Book Discussion: Mosaic - 4. to centralize or decentralize?

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

"As the Church of God has grown, it has never reconciled itself with its need to create organizations, structures, and institutions. This has been the Achilles heel of the Church of God" (97). In chapter 4 Nachtigall attempts to take on this problem and provide new perspective to it, including the observation that there are many among us that are "reconfiguring and reimagining themselves organizationally in order to stay relevant and effective" (99). Yet, in all of this there is tremendous irony: We "started with a nondenominational, decentralized paradigm and then entered into a more centralized one out of necessity, only to find that the most effective organizations in the new millennium are radically decentralized" (107f).

Nachtigall's journey includes a look at a strong regional organization within the Church of God (i.e. Oregon / Southwest Washington) and a visit with then General Assembly chair Bob Moss. Intertwined with these interviews he outlines many of the historical factors that have got us to where we are today organizationally. But, the most intriguing part of this chapter is his visit to Bolivia where he discovers a national church that intentionally operates close to a New Testament model, with a flat and flexible structure. Interestingly, this anomaly among us is the result of an independent group of churches that joined us after being attracted to our understandings on holiness and the church. They have little of our movement's DNA in them and as a result have had greater freedom to live out their cooperative ministry in fresh, new ways.

Overall this is a strong chapter, and it does identify one of the key challenges facing us. We have not been able to resolve our idealistic teachings on the church with the practical needs for structure and accountability. And because of this we "have paid a steep price for our lack of clearly-defined structural expectations" (121). The irony that Nachtigall identifies is on the mark and does identify the conundrum we must work through. If we could only find healthy, biblical ways to be accountable to one another our perspective on the church would provide a powerful basis for new organizational effectiveness in an increasingly post-modern, decentralized world that values networks over hierarchies.

I believe that despite occasional steps backward, there are some positive signs that we could be moving in this direction. The ultimate express of it will be when we come to terms with the role of "Anderson" (i.e. Church of God Ministries) alongside our local congregations, regional bodies and many other networks and associations through we which we minister and find expression.

Book Discussion: Mosaic - 3. how should we then teach?

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

Following his look at the emerging generations in the Church of God, Nachtigall naturally moves on to a related topic: The education and training of leaders for the future. Following his previous argument he asserts that "A denomination or movement can preserve its theological identity by have scholastic institutions that educate a new generation of pastors and laypeople in their theology" (67). But, the reality is that the number of young people seeking to enter professional ministry is in rapid decline. This does not bode well for us.

To set the stage for all of this, Nachtigall does a great job of providing a helpful overview of the larger theological landscape in which the Church of God finds itself. Things are much more complex than they were when our movement was founded in the midwestern United States in the late nineteenth century. Today there are three theological worlds around us: traditional, post-Christian and "Book of Acts world" (65). Despite the challenges "Church of God theology is structured very well to reach all three worlds" (66).

The book's approach is to travel across the Church of God to see how various segments of our movement are addressing these challenges. The journey in this chapter is expansive. He starts in the post-modern influenced city of Portland, Oregon, home to Warner Pacific College. Both here and in his next stop, Anderson School of Theology, Nachtigall discovers that there are young people passionate about ministry, but a growing proportion are "shrinking away from pastoral ministry" (75). New models of church and ministry are capturing their attention instead. This is forcing institutions like our seminary to examine what ministerial and theological education will need to look like in the future.

The challenge of the complex theological world needs also to be seen alongside the conventional North American models. Nachtigall shares his visits to the German church in post-modern Europe, Kima International School of Theology in Kenya, and Thailand. The chapter concludes with a fascinating look at the unique leadership development models among our African American churches.

In all, this is an excellent survey of where the Church of God is in terms of ministry education and training, but few real solid recommendations are presented. From Nachtigall's overview I see two main points that must be part of our future roadmap. First, we must come to terms with the complex worldviews around us that have serious impact on our theological approaches and ministry. Our educational institutions must be flexible enough to meaningfully take on the culture within their context. Sadly, I am not convinced that we have always been as open to this happening as it needs to be. The second challenge for the future concerns models of leadership development and theological education. The examples in this chapter demonstrate that there are viable approaches other than the current college/seminary model that is becoming largely obsolete. This cannot be divorced from what needs to happen at the local church level (as Dr. Jay Barber points out on pages 73-74). In other words, as the church changes (either by design or necessity) our educational training must be closely in step. But, I question whether we are doing enough to make this happen.

Book Discussion: Mosaic - 2. boomers, xers, and y should i care?

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

Now that he's set the stage, Nachtigall goes on to explore some of challenges that we face, and he begins with one of the most obvious in the church today: The Generational Challenge. But, he goes beyond just framing it as a generational gap. Instead he sees it as a matter of "the Church is God is not being transmitted from one generation to another" (25). He makes the case that we are missing three generations: the Millenials, Generation X, and what might be a surprise to some, the Baby Boomers. The Greatest Generation still makes up the strongest core of our movement, but that center is aging and losing its influence.

Nachtigall's journey examining these realities begins in my backyard, Seattle. Here he interviews some senior Church of God saints who readily share their feelings of loss for our identity and community. Reading these stories I certainly feel the pain these ladies sense, a common expression by many older individuals in our churches. Then he heads to the International Youth Convention which provides a radical contrast to the perspectives and ministries of the older generation. IYC is, in my assessment, one of the most powerful national ministries that we have, but once kids return home (as they will again next week) will they truly have a place in their local congregations and in leadership? Nachtigall seems to ask the same questions.

To round out the journey examples are also shared from Uganda and the Dominican Republic, both places that seem to deliberately integrate young people into both the church of today and tomorrow.

This chapter provides a insightful overview and analysis of the generational challenge. Apart from the examples given, there still is little overwhelming evidence that we are doing everything we need to do in order to see the next generation carry the Church of God torch into the future. Many churches attempt to deal with this by creating specialized youth programs, but often these are silos isolated and insulated from the broader church. Nachtigall recognizes this inadequate approach when he states that "We are concerned about preserving our identity, but have we done enough to pursue those who will carry it on into the future" (46). I think the answer is a strong "no", certainly making this one of the greatest challenges we currently face.

Chog.org is down

Wednesday morning the service provider for Church of God Ministries experienced a major hardware failure leading to the grounding of several websites, including the main site, chog.org. Others are also affected including the site for IYC (which is real bad timing since the event is next week) and the many congregations whose sites are hosted by CHOG Webhosting.

Obviously ministry still goes on, Internet or no Internet. But, what I find fascinating is the thought that if this would have happened 5 or 10 years ago few would have cared or noticed. The impact today is much greater.

Book Discussion: Mosaic - 1. the beginning or the end

This post is part of a weekly series based on Patrick Nachtigall's new book, Mosaic: A Journey Across the Church of God. You are invited to read the book along with me and contribute to the discussion in the comments.

Chapter 1 of Mosaic is the true introduction to the book as Nachtigall sets the stage for his journey. He begins at a family cemetery in South Dakota and ponders whether or not this setting is indicative of the future of the Church of God. In doing so he begins to identify some of the challenges we face, and suggests "that we will not be able to move forward in unity until we have a better grasp of the variety within the Church of God and meet the faces behind the various positions, divisions, and communities." (6) Our challenges are not unique as they can be seen in a number of Christian denominations. But, the Church of God does have its own culture and theology that has contributed to some of the problems we face. To illustrate this Nachtigall provides a brief, but helpful, review of the beginnings of our movement.

The real issue we face is the diminishing of "our sense of unique identity" (19). We used to have a strong identity but its steady erosion has left us in a "precarious position" (21). The social and religious landscape has changed around us and the question is whether or not we can respond to these shifts in order to be a viable and strong movement within God's larger church. Nachtigall's journey recorded in the rest of the book will demonstrate if this is at all possible.

The real insights will begin to appear in the subsequent chapters, but Nachtigall does a great job of identifying the core issues in this first one. I see two particular themes emerging which he certainly presents but not overtly: internal diversity and external cultural shifts. These seem to be the greatest challenges that we face. We are no longer a homogeneous people, and therefore it is increasingly difficult to corral such an expansive movement that is no longer contained within a limited geography and demographic as was the case 100+ years ago. This is the result of the growth of the Church of God, but also reflects the changes in the world around us. These external shifts have influenced us and sadly we have not responded well to them. I look forward to seeing how the book unfolds, and the examples he shares that will provide us hope and models for the future.

What do you think of this chapter's description of the issues?

As you read this are you feeling hopeful or discouraged?

North American Convention - Reflections

The 2010 NAC is now history, and I, like hundreds of others, am returning home.

Notice I said "hundreds" of others. Years ago it would have been accurate to assume that "thousands" from outside of Anderson converged on the city, but that is probably no longer the case. (Although, combined with the many who came to the convention through the virtual miracle of the Internet, maybe those numbers could be used!) While the last two NAC's have seen a slight reversal from the 3-5% annual attendance decline that has taken place over the past ten years, the question on most people's minds is whether or not this event can be sustained long term. Monday's townhall began yet another process to evaluate this gathering, but this time status quo is not really an option. I still believe that a major rework has to take place to reflect the current reality across the church. (I still stand by my proposal three years ago).

The uncertain future of the NAC should not, however, overshadow the significance of what did happen this year. Those in attendance experienced a movement that, while still trying to find its identity, is showing signs of health and resolution. This convention should leave almost everyone with a confirmation of what God is doing among us.

The services, in particular, lived up to their prominent place in the agenda. The move to Reardon Auditorium and Park Place church worked well, and as I stated earlier this week the implementation of the alternative service format was overall very successful and contributed to a heightened spiritual climate. The opportunity to create worship environments without trying to appease everyone really allowed the respective worship leaders to provide more meaningful experiences. And, the concert hall acoustics in Reardon made a phenomenal difference. Musically, this was one of the best conventions in many years.

For now the North American Convention is one of the best vehicles we have to draw us together, even though its relevance is declining rapidly. This year's edition, at minimum, gives us hope that better days are ahead and keeps the flame of our reformation movement alive.

(On a further note, it was interesting to note that this year saw continued increase in Twitter activity during NAC. It was fun to keep up with others during the week, and even to make some personal connections because of it)