The Little Ice Age of the Church

Sometimes the climate changes. During the Middle Ages, Europe enjoyed warm temperatures and abundant harvests. Then came the Little Ice Age and it all changed. Crops no longer grew as far north as they had, and crop failures became common. Codfish didn't congregate in the same waters. Those people who adapted to the changed climate thrived. Those who did not adapt suffered.

Cultural climates change too. Lutheranism has always known a pleasant climate. Some of the authorities may have wanted Luther dead, but the ones that mattered protected him. Then through the centuries the prevailing culture has supported the Lutheran churches. In America, we were an immigrant church, but our immigrant communities supported the church. We built the church with the props of heritage and family firmly in place.

Now, we are entering the Little Ice Age of the church. America is turning more and more against Christian faith. The reasons are numerous, but the circumstance is clear. Ethnic heritage no longer means much, and most of us are personal melting pots anyway. Few people make religious commitments based on family today. Peers, friends and acquaintances are more influential.

As we enter the Little Ice Age of the church, those who adapt may thrive, even under a kind of low-grade persecution. Those who fail to adapt will suffer and disappear. The gospel of Jesus is as relevant as ever. I believe Lutheran teachings have a lot to say in the twenty-first century. But when it comes to the way we do things, we must adapt.

If I knew the ways we must adapt, I'd write a book. Some things are clear to me, while many are still in the fog. Prayerfully, and not in a panic, we must adapt if we are to flourish in the changed climate. Ponder with me what needs to change, and what cannot change if we are to be faithful in the twenty-first century.

One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 ^©TNIV

Sometimes we’re slow to learn. For decades, we Americans have tried to make our youth happy with church. We’ve entertained them to get them to come to church activities. When they’ve become unhappy we’ve let them disengage from church. The last thing we want is to have them resentfully say “My parents dragged me to church.” So we let them sleep in on Sunday mornings.

Now we’re learning, after decades of trying this approach, that it’s not working. High school is the time when young people are figuring out what they think. They’re developing their view of the world. There are no guarantees, but if they develop their view of the world without even a conversation about God, they probably won’t see God in the world. They’ll become, as the great cop-out of our day goes, “spiritual but not religious.” If they develop their view of the world in conversation with a community of faith, they just might grow up to be believers.

My own family reminds me that there are no guarantees: My great-grandparents raised twelve children and got eleven active Lutheran Christians. My grandfather was the exception. But then, he raised my dad not to be a believer and he became one anyway. There is nothing we can do to assure whether or not someone is a believer. But when we look at the overall pattern, it’s clear. We’re far more likely to share our faith with the next generation if we focus on doing just that.

I’ve been reading about a study of churches where the young people stay connected or come back in far greater numbers than typical congregations. What stands out first is that, in these congregations, people have lively conversations about God. The young people can find many folks who encourage them, who take an interest in their developing faith, and who talk with them.

Youth ministry is the job of the whole congregation. Do you know one of our youth? Take an interest in their life and faith. You may make a bigger difference than you can ever imagine.

Click to see my photos at Flickr.

"The mission of the Church is to love Jesus Christ. Everything else is just strategy." Dr. Mark Allan Powell

This concludes my notes from Dr. Inskeep's presentation.

Sunday morning has a lot of competition now. How do we deal with what's out there? One church Dr. Inskeep described put up a tent on a soccer field, offering services before and after games.

People's first question is "Is this about me?" Lutherans tend to want to say "Oh, but it's not about you." But if it isn't about them, at least in the beginning, they're not interested.

How important is it to us to make disciples? Do we want people around who don't know the rules, who don't understand everything about the church?

We do not compromise our basic understanding of who God is and what God is up to. Everything around it is open for debate.