to rely on God for life, and God provided what they needed and taught them about the central importance of loving God, loving their neighbours, and loving themselves. They entered the Promised Land as a united people.
“The Exile” of the Israelites (BCE 598 – 538) was a time of about 60 years when the Israelites were captured and taken en mass to Babylon. Without clergy or a temple, they continued to meet as families or small cells where they worshipped God together, sometimes with laughter and sometimes with tears. They continued to sing, remember, study and discuss with each other what they felt God was saying to them. They lived in scattered communities, sharing God’s love and hope.
Similarly, “First Nations” peoples in Canada were told they must worship God using traditional European ways and made to stop worshipping as they had for thousands of years. Like the Hebrew people, their traditional ways survived in small family groups and communities. Once again, elders are teaching their traditional ways.
The Rev. Henry Irwin (1859 – 1902), affectionately known as “Father Pat” because of his Irish heritage, became a circuit priest in British Columbia. He was the only Anglican priest in much of the southern Okanagan and Kootenay regions. He would visit each congregation as frequently as he could, and that was not very often. Between his visits, congregations met regularly to worship together. They listened to scripture, followed by a discussion and the singing of spiritual songs. Their Christian community continued, and God’s love continued to be shared.
I think God is calling us to risk trying new things. Perhaps a team of lay people leading book studies, prayer groups, Bible studies, offering pastoral care, and leading Sunday services. Lay people would do the work: organizing their congregation to care for people who lived around them and caring for nature. Under their oversight, clergy would have better-resourced communities reaching out to encourage and train lay leaders in several small congregations.
People will recognize God’s church as they witness how people are living and working together: “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love”, to quote the words of a song. (writer: Peter Scholtes)
What would God’s church look like in 5, 15, or 30 years? How is God asking us to prepare? I would like to hear your thoughts.
