Foreseeing the Future

Back in April (seems like a whole other lifetime now), I blogged about the content of Alan Hirsch’s book, The Forgotten Ways. I had indicated that Hirsch argues that we have a Leadership problem in the church, and that comes from a wrong understanding of the “gifts” that Christ has given to us for faithfully leading His church to fulfill her purpose (Read that specific post here: http://tinyurl.com/3mekyk2). I also indicated there that I had taken Hirsch’s assessment. Yes, I tested with strengths predominantly in the A.P.E. categories, the very gift for the church that is usually rejected, ultimately leading to its demise.

So, when I read a book that speaks of the current state of the church, its strengths and weaknesses, its opportunities and threats, my gifting shifts into high gear. That’s at the heart of my “affair” with Hirsch right now. There are lots of prophetic voices out there, but his is the one that aligns almost perfectly with the vision that the Lord has given me concerning His church. Does that language scare you? It’s the language of Leadership, but sadly it is something you rarely hear outside of “Charismatic” circles. And in case you’re wondering, I do not consider myself a Charismatic. But that’s another posting…

I recently finished reading On the Verge by Hirsch and Dave Ferguson. While a lot of the initial material was an overview of information from The Forgotten Ways, the addition of Ferguson to the discussion brought the practical aspect of the active practitioner to the table. And the approach to rescuing the church in North America was not a throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater strategy! The problems in the church were clearly outlined and then a step-by-step process of shifting the church was discussed in great detail. In fact, the book was authored with an understanding and appreciation of the different styles of the writers, Hirsch’s theoretical musings balanced against Ferguson’s strategic implementation and vice versa. For that aspect alone, this book is an indispensible addition to the library of anyone who is passionate about the church being faithful to her calling.

So, do you want to know what the future of the church is? Well, it’s not certain; it depends a lot on what we do here and now. You see, there are two courses before us:

We can maintain the course we’ve pursued for the last 400-1,700 years (depending on which aspects of church you’re looking at). If we do, we have a clear picture of where we will be in the next 30 years. Just look at the church in Europe, dead or dying, irrelevant, impotent and an abomination. Or,

We can take a serious look at where we have failed, especially in the category of making the wrong things priorities in the church. We could learn a lot from honestly analyzing every aspect of our institutionalized faith to see what has been added due to cultural influences (syncretism). We can choose to repent and return to the Lord’s clearly-outlined instructions to His people. And we can see the return of faithfulness. But this path requires faith in the Lord.

The question is, when we see the Lord, face-to-face, will He find faith in His people (Luke 18:8)? How about in you? Who did He create you to be for Him, His Kingdom, and His church? What is He asking of you?