new church life: september/october 2016
Service: The Key to Growth
To The Editors:
I wanted to say how much I appreciated Craig Bostock’s article on change
in the Christian Church. (The Future of the Christian Church and a Prediction
of its Interaction with the New Church, New Church Life, July/August, 2016)
Christianity is confronted by a lot of challenges. One recent article on the
Catholic Church in my hometown of Pittsburgh noted:
Since 2000, weekly Mass attendance has dropped by 40 percent — for almost
100,000 fewer regular church-goers; K-8 Catholic school enrollment fell by 50
percent; and the number of active priests plummeted from 338 to 225.
The General Church faces many of the same challenges embedded in
those statistics.
Within that it is important to note, as Craig pointed out, that we can grow
the New Church, sharing its beautiful teachings with more people. Growth is
incredibly challenging; that needs to be clearly stated. Our old way of holding
our faith – as being the one and only answer to people’s theological questions
– is largely out of step.
People, in my experience, are not searching solely for a theology but are
searching as well for a mission-centered, purpose-driven community. So that is
where we must start – with created loving, caring, compassionate communities
that move forward into the world with purpose.
What can we, as the New Church, specifically offer? At its simplest
level I think our faith shines as a holder of God’s transformational love
versus the transactional love held by many denominations. And, with that
transformational love in mind, we can serve. That is critical.
In the end, I have found this journey of church planting with NewChurch
LIVE beyond humbling. While we have grown around 60% in the past six
years and increased our donations more than 150%, we face many questions
about how to serve more effectively.
Planting a church will rapidly break one of many cherished notions of
“how to.” What is left is a very real faith. However, that while we may not
know all the specifics of how to grow or run a church, we can do this: we can
serve. We can find those who suffer, near and far, and serve: the very essence
of being the Church – the very essence of the New Church.
The Rev. Chuck Blair
Pastor, NewChurch LIVE
Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
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