I’ve found books like Dallas Willard’s, Spirit of the Disciplines, Eugene Peterson’s Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work, and Richard Foster’s classic Celebration of Discipline helpful in keeping me grounded. They provide compelling rationale and simple entry points for inward, outward, and corporate disciplines like prayer, solitude, and confession that can reshape us to be more like Jesus as we lead in these days.
Too Little Faith
There are several camps I see many Christian leaders buying into today: the camp of weariness in which they struggle to have hope that anything can get better, the camp of naivety in which they don’t understand (or choose not to exegete) culture and therefore don’t lead our churches to respond to current problems from a gospel-centered perspective, and the camp of trust in which they acknowledge the crisis and believe in Christ’s power and wisdom to lead them through.
Many missiologists agree the Church was not prepared for the challenges we’ve faced these past few years. The good news, however, is that it’s not too late, because God was prepared, and He is continuing to lead the Church.
Amid the turmoil, new ways of doing church have emerged. It’s clear that hybrid (in person and online) church is here to stay—at least for now. New church trends like the Fresh Expressions network and the Dinner Church home church movements are seeing significant growth. And because of our digital capabilities, church participation is no longer limited by geography.
Additionally, churches are still being the Church: holistically caring for those in need in their communities. Church-facilitated food and clothing pantries are providing opportunities to connect with vulnerable neighbors like many have never experienced.
Finally, despite narratives to the contrary, this year’s State of the Bible 2021 report revealed that people are very open to talking about faith and spirituality. As a volunteer chaplain at a local fire station, I see this frequently. One firefighter recently shared very matter-of-factly with me how he believes we are all divine. This gave me opportunity to ask more questions, affirm his hunger for spiritual things, and begin to explore why he believes what he does about God.
Even in challenging times, we can be confident God is at work! What we are experiencing is painful, but it is by no means the worst this world has ever seen. We are in a long line of Christ-followers who have taken up their crosses and followed Jesus to be light in the darkness.
A Church on Mission in 2022
I’m excited to see what will happen as our churches focus less on the trends and disruptions of culture and more on the message and mission of the Bible. What will happen as we interact with and love those who consider themselves our enemies, bless those who curse us, pray for the sick, and bind up the wounds of the broken hearted? What will happen as we engage with God’s truth and pursue His peace every day until it becomes ours?
In a world full of too many bad things, I believe God is inviting pastors and churches to a year—and a future—of extravagant love, renewed hope, generous compassion, and intentional unity. There can never be too much of the good things of the Kingdom of God. That’s a “great emergence” we’d all love to lead through.
