Social Justice in the Bible PDF

 3URSKHWLF/HDGHUVKLSDQG6RFLDO -XVWLFH In his landmark book, The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann has shaped the thinking of an entire generation of biblical scholars, theologians, and congregational leaders. In this important work, he places prophetic ministry within the context of th...

 3URSKHWLF/HDGHUVKLSDQG6RFLDO -XVWLFH In his landmark book, The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann has shaped the thinking of an entire generation of biblical scholars, theologians, and congregational leaders. In this important work, he places prophetic ministry within the context of the biblical narrative of the Hebrew Scriptures, within the ministry and example of Jesus Christ, and within the life of contemporary congregations. His keen insight and solid grasp of the issues facing mainline Churches provides a perspective that is challenging, without being despairing, and hopeful, without being unrealistic. Borrowing heavily from Brueggemann's influential work, in this chapter we explore the roots of social justice in the Old and New Testaments, and in the early Church. As part of this historical review we also examine different types of justice as well as the inherent tension between the exercise of prophetic leadership and the strong forces of stability that seek to protect the status quo. We also touch briefly on the pursuit of social justice in an increasingly multi-faith society, and then lastly, focus on the role of the pastor as prophetic leader. A basic summary of Brueggemann's argument is that with Moses and the Exodus event, something utterly and completely new happened in the course of human history: On the one hand Moses intended the dismantling of the oppressive empire of Pharaoh; on the other hand, he intended the formation of a new community focused on the religion of God's freedom and the politics of justice and compassion. The dismantling begins in the groans and complaints of his people; the energizing begins in the doxology of the new community.1 This theme of breaking down and building up, along with its corresponding theme of lamentation and thanksgiving are constantly recurring throughout the biblical narrative. For instance, the very movement that Moses set out to lead proved too radical for Israel and soon prompted a counter movement. The oppressive history of the Egyptian pharaoh finds new expression in the monarchy of Israel. The monarchy, consumed with self-interest and self-preservation, becomes quite effective in silencing criticism. Yet, the silence does not last. Prophets emerge to challenge royal authority and to reassert the radical tradition inaugurated by Moses.2 This pattern continues through the narrative of the First Testament and finds its fulfillment in Jesus, and then continues on to the present. Jesus inherits this prophetic tradition in its entirety. The themes of breaking down and building up, the themes of lamentation and thanksgiving, the themes of challenging oppressive authority and calling for radical freedom and justice, became part of his ministry as well. Jesus stands in a long line of prophets, yet is more than a prophet. He practiced in most radical form the main elements of prophetic ministry and imagination. On the one hand he practiced criticism of the deadly world around him. The dismantling was wrought in his crucifixion, in which he himself embodied the thing dismantled. On the other hand, he practiced the energizing of the new future given by God. This future was fully manifested in his resurrection, in which he embodied the new future given by God.3 It is within this overarching pattern of dismantling and energizing, the pattern of death and resurrection, that we explore in more detail the scriptural foundation for the pursuit of social justice and the call to prophetic leadership. First we look at the concept of justice found in the Hebrew Scriptures, then as expressed in Jesus and in the early Church. :DOWHU%UXHJJHPDQQ UCC minister, theologian, prolific writer, Walter Brueggemann (b. 1933) is also one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of the last several decades. Brueggemann places prophetic ministry  within the context of the biblical narrative of the Hebrew Scriptures, within the ministry and example of Jesus Christ, and within the life of contemporary congregations. His keen insight and solid grasp of the issues facing mainline Churches provides a perspective that is challenging, without being despairing, and hopeful, without being unrealistic. -XVWLFHLQWKH2OG7HVWDPHQW Justice, as a biblical concept, is first found in the legal codes of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. These legal codes contain both prescriptions (what to do) as well as proscriptions (what not to do) in terms of ethical behavior. These three legal codes are found in: the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 20:22–23:33); the Deuteronomic Code (Deuteronomy 12–26); and the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17–26). The Book of the Covenant is the earliest of these legal codes and was written before the time of the prophets, while the other two existed as part of the oral tradition before the prophets but were not written down until later. While all three address issues of justice in a number of ways, it is the Deuteronomic Code that is the most explicit, particularly with regard to the just treatment of the poor. The main idea expressed over and over again is that providing justice to the poor is key to maintaining a covenant relationship with God. The widow, the orphan, and the sojourner are those most commonly listed among the oppressed and those in need of special care, and are of specific concern. These law codes “set the standard for social justice predicated on the idea that outsiders should not be beyond the reach of compassion and those without advocates have a particular claim on mercy.”4 It is important to note that one of the largest sections of the code is proscriptive, that is, it concerns, at times in great detail, actions that are prohibited when interacting with the poor. Anything that might further deprive, or take advantage of, the poor is strictly forbidden. Anything seen as a perpetuation of injustice is also banned. There are also many codes that prescribe acts of justice and sometimes provide the rationale for why acting justly is important. Essentially, the people of Israel are to act justly to the poor, the oppressed, and the sojourner, because they too were once poor, oppressed, and strangers themselves. Because the Lord showed compassion to them, they are to show that same compassion to others.5 This rationale is first, a call to remember, and second, a call to act on that memory. There are also codes that call for specific gifts to the poor. For instance, a family member who falls into poverty is to be taken in and cared for, and, if needed, provided with a loan, at no interest, until they are restored. Other laws, like those found in Deuteronomy 14:28– 29, call for other specific gifts to the poor, such as agricultural provisions, tithes of the harvest, and every seventh year a jubilee, or sabbatical year. This jubilee year, based on the agricultural practice of leaving a field fallow every seventh year in order for it to renew itself, also provides a model for the renewal of God's people. Every seventh year debts were to be forgiven, prisoners released, and bond servants given their freedom. This action had the effect of narrowing the gap between the rich and poor, contributing to the leveling of the economic playing field, and providing the poor with the opportunity to extricate themselves from poverty. This practice gave a kind of amnesty along with a chance for a better life.6 The intended purpose of the jubilee year was to insert social justice as a fundamental aspect of the governing of ancient Israel. This is so important that the guarantee of social justice was written into the legal code of the new nation.7 The legal code, as a whole, seems to recognize that without direct and specific intervention, the rich would simply get richer at the expense of the poor. This same ancient code also provided a rather holistic approach to the care of all of God's people by prohibiting unjust acts from happening in the first place, by providing a system to fairly redress the grievances of those who have been wronged, and to stimulate giving as a means of restoration. At its roots, the code strives to model God's vision for humanity that includes the fair and equitable distribution of resources and the caution against the human tendency to accumulate wealth and possessions.8 -XVWLFHLQWKH1HZ7HVWDPHQWDQG(DUO\ &KXUFK The topic of the jubilee year, and God's vision for humanity, provides a nice introduction to the ministry of Jesus and his strong bent toward carrying on the work of justice that is central to the Old Testament narrative. Quoting Isaiah 61, Jesus begins his ministry by declaring a jubilee year in his inaugural sermon. In Luke's Gospel narrative (Luke 4:14–20) this first sermon comes after Jesus is baptized and after his temptation in the wilderness. Once Jesus is baptized and has rejected the temptations of the world, he is ready to launch his ministry. He returns to his hometown of Nazareth and preaches in the synagogue to a hometown crowd. In this sermon we get the first glimpse of Jesus, in his own words, embracing his messianic ministry. He is the One who has come to reestablish the covenant relationship with God, a relationship and ministry based on the theme of upholding justice. In this passage we learn not only of the centrality of justice, but also of the inherent risk of social witness. Jesus immediately meets opposition, is rejected by his own people, and is run out of town. By refusing temptation, embracing the vision of Isaiah, and offering himself as the fulfillment of that vision, Jesus accepts the way that will ultimately lead to the cross.9 Christians continue to look to Jesus as the model for social justice and his witness continues to challenge and inspire. Jesus is the peacemaker who loves his enemies and forgives those who would kill him, even as he is being crucified. He argues for social equality and implores those giving a feast to invite the poor and oppressed and those who cannot repay this generosity (Luke 14:13–14). He endorses the establishment and maintenance of community by summarizing all of God's law by imploring the love of God and the love of neighbor (Matthew 22:39). He rails against corporate greed by cleansing the temple (John 2:14) and warns of the allure of wealth by advising against the accumulation of possessions (Matthew 19:23). For over 2000 years, the Church has looked to the model of Jesus for direction and encouragement, and for many, the standard is set by yet another inaugural sermon. This one, from Matthew's Gospel, is part of the Sermon on the Mount, known widely as the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3– 12). These words of Jesus again point to God's preferential care for the poor and oppressed, and God's vision for justice and peace. This vision is embodied in the poverty of Jesus, by his own attention to all who suffer, and by his words and his actions. The example of Jesus, as expressed in the Gospel narratives, highlights the fundamental basis for pursuing justice: the belief that every human being is made in the likeness of God and is of intrinsic value. It also reiterates that social justice is not simply optional and something to strive for, but rather, is the commandment of God.10 The remainder of the New Testament offers a record of how the early Church struggled to follow the way of Jesus, live into the ideals set forth in his life and ministry, and come to grips with the reality of the new world order brought by his resurrection. One example of this struggle can be found in the apostle Paul's letter to Philemon. This brief letter is an appeal by Paul, on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave who has converted to Christianity. Paul appeals to fellow Christian, Philemon, owner of the runaway slave, and pleads for him to accept Onesimus back into his household without reprisal. Paul, who was faithfully served by Onesimus, even agrees to cover any economic loss experienced by Philemon during the absence of Onesimus. Paul's letter to Philemon is not a radical call for the end of the institution of slavery, but it is an appeal for Onesimus to be accepted as a brother in Christ. What is radical in Paul's letter is the idea that their common Christian faith trumped the social conventions of the day. The fact that Onesimus was actually freed by Philemon surely sent a message to the early Church that a new world order had indeed arrived. Yet to be clear, the early Church seemed to accept without question the social order of the day. Their interest appeared to be more in personal reform than social reform.11 A more expanded view of the role of the Church in pursuit of justice would continue to develop. +LVWRULFDO3HUVSHFWLYH It would be Luigi Taparelli D'Azeglio (1793–1862), an Italian Roman Catholic Jesuit scholar, who would be credited with being the first person to use the term “social justice.” His work, drawing heavily on the scholarship and moral teaching of thirteenth-century theologian, Thomas Aquinas, focused on the dehumanizing social problems associated with the rise of the Industrial Revolution. This phrase, social justice, now comes to share a variety of meanings in both the secular and religious domains. The clear inference, however, is that this phrase concerns issues of fairness on a societal level rather than a personal level.12 By way of definition, most scholars agree that there are five types of social justice: 1. Distributive justice. This is an ancient concept of justice having to do with the equitable distribution of both the benefits and the burdens among members of a particular social group. This form of justice is concerned with the adequate availability of necessary resources to meet the needs of community members, while making sure that the burden of acquiring and accessing resources is not excessively or unfairly imposed. 2. Compensatory justice. This particular concept of justice has to do with fair restitution because of someone's wrongful act. In other words, this form of justice deals with compensating a person, or whole group of people, in an attempt to restore wholeness. Such restitution can take many forms. 3. Retributive justice. This type of justice concerns the way in which blame and punishment are assigned to those committing wrongful acts. Contemporary western theorists consider the conditions under which it is just to blame or punish. They take into account one's ability to act on one's own initiative and fully understand the meaning and consequences of one's actions. Two items are of particular importance in this type of justice, the first is consistency (treating similar cases in a similar way) and proportionality (making certain that the punishment is congruent with the wrongdoing). 4. Procedural justice. This term deals almost exclusively with the ongoing debate over the competing models of how to best seek justice within the criminal justice system. The most famous of these debates exists between the “due process” model and the “crime control” model. The crime control or crime suppression model  values efficiency and economy, while due process values strict adherence to established rules. The chief virtue of the due process is the premise that one is innocent until proven guilty. The chief complaint is that it is inefficient and overly formal. The chief fear of the crime control model is that speed is a higher priority than accuracy. Critics of both models claim that they are overly connected to the retributive philosophy and overly focused on punishment. 5. Restorative justice. One important and significant alternative to the above models has been tried in post-apartheid South Africa. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established as part of the Promotion of National Unity and Reconciliation Act of 1995. This commission, a court-like body, was established specifically to bear witness to, record, and in some cases grant amnesty to those who perpetrated human rights violations, as well as providing reparation and rehabilitation. In many cases, perpetrators of violence confessed their crimes directly to victims (or surviving family members). This process encouraged openness and truth-telling as a strategy for reconciliation. The goal of this type of justice is to restore something that a grave injustice has taken away, and in this case, the restoration of the very fabric of society and the restoration of human relationships.13 3URSKHWLF9RLFH'HVPRQG7XWX Archbishop Desmond Tutu (b. 1931) is a South African leader in the Anglican Church, renowned for his perseverance on the behalf of the oppressed and marginalized. Among the many social justice causes that benefited from his influence over a lifetime of ministry and service are his advocacy against the South African apartheid in the 1980s, and his tireless defense of racial and sexual minorities throughout the world. Tutu has won a Nobel Peace Prize and continues to make an impact currently as a public speaker and political advisor. &RQWHPSRUDU\([SUHVVLRQV With these definitions in mind, and aware of the Church's ongoing development in terms of witness, we turn our attention to the present. It is true that wherever injustice is found, and wherever there are people of faith working for justice, many of them are Christian. It is also true that contemporary expressions of social justice within the Church vary widely in both word and action. In terms of words, many Christian bodies adopt official statements, declarations, legislation, and documents dealing with an array of justice issues. In action, these same bodies are involved in community development, protest movements, advocacy, and policy development in solidarity with the poor and those in need. Again, the particular issues and depth of engagement vary greatly given a particular Church's theology, interpretation of scripture, social location, and political biases. Some contemporary issues of concern to the Church include: peace, poverty, sexism, racism, care for the environment, immigration, sex trafficking, AIDS, abortion, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic abuse, education, human sexuality, incarceration, living wages, socioeconomics, and the list goes on.14 And, of course, there is the difficult reality of the tension between prophetic leadership and social action, or inaction, and the tension between what the Church says and what the Church actually does. Sometimes the Church is directly aligned with social justice and sometimes the Church is aligned with maintaining the status quo. Sometimes the “words and actions of social justice are directed at the church itself as well as the broader society.”15 Yet how can the Church live within this inherent tension? 'DULQJWR6SHDNLQ*RG V1DPH In their book by this same name, Mary Alice Mulligan and Rufus Burrow encourage all Christians to claim a prophetic role and speak the Word of God, especially pastoral leaders. In the preface of their book they tell the true story of a white supremacist group actively trying to turn a Pennsylvania county into a home base of operation. The leader, an outspoken advocate for the group, claimed to be an ordained Christian pastor who based his racial and ethnic hatred on the words of Scripture. In a nearby town a laywoman confronted her pastor about what their congregation would be doing in response as a rejection of these ideas as Christian. The response that she received was that there would be no response. Knowing that silence would equal tacit approval, this book was written to help individuals and congregations with the resources and encouragement to boldly speak God's Word, and actively refute that which is not God's Word.16 The authors, both seminary professors, acknowledge that in seminary, students are formed as pastors, priests, and prophets. They also acknowledge that soon after graduation it is typically the pastoral and priestly aspects of their training that predominate. They claim that students get plenty of information about the radical nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in the congregation a kind of amnesia begins to set in and institutional preservation takes over.17 This is not a new phenomenon. To speak God's Word is to be vulnerable and is to face rejection. Reinhold Niebuhr, when reflecting on his early ministry as a pastor, said that he was, at least initially, “too cautious to be a Christian” and he also called the process of pulling back from the prophetic role as the “taming of the preacher.”18 The issue for Niebuhr is that he found that the more he served the congregation, the more he was tempted to remove the prophetic sting from the sharp truth, and the less he wanted to offend.19 He observed that his problem, a problem shared by countless others, is the “difficulty one finds in telling unpleasant truths to people one has learned to love.”20 He would eventually find a way to preach the prophetic Word of God without alienating the people of God. The correlating fear, of course, is that pastors err too much on the side of saving and preserving the Church without paying enough attention to what it means to actually be the Church.21 Walter Rauschenbusch, the great historian of Christian ethics of the last century, expressed similar ideas, only with blunt force. He declared: If a man wants to be a Christian, he must stand over and against things as they are and condemn them in the name of that higher conception of life which Jesus revealed. If a man is satisfied with the way things are, he belongs to the other side.22 Undoubtedly, there are times when the prophetic word comes with great cost and alienation cannot be avoided. There are times when the Word of God inspires acts of justice and calls for social action. One classic, inspiring, and soul wrenching example of this form of social action is the life and witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His story is a reminder that the Greek word for witness is martyr, in that, his prophetic leadership, like that of Jesus, led to his execution. A theologian in the 1940s during the rise of Nazi Germany, Bonhoeffer struggled to integrate his faith with the oppression and mass killing of Jews. With most of the German Christian churches aligned with the Nazi Government, he stood squarely against the institutional Church, the dominant culture, and the national government. Arrested for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler, he died at that hands of the government, but not without writing a theology characterized by prayer and action that would forever change the Church's understanding of social justice and that would soon help bring an end to Nazi rule.23 3URSKHWLF9RLFH0DUWLQ/XWKHU.LQJ-U From an Alabama prison on April 16, 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, encapsulated his feelings and interpretation of Scripture in his “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Was not Amos an extremist for justice: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Was not Martin Luther an extremist: “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.” Source: Letter from a Birmingham Jail, from the African Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Available at: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen /Letter_Birmingham.html (accessed June 4, 2015). It was the Confessing Church Movement, of which Bonhoeffer was a leader, which challenged the Church's alliance with Nazi Germany. It was the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, of which Martin Luther King, Jr was a leader, which challenged the racial segregation of the American Church. It was the Uniting Reformed Church in South Africa that challenged the Dutch Reformed Church in the 1980s by calling its apartheid theology a heresy. A more recent instance of the failure of the institutional Church and its prophetic witness occurred in 1994 in Rwanda. The racially and ethnically segregated Church of Rwanda collapsed and became a leading player in the genocide that killed over 800 000 of its citizens in a period of 3 months. This occurred in the African nation with the highest percentage of Christians (90%) and with every major denomination and community participating in the violence and with many of the massacres occurring in Church buildings. Today, the Church in Rwanda, using a truth and reconciliation process similar to one utilized in South Africa, continues to struggle as it seeks to create a milieu of social justice.24 These examples dramatically reveal how the internal structures of the Church can reflect the injustices and evils found in society. This can happen in ways large and small, even as the Church proclaims itself to be squarely on the side of justice. The Church can make these claims and yet the reality is at times dramatically different. Many congregations claim to welcome people with disabilities, yet their buildings are inaccessible. Women are told that they are full participants, but few hold leadership positions. Christians preach that all people are created in the image of God and loved by God. Yet when discussions of sexual orientation or gay marriage occur, the rhetoric becomes angry and demeaning, and even hateful. The church declares that reconciliation is central to the Gospel, but most congregations are comprised of one racial, cultural, ethnic, or socio-economic group. Because of these inconsistencies and hypocrisies, the church itself is an arena for social justice action.25 In light of all this, and to conclude this section, we now return to Mulligan and Burrow, who claim that the litmus test for all social ministry and the standard for being the Church is found in one short passage from the book of the prophet Micah (6:8):  He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? This text is a simple and yet profoundly comprehensive summary of biblical ideals. In this passage God places on believers an unalterable moral obligation. It is the answer to what God requires of us.26 In the face of injustice, it is not our place to shake our heads in disgust and helplessness, it is not our place to shrink back in fear, but it is our place to speak God's Word boldly in God's name on behalf of God's people. It is our place to be just, merciful, and humble prophets. In the words of New Testament scholar, Luke Timothy Johnson, “Prophets are human beings who speak to other human beings from the perspective of God.”27 This is the ancient calling to which we are the contemporary manifestation. 3URSKHWLF/HDGHUVKLSLQD0XOWLIDLWK6RFLHW\ Being prophetic leaders in the modern age, as with any age, is fraught with challenges, not the least of which is the dubious credibility of the Church. The society around us largely forgets our many successes and contributions, tends to recall with great clarity our many failures, and is at best skeptical of what the Church has to offer in terms of addressing the social issues of the day. Contemporary theologian and leader of the emergent Church movement, Brian McLaren, laments the current reality by borrowing the words of William Blake (the English Romantic poet of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries) who once quipped, “A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that the pub is warmer, and there's more conversation.”28 In addition to the modern, and perhaps not-so-modern, skepticism as to the relevance of the Church, another challenge has to do with our modern context. Germaine to the topic of social justice is McLaren's assertion that twenty-first-century prophetic leadership involves leadership with a multi-faith perspective. He contends that contemporary Christians do two things well in terms of addressing pluralism and interfaith dialogue. The first is that some have a strong Christian identity that responds negatively to those of other faiths. The second is that others have a positive and accepting response to other faiths, yet arrive at this position by weakening their own Christian identity. The latter perspective is one that maximizes commonality, is respectful, strives to achieve coexistence, and would never seek to evangelize or proselytize those of another faith. By doing so, this group makes “matter less that others are of a different religion by making our being Christian matter less.29 McLaren argues for a third way of exercising prophetic leadership in the modern world. The third option is to develop a Christian identity that is both strong and kind; strong in the sense of being vital and compelling, kind in the sense of being more than merely tolerant or satisfied with coexistence. This third option seeks understanding, is genuinely interested, and exhibits love and compassion toward those of other faiths. This comes not from a weakened Christian identity but rather is a strong, intentional and explicit way to be a follower of God in the way of Christ.30 This perspective is of critical importance as we move to the final section of this chapter, which explores the role of the pastor in prophetic leadership and as an advocate of social justice. 7KH3DVWRUDV6FULEH The genius of Walter Brueggemann's ideas regarding the exercise of the prophetic imagination is not only in his fierce and fearless commitment to the work of social justice, but also his conviction that the Church continues to be the place where the powerful Word of God is spoken and heard. Brueggemann has not given up on the mainline institutional Church as a place of transformation and he has not given up on the role of pastoral leaders as agents of that transformation. The heart of the prophetic imagination is the decision to believe that God, who is beyond human thought and understanding, actively reigns, makes all things new, and is always moving toward hope. To be a prophetic leader is to imagine the world as God imagines and intends it and then to work to bring it about. Brueggemann also has his feet squarely grounded in reality, and this grounding comes as a welcome relief for those who live in the tension that defines modern life in a complex Church in a complex world. In contrast to what we have come to expect from modern prophetic leaders, he reminds us that the great prophets of Israel rarely spoke directly to special social issues of their day and rarely advocated for specific causes. Rather, they more often spoke to more fundamental issues regarding the reign of God and its implication for those living under God's rule. He adds that even if we were to try to transpose the wisdom of the ancient prophets onto contemporary concerns it would be an arduous and uncertain task.31 He is also keenly aware that prophetic leadership is practiced within congregations, a place where the leader “must ‘speak the truth’ and at the same time maintain a budget, membership and a program in a context that is often not prepared for such truthfulness.”32 Yet this is precisely the context for prophetic ministry: [I]t is presumed that the practice of ministry is done by those who stand in conventional places of parish life and other forms of ministry derived from that model. We cling to the conviction that prophetic ministry can and must be practiced there, although many things militate against it. The ministry is, first of all, consumed by the daily round of busyness that cannot be ignored. In addition, the ministry most often exists in congregations that are bourgeois, if not downright obdurate, and in which there is no special openness to, or support of, prophetic ministry. Prophetic ministry does not consist of spectacular acts of social crusading or of abrasive measures of indignation. Rather, prophetic ministry consists of offering an alternative perception of reality and in letting people see their own history in light of God's freedom and his will for justice. The issues of God's freedom and his will for justice are not always, and need not be, expressed primarily in the big issues of the day. They can be discerned wherever people try to live together and show concern for their shared future and identity.33 The definition of prophetic ministry on the one hand does concern the issues of the day, and on the other hand concerns probing the depths of the biblical narrative with “inescapable side glances at contemporary issues. The latter focusing more on the text than the issue.”34 Brueggemann suggests that this constitutes a valuable approach and is a more realistic way to proceed given the dynamics of congregational life. He suggests that the prophetic leader, in this particular setting, is more in the role of scribe than of prophet. The scribe being the one who carefully and thoughtfully handles the ancient texts and interprets them in a way that sheds light and brings to life their power and authority in a contemporary setting. The scribe is the bearer of the prophetic tradition who brings forth ancient treasure as a resource for the modern world.35 For Brueggemann then, the first task of prophetic leadership is to assist people in letting go of the old world and the old ways that are passing away from us. This task echoes the earlier theme of lament, dismantling, and death. The second task is to assist people in receiving and accepting the new world and new ways that are emerging and to see them as a gift of grace, a gift from God. This second task echoes the recurring theme of thanksgiving, building up, and resurrection.36 Lest we be too hard on ourselves when acknowledging the enormous gulf that exists between the model of prophetic leadership and social justice that we carry in our minds, and the real-life practice in the life of congregations, we conclude this chapter with Brueggemann's reflections on his own ministry. In these reflections he confesses that the real restraints to his ministry have been neither with his own personal understanding, nor with the receptivity of other people, but with his own uncertainty. I discover that I am as bourgeois and obdurate as any to whom I might minister. I, like most of the others, am unsure that the royal road is not the best and the royal community the one which governs the real “goodies.” I, like most others, am unsure that the alternative community inclusive of the poor, hungry, and grieving is really the wave of God's future. We are indeed “like people, like priest” (Hosea 4:9). That very likely is the situation among many of us in ministry, and there is no unanguished way out of it. It does make clear to us that ministry will always be practiced through our own conflicted selves. No prophet has ever borne an unconflicted message, even until Jesus. … It reminds us again that such radical faith is not an achievement, for if it were, we would will it to be  done. Rather, it is a gift, and we are left to wait receptively, to watch, and to pray.37 1RWHV 1. Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001), 115. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid., 116. 4. Harold T. Lewis, Christian Social Witness (Cambridge, Boston, MA: Cowley, 2001), 9–10. 5. Ibid., 11. 6. Ibid., 11–12. 7. Michael D. Palmer and Stanley Burgess, eds, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Religion and Social Justice (Chichester, West Sussex and Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), 63. 8. Lewis, Christian Social Witness, 11–13. 9. Ibid., 26. 10. Palmer and Burgess, Wiley-Blackwell Companion, 46–47. 11. Ibid., 47. 12. Ibid., 4. 13. Ibid., 5–9. 14. Ibid., 61–62. 15. Ibid., 62. 16. Mary Alice Mulligan, and Rufus Burrow, Jr, Daring to Speak in God's Name: Ethical Prophecy in Ministry (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2002), vii. 17. Ibid., 20. 18. Ibid., 22. 19. Ibid. 20. Ibid., 213. 21. Ibid., 24. 22. Ibid., 79. 23. Palmer, Wiley-Blackwell Companion, 64. 24. Ibid., 71. 25. Ibid. 26. Mulligan, Daring to Speak, 65–68. 27. Luke Timothy Johnson, Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church: The Challenge of Luke-Acts to Contemporary Christians (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2011), vi. 28. Brian D. McLaren, Why Did Jesus, Moses the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World (New York: Jericho Books, 2012), 6. 29. Ibid., 10. 30. Ibid., 11. 31. Walter Brueggemann, The Practice of Prophetic Imagination: Preaching an Emancipating Word, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012), 1–2. 32. Ibid., 2. 33. Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, 116–117. 34. Brueggemann, Practice of Prophetic Imagination, 2. 35. Ibid., 2. 36. Ibid., 136–138. 37. Brueggemann, Prophetic Imagination, 118. $QQRWDWHG%LEOLRJUDSK\ Borschel, Audrey, Preaching Prophetically: When the News Disturbs: Interpreting the Media (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2009). This book about prophetic preaching is concerned with current events as portrayed in the media, how preachers weigh these issues against or in conjunction with scripture, and how “activist preaching” does not necessarily carry the stigma associated with politicizing religion. Brueggemann, Walter, The Prophetic Imagination (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001). A landmark book from a landmark author, this revision of the 1978 original anthology of the author's lectures is clearly one of his most important works. Brueggemann contextualizes the prophetic ministry in terms of the life of Jesus, and lays out the facets that comprise an effective prophetic ministry. Brueggemann, Walter, The Practice of Prophetic Imagination: Preaching an Emancipating Word (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012). A companion piece to Prophetic Imagination, this book focuses on the proclamation of social justice. Jacobsen, Dennis, Doing Justice: Congregations and Community Organizing (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001). This textbook is focused on congregation-based community organizing, emphasizing ministry to the disenfranchised, primarily in urban settings, for mainline congregations. Johnson, Luke Timothy, Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church: The Challenge of Luke-Acts to Contemporary Christians (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2011). A preeminent New Testament scholar, Luke Timothy Johnson speaks with his own visionary authority about the mandate from Luke-Acts to be a prophetic Church. This volume addresses the scriptural precedent for social justice and visionary or prophetic calls to service and spreading of good news in the world. Lewis, Harold T., Christian Social Witness (Cambridge, Boston, MA: Cowley, 2001). This work is part of the New Church's Teaching Series of the Episcopal Church created in an attempt to explore the major traditional themes of the Christian life amid the changes and challenges of the modern world. McLaren, Brian D., Why Did Jesus, Moses the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World (New York: Jericho Books, 2012). In this book, the popular and prolific McLaren spends time addressing pluralism and interfaith relations and dialogue. According to McLaren, prophetic leadership includes being a leader in the Church, while at the same time maintaining a multi- faith perspective. Mulligan, Mary Alice and Burrow, Jr, Rufus, Daring to Speak in God's Name: Ethical Prophecy in Ministry (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2002). Imploring today's prophets to speak in God's name and to work diligently for the causes of Christ, this work is an examination of justice in the world through the lens of God's expectations for humanity. In some of the sampled pages, the authors glean some “lessons for ministry” from Rabbi Heschel, who is frequently mentioned in works related to prophetic vision and ministry. Palmer, Michael D. and Burgess, Stanley, eds, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Religion and Social Justice (Chichester, West Sussex and Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012). This expansive and comprehensive volume includes the essays of scholars from all the major world religions in the field of ethics as it relates to social justice. Scholz, Susanne, ed., God Loves Diversity and Justice: Progressive Scholars Speak about Faith, Politics, and the World (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013). This collection of scholarly essays speaks to social justice in Churches in terms of the need for diversity. This work focuses on the sentiments and spirituality surrounding the need for social justice awareness and activity in the Church. Wallis, Jim, The Soul of Politics: A Practical and Prophetic Vision for Change (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1994). A known figure of political activism from the evangelical Christian left, Jim Wallis, in this book, finds fault with both the conservatives and liberals in the Church on matters of social justice. His thesis is that social change occurs first from within, not from reliance on structures, governments, or institutions.  (YDQJHOLVPDQG&KXUFK*URZWK Evangelism and church growth, church growth and evangelism, some in the mainline believe the terms to be interchangeable, others contend they should not even appear in the same sentence. While there is general agreement on the importance and the necessity of both, there is little agreement on the exact implementation of either of these terms. This chapter explores the relationship between evangelism and church growth. First, we will look at the data describing the current state of mainline congregations, which fuels much of the debate about evangelism and the need to grow the Church. Second, we will review the two major responses to the data, one focusing on technique (the doing of evangelism) and the other focusing on church identity (the being rather than the doing of evangelism). No overview of this topic is complete, however, without a conversation about the defining characteristics of the emerging postmodern culture, the mega-church phenomenon, and the challenge of evangelism in an increasingly pluralistic, multicultural, and multi- faith society. In the conclusion we will identify the ways of being and doing evangelism that seem to be working and highlight three areas of emphasis that offer the most hope and encouragement for the Church in this new age. If evangelism is defined as a “set of loving, intentional activities governed by the goal of initiating persons into Christian discipleship in response to the reign of God,” then church growth is a byproduct of this effort and not the goal.1 Walter Brueggemann explains further, “Evangelism is related to church growth, related but in no way synonymous. In speaking of evangelism, one must speak of church growth, but only at the end of the dramatic process, and not any sooner.”2 The distinction here is that the underlying motivation for evangelism is not to grow the church, but rather to summon people to the reign of God. Thus the root of the tension in the relationship between evangelism and church growth lies in the blurring of this distinction, and the welfare of the Church is confused with the extension of the reign of God.3 For others the two cannot and must not be separated. Any attempt to expand and enhance the institutional Church is by extension an attempt to expand and enhance the kingdom of God. These actions are seen as one and the same and viewed as necessary and essential. It is within this dialectic framework that our conversation begins. $/RRNDWWKH1XPEHUV There is universal agreement that the mainline Church is in a state of decline if not a state of crisis. The statistics paint a rather bleak picture of the current condition of the Church. One estimation places the figure as high as 80% for the number of congregations in the United States that are either stagnant or in decline.4 In general terms, most congregations are small, while most worshippers are in large congregations. This dichotomy does not alter the fact that the average congregation has 100 people in attendance each week.5 Put another way, 10% of US congregations have half of all of worshippers each week, while 90% of US congregations account for the remaining half.6 These data are based on the assumption that Sunday worship attendance, as opposed to membership, is a more accurate indicator of participation in community life. It also assumes that attendance is a better indicator of the resource base and general health of a congregation. That being said, the data have far-reaching consequences, not the least of which is that it has become increasingly difficult for individual congregations to support a full-time clergy person or a professional staff. In addition, most congregations own their own buildings, struggle with deferred maintenance issues, and have little left in shrinking operating budgets to support basic programs. Add to this an ambivalent attitude toward evangelism and a reticence to reach out beyond the walls of the congregation, and there is certainly ample reason for concern. Yet at the same time, there are ample opportunities for change and reason for hope. 5HFODLPLQJ(YDQJHOLVP Perhaps a place to start is to examine some of the obstacles that stand in the way of moving forward and envisioning a brighter future. One of the main barriers is the prevailing understanding, or misunderstanding, of the work of evangelism. In many corners of the mainline, evangelism is a tainted word laden with negative connotations, and in others it is viewed as an unwelcomed necessity for survival. Part of the task of this chapter is to reclaim evangelism as the spreading of good news that is central to active discipleship and a core expression of corporate faith. In his important book Evangelism After Christendom, Bryan Stone begins his discussion by describing a brochure that advertised a gathering of “Women of Faith” on the campus of Boston University where he teaches. The brochure was an invitation for women of all faiths to come together to freely share their views with the promise that there would be no “evangelization.” He contends that this small example is indicative of our current environment, where evangelism is increasingly viewed as unnecessary, unwarranted, and something to be avoided if not feared. An embarrassment to Christians and an affront to non-Christians, evangelism has come to be seen as a barrier to respectful conversation, an obstacle to careful listening, and a hindrance to open sharing and cooperation. The very antithesis of the sharing of good news, evangelism is now equated with intolerance, superiority, and judgment.7 Given this reality, members of the mainline have reason to be skeptical. The lingering awkward feelings and attitudes about evangelism are deep and difficult to change. They usually stem from three negative associations. The first and most prevalent is the association of evangelism with proselytizing, the act of attempting to convert people to a different religion, which is now widely viewed as an intentionally manipulative process that runs counter to a compelling life of faith. The second negative association of evangelism is its historical connection to the colonial era and the quest for cultural supremacy, which is now seen as a source of guilt and remorse for which the Church must repent and certainly not something to try to reclaim or revisit. The third negative association of evangelism, closely related to the second, is its connection to the fading dominance of Christendom, the idea of Christianity being the dominant religion and the prevailing cultural force in society. This is simply no longer the case and does not accurately reflect the current reality of religious pluralism.8 For Stone, it is this last item, our close ties to the waning ideals of Christendom, which forms the largest barrier to reclaiming evangelism. Our nostalgia for a bygone era, a golden age of Christendom, makes it difficult to envision a new way of being. Stone contends that most of the recent evangelical movements are merely misguided attempts to “claw our way back to the center of the culture.”9 Rather than a return to the past, he suggests that our greatest hope and greatest witness will come from a Church at the margins of the culture, not from the center. He also believes that our greatest teachers will be those who have themselves been marginalized, colonized, and made minorities by Christendom, and thus have no stake in its survival or restoration.10 His sentiments are echoed by others who argue that many of the current evangelical trends assume that people “out there” are eager to be part of the Church and are simply waiting for the doors to be open. The problem in this scenario is simply inertia. If only the Church would make its appeal more loudly and more clearly, people would then respond and come to Church in droves.11 A critic might say that this kind of magical thinking is akin to accepting the task of being a “fisher of men” and then expecting the fish to simply jump in the boat. In our estimation there are no such silver bullets, trump cards, or easy answers when it comes to reversing the stagnation and decline experienced in our congregations. The work of evangelism is not simply a quick fix for an anxious and alarmed mainline. The circumstances that have led to inertia are as complex as the conditions that will lead to growth. We will say at this point, however, that success for congregations is never a function of just one thing, but growth is always found in a combination of strengths that are unique to every congregation. This combination is not a function of congregational size, nor is it simply a matter of emphasis or focus. It has more to do with a fundamental and comprehensive approach to evangelism and less to do with church growth, and has more to do with spreading the reign of God and less to do with saving the institutional Church as we know it. &RPPRQ7KUHDGV While much of this chapter deals with the stark divergence of thinking in the mainline, when it comes to the topic of evangelism, there are also large areas of unanimity. One of the key and fundamental places of agreement has to do with a common understanding of the nature of conversion. Once viewed mainly as a single, sudden, instantaneous, dramatic event, conversion now is viewed more widely as a process rather than an event, a journey rather than a destination, a moment of decision followed by other moments of decision. With this understanding, conversion becomes a never-ending, life-long activity as opposed to a single momentary event. Even the most dramatic conversion stories of the New Testament can be viewed through this lens. They also bear witness to the reality that conversion is not often a linear path. But just to be clear, this view does not at all dismiss the impact of a significant moment of conversion, but merely suggests that such events are the start of a process that is followed by many repetitions, and not an end in and of themselves.12 This common understanding about conversion points directly to two other areas of mainline agreement. The first is that the process of conversion is highly relational, it involves people connecting to people; and second, and most importantly, the process of conversion is ultimately God's doing. The work of conversion, or more expansively, regeneration (the ability to bring about rebirth, restoration, and renewal), belongs to God alone. Another distinct commonality among mainline congregations, which is also indicative of any human institution, is what is known as the Pareto Principle. This is the 80/20 theory, the idea that in any organization 20% of the people are committed to providing most of the resources and effort to maintain and promote the mission of the organization, with the other 80% providing only marginal support. While this principle is observed and accepted as a consistent pattern of human behavior, it is also true that this principle does not have to be an immutable law in terms of congregational dynamics. Thus it is a commonly held assumption in the mainline that deeper commitment and greater involvement are directly tied to spiritual growth and formation. It is also a common experience that mainline congregations are better at creating the initial commitment of its members and are less adept at creating the dynamics for sustained commitment. This is connected to the reality that what initially draws people to a congregation is not necessarily what will keep them there for the long term. Therefore, at least part of the work of evangelism is actively engaging the other 80% of our congregations. This work involves listening to those on the edges of the community, working to deepen and broaden their spiritual development, and again, building a relational framework for personal connection.13 7KH'RLQJRI(YDQJHOLVP It is important at this juncture to confess that the dialectic framework of this chapter, the tension between the being and the doing of evangelism, is an intentional overstatement. While theoretically these categories are helpful in sorting through the vast amount of literature on this topic, they are less helpful in terms of application. Thinking practically and functionally, no congregation falls entirely into one category or the other, but rather typically leans further in one direction as opposed to the other. For instance, no congregation cares exclusively about numerical growth to the extent that they care little about the formation of disciples, the quality of community life, and the work of mission. Likewise, no congregation is so focused on mission and formation, both individual and corporate, that they care little about welcoming and incorporating new members. Even if they did exist, both extremes would agree that all of these tasks are fundamentally important, deeply interconnected, and differ only as a matter of degree. With this qualification, we return to our two categories, looking first at the recent trends in evangelism that focus on technique, marketing, and yes, even sales in the doing of evangelism. The underlying theme of these trends is the desire to counter the fact that congregations have become anesthetized, lulled into sleep and inaction. They have come to believe that all that it is necessary for a congregation to do is to strive to live a life of faith in the hope that others may see it and want it for themselves.14 The antidote to such ineffective passivity is boldness and action. In the book Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic, Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor who leads one of the largest congregations in America, makes the case for a proactive, relationship- based evangelism. Acknowledging that in our current culture the Church is now forced to compete with a host of other activities and organizations, he believes that it is imperative that we learn to fully participate in a free-market society. In short, “it is all sales,” with every sermon being a sales presentation that conveys spiritual truth, inspires a response, and always includes an invitation to “close the sale.”15 According to Hamilton, the seven keys to growing a congregation are: (i) believing in the product; (ii) believing that people need the product; (iii) understanding the needs of the customer; (iv) offering an excellent product; (v) embodying the product; (vi) effectively marketing the product; and (vii) perseverance.16 The ideal is for the entire congregation to form a sales force that embodies the product, the Christian faith, through incarnational living. Other similar perspectives emphasize the importance of the ministries of individual Church members. The first task is to help them overcome the fear of sharing their faith with friends, and then second, to help them to break out of their comfort zones and to enlarge their network of friends. Acknowledging that fear is often the greatest barrier, various authors offer tips as extreme as learning how to share one's faith with the cashier at the grocery store or becoming tattooed with evangelistic body art. The other major component of this category of evangelism is the development of “needs based” or “customer obsessed” evangelism. That is, engaging and listening carefully to those outside the Church community, discerning their needs, and then designing programs based on addressing and fulfilling those needs. And what are the defining characteristics of those outside the Church, the target audience that Church marketers want to reach? Generally speaking, they are diverse, largely indifferent to authority, starved for time, do not hold Sunday as a sacred day, and have little or no prior connection to or experience of Church.17 So part of the task is learning how to communicate with the wider culture without sacrificing the integrity of the message or losing the message altogether. While Church marketers emphasize that the medium is not the message, they also argue that the medium is, nevertheless, incredibly important. The goal is to reach and engage people. Yet even in this rapidly expanding informational and technological age of new media, direct, relational, “high touch,” person-to-person contact remains the best and most effective means of communicating a message of faith. Before leaving this section, it is worth noting one additional way to think about “doing” evangelism, and that is applying the principles of niche marketing to congregational practice. The basic idea is that the recipe for successful evangelism is the pairing of an unmet need with a niche focus. We highlight this particular idea because of its unique narrow scope. Rather than the usual mass marketing approach, this strategy focuses on the inherent unique strengths of the congregation to develop a “boutique” mentality. Rather than attempting to be all things to all people, this approach emphasizes high quality and high value based on what the congregation does well. This involves studying the “competition,” engaging in self-evaluation, and capitalizing on that which is unique or sets a particular congregation apart.18 This particular approach underscores the effectiveness of a targeted mission to a targeted audience for a targeted purpose. 7KH%HLQJRI(YDQJHOLVP Reaction to the market-driven approach to evangelism is widespread and the criticism often quite sharp. Critics argue that too often the focus is superficial, long on style and technique and short on substance. They argue that the consumer mindset, which lures people to church with the promise that they will benefit from what the church has to offer, negates the idea that we are part of a Christian community in order to ask God to use us to make a difference in the world.19 Critics bristle when they hear the more extreme practitioners of customer-based evangelism make statements like: effective churches are invitational and not confrontational, the Christian Church needs to be friendlier than Disneyland, and the Gospel must be offered but cannot make demands.20 These statements, described by some as “Christian-lite,” are seen as the result of an overemphasis on consumer preferences and market-driven accommodation at the expense of the integrity of the Gospel.21 Most critics would argue that the Church's identity is diluted if not lost when embracing a market-focused mentality of evangelism. They reason that if the worship experience becomes focused entirely on meeting peoples' needs, being entertaining and inspiring, and affirming the individual by presenting a relevant and useful God, then this ceases to be Christian worship.22 To go one step further, they would also reason that when worship becomes a tool for marketing and a means for serving the individual, “the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes just another commodity, just another sign of a self-indulgent culture.”23 All of this leads Bryan Stone to speak of the failure of evangelism. He contends that the visible signs of the failure of evangelism in our time are “implied as much by the vigorous ‘success’ of some churches in North America as by the steady decline of others.”24 For him this failure is a theological failure, the result of seeing evangelism as a “bag of tricks” rather than the result of deep reflection and the drawing on the wisdom of Scripture and the tradition of the Church.25 For him, evangelism is not about providing a more user-friendly product, but about living the contradiction of being both invitational and at the same time subversive proclaimers of the Gospel. Stated directly and simply, his critique can be summed up in a single sentence: “the most evangelical thing the church can do today is be the church … the Body of Christ.”26 As a counterpoint to the doing of evangelism, the perspective of being the Church asserts that the Church's identity is of ultimate importance. Thus “evangelism is not primarily a matter of translating our beliefs about the world into categories that others will find acceptable. It is a matter of being present in the world in a distinctive way such that the alluring and useless beauty of holiness can be touched, tasted, and tried.”27 Christian evangelism from this perspective is about claiming our true identity. Using the image of Robin Hood, the work of evangelism is the announcement that there is another king, a true king, and one day that kingdom will be fully visible. Evangelism consists of an invitation to become part of that kingdom whose reality can be glimpsed and experienced in the community of a church.28 This kingdom is for all people, yet it is different from the world and is governed by a different set of values. Recognition of the true king means the rejection of others and the adoption of a lifestyle that is congruent with the values of the kingdom and largely runs counter to the values of the culture around us.29 Stated again, perhaps the most radical act of evangelism is not necessarily getting people to come to church but rather getting people to be that church, claiming its true identity, creating centers of transformation, and being fully present in the foreign field of mission that exists right outside its doors. This presence, this way of being, may actually look quite traditional. With everything, including the mission field, rapidly changing, the same old ways of being might in fact constitute a radical and bold new witness. $Q(PHUJLQJ&KXUFKLQDQ(PHUJLQJ&XOWXUH Attempting to describe definitively the current state of the mission field is an elusive task. Our present age has been called post-Christian or postmodern. Notice that these terms describe what the current age is not, rather than what it is. These terms simply mark the end of an old era and point to the emergence of a new one that has yet to be born. Beyond a basic rejection of many of the values of modernity, the defining characteristics of the new age are yet to be fully articulated. This is an in-between time, sometimes lamented as a time of chaos and collapse, sometimes celebrated as a time of construction and creativity. At this point however, postmodernity does not represent an organized world view, a distinct culture, or a defined mode of thought. As of yet, there are no postmodern institutions. As the boundaries, structures, and ideals of this new age are still being shaped and formed, postmodernism continues to be a moving target.30 In spite of this lack of clarity, there are some things that we do know and these things can be quite helpful, particularly as the Church strives to engage the wider culture during this time of transition labeled by some as a New Reformation. This perspective provides a useful reminder that the Church has been through periods of major transition and upheaval before and in every instance has had an uneasy time deciding how closely to relate to the changing culture. The responses have ranged from complete separation to complete absorption, from complete rejection to complete adoption, from complete isolationism to complete incorporation, yet mostly the Church finds itself somewhere between these extremes. It is also useful to remember that this question is never ultimately and finally decided and remains a task for the Church in every generation. The ongoing institutional struggle to find the right and most appropriate way to engage the culture is a recurring theme throughout Church history. In the current iteration of this question, the Church has a dual problem. On one hand, there are those within the culture who have retained some vestiges of the ideals of Christendom. Unfortunately these ideals usually tend to emphasize religion as being an entirely private endeavor focused solely on the individual. With the lack of a communal dimension, the regrettable consequences of this skewed understanding is that faith can become something that one can assent to but not actively embrace, belief can become something one can ascribe to but does not necessarily follow, and belonging can become something one can claim without offering support or participation.31 On the other hand, there are ever increasing numbers of those in the culture who have no Christian memory. Given the distortions noted above, this perhaps is more of an opportunity than a liability. The problem here is that our guiding assumptions about this rapidly growing segment of the population are often misguided and in some instances simply wrong. For instance, it is often assumed that most people in this category possess highly rational, post-Enlightenment, scientific minds, and are actually hostile and openly antagonistic toward the Christian faith. This is simply not true. Generally speaking, postmodern people do not reject the theological positions of the Church because they simply do not know them and are largely unaware of the Christian faith.32 In fact, some rightly make the case that the largest obstacle that keeps people from faith is not a theological or religious barrier but a cultural and sociological one. “People state the barrier in many ways, but we can state its essence in one sentence: They resist becoming Christians because they don't want to be like church people, which they believe is a prerequisite.”33 It is not the strangeness of the Church that is at issue, but rather it seems that the Church is strange in ways that are unimportant and irrelevant.34 In other words, postmoderns are aware enough of Christianity to see a disconnect between what the Church professes and what it actually does. Another false assumption about postmoderns is that they are not only anti-religious but also unspiritual and irreligious. On the contrary, postmoderns may have turned away from institutional religion but that does not mean that they are irreligious.35 In fact many do value and actively seek spiritual resources, but do not seek these resources in or from the Church. Again, this is not necessarily because of antipathy, but because, at least for many postmoderns, there is a failure to see a connection between the two. So, given this lack of clarity and connection, are there discernible characteristics within the emerging culture that can offer guidance to an emerging and changing Church? It appears as if, again generally speaking, postmoderns “value experience over reason, diversity over conformity, community over individualism, acceptance over tolerance and compassion over idealism.”36 The good news is that all of these characteristics are ones that the mainline Church has the tools to address meaningfully. It is also abundantly clear that while postmoderns may not be interested in maintaining a struggling institution, they are supremely interested in making a positive impact on the world.37 And herein lies our hope. All of this points to the expressed need for the emerging Church to be in conversation with the emerging culture. Evangelism in this context is more like teaching English as a second language. It means knowing the language and vocabulary of the Church and at the same time knowing the language and vocabulary of the culture and developing fluency in both.38 Stated similarly, but using a musical image, the emerging Church “must learn to sing the gospel story in a postmodern key.”39 7KH0HJDFKXUFK3KHQRPHQRQ One group that has exhibited great promise in the post-Christian religious landscape are the mega-churches, loosely defined as Protestant and having over 2000 people in attendance at weekend services. These congregations are not simply a typical congregation grown larger but rather have their own unique dynamics and their own organizational structures.40 Even though they represent only one half of 1% of American congregations, if combined they would represent the third largest religious body in the US, with 4.5 million people in worship every weekend and an annual income of over $7 billion dollars. Currently there are roughly 1250 mega-churches in existence, with the largest percentage found in California, Texas, and the southeast United States. They are usually found in suburban areas, where land is plentiful and less expensive, and near population growth centers. They are also generally new congregations, which tend to grow faster, and are more nimble and open to change.41 There is much that the mainline can learn from the mega-church phenomena in terms of evangelism. Three of the main contributions of the mega-churches are their clear identity and focus, the professional quality of their communications and worship, and especially their intentional, highly organized systems of member interactions. With the mega-church nothing is left to chance in terms of greeting, welcoming, forming, and incorporating new members. The universal assumption for mega-churches is that people do not know one another and left alone they will not make the effort to know one another. Therefore great efforts are made to coordinate fellowship, to create small communities within the larger body, and to instill a sense of belonging. The message is also very clear that involvement in the community is defined by active personal commitment.42 In spite of criticism to the contrary, mega-churches are not homogeneous or monolithic, and actually represent a great diversity of theological expression and practice. While most tend toward the more conservative side of the theological spectrum, there are also those that are progressive. The areas of commonality, aside from being large, are their focus on the perspective of those outside the Church and the intentional process of interactions that attract, welcome, and incorporate people and lead them to personal commitment. While there is much to admire and learn from mega-churches, and their impact on the current religious landscape is significant, it is also important to keep this phenomenon in perspective. What has yet to be seen is the stability of mega-churches over time, particularly with regard to the transition of leadership from founding pastors to the next generation of leaders. It is also important to be reminded of their current scope. Even though mega-churches seem pervasive, this is not the case. In reality only 4% of US congregations have attendance of over 1000 worshippers on a weekend and most of those congregations continue to be Roman Catholic.43 *OREDOL]DWLRQDQG,QWHUIDLWK(YDQJHOLVP One of the major effects of globalization is that the world's people, cultures, and religions have been brought closer together. Indeed, the world is getting smaller and ever more deeply interconnected. Our shrinking globe and closer connections have presented exciting opportunities and significant challenges to the mainline. One major opportunity for congregations is the ability to be in close contact with mission partners around the world, many of whom are in parts of the world where Christianity is rapidly expanding if not exploding in terms of numbers and influence. While these relationships can be problematic in terms of divergent geopolitical, cultural, ecclesial, and theological perspectives, they can also be transformative for all involved. Engaging in common mission and shared experience through mutual exchanges, partnership links, and mission trips can provide hope and support to new and often fragile churches abroad, and can at the same time enliven faith and hope at home. An additional challenge that globalization has brought to the home front is the dilemma of how to move from a predominately Christian culture to a multicultural culture, and more specifically, how to appropriately engage those of other faith traditions. There are generally three responses to the question of appropriate engagement. One is the response of exclusivism, the idea that Christianity represents the absolute and only truth and that Jesus is the only way to salvation. The extreme position of this response is the corollary that all other faiths are therefore untrue, misguided, and wrong. A second response is that of inclusivism, the idea that a tradition is true but that other traditions are subsumed within that tradition. The third response is the response of pluralism, which takes the view that all religions are equally effective vehicles of salvation.44 Most of the mainline are either inclusivist or pluralist. At issue is how Christians can affirm the uniqueness and finality of Christ as well as affirm that God's grace and truth are active and operative in other expressions of faith. Also at issue is whether or not evangelism has an appropriate place in this pluralistic context. To answer this question, perhaps the place to begin is to acknowledge that God's grace is universal and prevenient, that is, it is given to all people, everywhere, all the time. With regard to evangelism, it is also helpful to affirm several tenets summarized from scripture. The first is that God loves non-Christians, that God's grace is at work among non-Christians, and that it is possible, by God's grace, to be saved by Christ without actually knowing it or without taking explicit action. Ultimately, salvation and judgment are left to God. Given this summary, the duty of Christians is to not only love non-Christians, but also to love them enough to evangelize to them.45 Perhaps William Temple (1881–1944), former Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury in the mid-twentieth century, expressed these sentiments best when he wrote: So it may be truly said that the conscience of the heathen man is the voice of Christ within him – though muffled by his ignorance. All that is noble in the non-Christian systems of thought, or conduct, or worship is the work of Christ upon them and within them. By the word of God, that is to say, by Jesus Christ, (others) uttered truths as they declared. There is only one divine light; and every man in his measure is enlightened by it.46 So it is right to affirm that other religions are at times vehicles of God's grace, yet “the doctrine of Christ's finality means that in several important respects these religions are deficient, but in God's providence they function toward the purposes God has for everyone. From this perspective comes the claim that when persons of other religions are saved, they are saved by Christ.”47 In other words, Christians love and evangelize those of other faiths because we believe that Christianity offers the grace of God in ways that are more true and more complete than the ways that grace is made available in any other faiths. So while salvation is possible without an explicit commitment to Christ, it is certainly more difficult. Just as it is possible to cross the wilderness on one's own, it is much easier when in possession of a map, or better yet, a guide, or even better still, a community of fellow travelers.48 $WKHQV5HYLVLWHG In the throes of a new Reformation, the mainline Church finds itself journeying through its own kind of a post-Christian wilderness. It is a wilderness marked by breaking down and building up, by obstacles and opportunity, and by pain and promise. There are essentially two mainline narratives for this wilderness journey. One views the past as ideal and longs for a return to former ways of behaving and believing and the reestablishment of a bygone era. The other sees the past as the source of our best ideals and principles, a solid foundation upon which we build a new and brighter future. Both narratives acknowledge problems in the present and both acknowledge that something new is underway.49 Some have suggested quite convincingly that the circumstances we face in this new age are not unlike those faced by our first-century forebears: a time when Christianity was one faith among many, and a small one at that, and a time when the Church existed at the margins of the culture yet was compelled to speak to that culture in meaningful ways. In the 17th chapter of the book of Acts, set in Athens, the apostle Paul finds the city full of idols. Instead of railing against their heretical ways he commends them for their religious faith and then introduces them to the unknown God whom they are already worshipping unknowingly. This is the God of heaven and earth, who made everything that is, and using the words of Greek poets, he reminds the Athenians that they too are offspring of this same God, the one in whom we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). A premodernist, Paul understood how to engage the culture constructively, start a conversation right where people were, utilizing insights from other faiths, and then drawing them closer to the one true and only God.50 Clearly fluent in the language of the culture and the language of faith, confident that God was already present and active among the Athenians, Paul is a model for contemporary evangelism and a perfect wilderness guide. By way of conclusion, we offer three guideposts, three areas of emphasis, for the being and doing of evangelism. They represent practices that have proven effective for congregations of any size, shape, location, or theological persuasion. We are convinced that every congregation already has the resources it needs, we are convinced that all congregations have innate strengths, and we are convinced that all congregations have something of value from their past that they can draw upon to guide them into a more positive future.51 As mentioned previously in this chapter, we believe that congregational growth is usually found in building upon a combination of strengths unique to every congregation. We also believe that the revitalization of the mainline will not happen as part of a mass movement, but rather will happen one congregation at a time. The first guidepost for the journey is meaningful worship. For most congregations worship remains the core task, the primary purpose, and the main event of community life. Much of what people receive when they come to church happens in worship. Compelling, inspirational, transformational, soul nurturing, highly participatory worship is at the very heart of a growing congregation. The second guidepost, not unrelated to the first, is the development of meaningful relationships. A compelling life of faith is all about relationships, a relationship with God and relationships with others. Successful evangelism and church growth finds ways to build and nurture healthy, life-giving relationships, and a way to foster a sense of belonging, a sense of genuine community. Contrary to the mass marketing approach to evangelism, people come to faith through long- term relationships with family, friends, and neighbors. The third guidepost has to do with the development of an intentional process for the welcome, incorporation, and formation of new members. Evangelizing, growing congregations have clearly articulated and broadly understood procedures for the integration of newcomers. Going beyond providing hospitality and welcome, the system must also include some kind of organized formation, spiritual development, or mechanism for making disciples. There are numerous programs and resources on the market that are quite helpful, and congregations should not be shy about adapting them for their personal use. Yet it is important to remember that the most effective programs are home grown and reflective of a particular congregation, in a particular place, with a particular vision and mission. What is also important when considering all of these guideposts is that authenticity and not perfection is the goal. In the end, the work of evangelism and church growth is God's work. While being and doing all that we can, we must also ultimately trust that God's loving purpose for the world will prevail even as a new and largely unknown age is about to be born. 1RWHV 1. Scott J. Jones, The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Witness and Discipleship (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003), 114. 2. Ibid., 109. 3. Ibid. 4. George G. Hunter, Radical Outreach: The Recovery of Apostolic Ministry and Evangelism (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003), 1. 5. Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce, A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations: Who's Going Where and Why? second edition (Louisville, MO: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 29. 6. Ibid., 32. 7. Bryan Stone, Evangelism after Christendom: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2007), preface/introduction. 8. Richard H. Bliese and Craig Van Gelder, The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2005), preface. 9. Stone, Evangelism after Christendom, 11. 10. Ibid., 13. 11. See Graham Tomlin, The Provocative Church (London: SPCK, 2002). 12. Mike Booker and Mark Ireland, Evangelism – Which Way Now: An Evaluation of Alpha, Emmaus, Cell Church and Other Contemporary Strategies for Evangelism (London: Church House Publishing, 2003), 5. 13. Scott Thumma and Warren Bird, The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church's Spectators into Active Participants (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011), 21–26. 14. Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg, Becoming a Contagious Christian (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 47. 15. Adam Hamilton with Cynthia Gadsden, Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic: Seven Simple Keys to Growing Churches (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2005), 1–7. 16. Ibid., 33–35. 17. Yvon Prehn, Ministry Marketing Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Marketing Your Church Message (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004), 57. 18. Robert L. Perry, Find a Niche and Scratch It: Marketing Your Congregation (Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 2003), 18–20. 19. Jones, Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor, 188. 20. Stone, Evangelism after Christendom, 13. 21. Ibid., 14. 22. Mark A. Olson, Moving Beyond Church Growth: An Alternative Vision for Congregations (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2002), 65. 23. Ibid. 24. Stone, Evangelism after Christendom, 14. 25. Ibid., 19. 26. Ibid., 15. 27. Ibid., 120. 28. Tomlin, Provocative Church, 28. 29. Ibid., 50. 30. Harry Lee Poe, Christian Witness in a Postmodern World (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001), 170. 31. Thumma and Bird, The Other 80 Percent, 59. 32. Poe, Christian Witness, 139. 33. Jones, Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor, 130. 34. Ibid. 35. Bliese and Van Gelder, The Evangelizing Church, 109. 36. Kelly A. Freyer, A Story Worth Sharing: Engaging Evangelism (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2004), 179. 37. Ibid., 170. 38. Freyer, Story Worth Sharing, 54. 39. Ibid., 13. 40. Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007), xvii–xxiv. 41. Ibid., 3. 42. Ibid., 3–17. 43. Woolever and Bruce, Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, 117. 44. Jones, Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor, 159. 45. Ibid., 166. 46. Jones, Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor, 168. 47. Ibid. 48. Ibid., 172. 49. Woolever and Bruce, Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, 119–120. 50. Steve Hollinghurst, Mission-Shaped Evangelism: The Gospel in Contemporary Culture (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2010), xii. 51. Woolever and Bruce, Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, 11. $QQRWDWHG%LEOLRJUDSK\ Anderson, Douglas T. and Coyner, Michael J., The Race to Reach Out: Connecting Newcomers to Christ in a New Century (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004). This book from a United Methodist author focuses on the building of an intentional and systematic process of welcoming and incorporating new members into a congregation. The goal is belonging, and the author suggests that the creation of any process begins working to achieve this goal. Baucum, Tory K., Evangelical Hospitality: Catechetical Evangelism in the Early Church and Its Recovery for Today (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2008). Based on what the author calls “catechetical evangelism,” this books provides an outline for effective evangelism in the postmodern world by the recovery of that early Church formula of Christian hospitality, a shared meal, genuine friendship, and sound teaching. Booker, Mike and Ireland, Mark, Evangelism – Which Way Now: An Evaluation of Alpha, Emmaus, Cell Church and Other Contemporary Strategies for Evangelism (London: Church House Publishing, 2003). This book offers a thoughtful study and evaluation of the key evangelism and church growth resources in use today. Based on the assumption that every community must discern the best resources to fit their particular context, this work will be a great help in discerning and implementing an effective strategy. Bliese, Richard H. and Van Gelder, Craig, The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2005). This book of articles written by Lutheran scholars calls for the death of evangelism and the resurrection of an evangelizing Church. The goal is to reflect on the theology of ministry, to renew the commission to make disciples, and to move from evangelical theory to practice. Freyer, Kelly A., A Story Worth Sharing: Engaging Evangelism (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2004). This Lutheran author agrees that some marketing strategies and techniques are quite effective but suggests that this is not the place to begin a conversation about evangelism. Rather the process begins in prayer and in the formation of disciples and evangelical leaders to renew local congregations. Hamilton, Adam with Gadsden, Cynthia, Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic: Seven Simple Keys to Growing Churches (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2005). Written by a United Methodist pastor who leads one of the largest and fastest growing congregations in the country, this slim text focuses on seven fundamental concepts of relationship-based evangelism. Designed to be read in one sitting, this is a simple, practical, and easy to use guide. Hollinghurst, Steve, Mission-Shaped Evangelism: The Gospel in Contemporary Culture (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2010). Written by a mission practitioner and researcher in the field of evangelism for the Church of England, this book explores the nature of evangelism in our multi-faith and multicultural modern world. This book seeks to apply mission thinking to a wide array of contemporary cultural issues with the hope of engaging more effective evangelism. Hunter, George G., Leading and Managing a Growing Church (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2000). This Methodist writer contends that the many of the books written to help pastors lead and manage change are based on the false assumption that pastors already know how to lead and manage. This book takes a more fundamental approach to the basics of management leadership in the modern world. Hunter, George G., Radical Outreach: The Recovery of Apostolic Ministry and Evangelism (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003). The author, a professor of church growth and evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary, presses for the recovery of apostolic mission priorities: to reach out to those with no “Christian memory,” those from many tongues, nations, and cultures, and those deemed unreachable and hopeless. Hybels, Bill and Mittelberg, Mark, Becoming a Contagious Christian (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994). These pastors who serve the Willow Creek congregation, a mega- church known for its successful outreach to the unchurched, offer a personalized approach to relational evangelism that includes the discovery of one's own style of evangelism and the development of a “contagious” Christian character. Jones, Scott J., The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor: A Theology of Witness and Discipleship (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003). This exceptional text seeks to ground the practice of evangelism in an understanding of God's love for the world specifically as seen in the incarnation of God in Christ, and contends that the goal of evangelism is to bring people more fully into the reign of God. It is an examination of the relationship between systematic theology and practical theology and a presentation of the thoughtful and coherent theology of evangelism. Kallenberg, Brad J., Live to Tell: Evangelism in a Postmodern World (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2002). Linking postmodern philosophy to the postmodern evangelism, the author focuses on the task of contextualization; learning to “sing the gospel story in a postmodern key.” McCoy, Linda S., Planting a Garden: Growing the Church Beyond Traditional Models (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2005). This is the story of the development of an emergent Church that grew out of a large established Methodist Church in Indianapolis. This community embraces innovative thinking and unconventional practices as a way to reach the unchurched and is a successful non- traditional yet progressive Church experience. McIntosh, Gary L., Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2009). Based on the idea of congregational life cycles, this book outlines responses and interventions that can be made at each phase of the life cycle to improve health and creativity and to diminish decline. Olson, Mark A., Moving Beyond Church Growth: An Alternative Vision for Congregations (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2002). In a culture where church growth marketing and technique are revered, this author suggests that most of these efforts are counterproductive and argues that hope for the future rests in the Church actually being the Church, with congregational life focused on witness, substance, purpose, and a style anchored in strong leadership, and worship that is passionate and engaged. Perry, Robert L., Find a Niche and Scratch It: Marketing Your Congregation, (Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 2003). The author takes the principles of niche marketing and applies them to congregations. The basic idea is to identify the gifts and skills of the community and plan a marketing strategy based on those strengths rather than mimicking the perceived success of other congregations. Poe, Harry Lee, Christian Witness in a Postmodern World (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001). Believing that proclaiming the Gospel to a postmodern world is actually more of an opportunity than a challenge, the author contends that the Church has returned to a first-century or New Testament context that can speak directly to the underlying spiritual questions of the emerging postmodern world. Prehn, Yvon,Ministry Marketing Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Marketing Your Church Message (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004). Written by a marketing consultant who is married to a pastor, this text offers ideas and resources for churches marketing to a postmodern world that is indifferent to authority, time-starved, unfamiliar with the Christian vocabulary, and seeking spirituality. Stone, Bryan, Evangelism after Christendom: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2007). Addressing the largely negative connotations of the word “evangelism,” the author believes that the most radical and evangelical thing the Church can do in this postmodern world is to actually be the Church. He contends that evangelism is not translating our beliefs into categories that others will find acceptable, but rather is more about public witness, being present in the world in a distinctive and alluring way. Tenney-Brittian, Bill, Hitchhiker's Guide to Evangelism (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2008). A “how-to” training book related to the idea of relational evangelism, with the emphasis being on breaking out of the “Christian cocoon” and enlarging a network of friends to include the unchurched. Thumma, Scott and Travis, Dave, Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America's Largest Churches (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007). While debunking the seven common myths about the mega-church experience, this extensively researched book offers a clear understanding of mega-churches and also offers insights and ideas that are applicable to congregations of any size. Thumma, Scott and Bird, Warren, The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church's Spectators into Active Participants (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011). Based on the well-researched premise that spiritual growth and formation are directly related to greater and deeper involvement, this practical guide explores what motivates the inactive to engage in a life of discipleship within a community of faith. Tomlin, Graham, The Provocative Church (London: SPCK, 2002). More a contemporary theology of evangelism than a “how-to” manual, this helpful text is a blend of theology and practice that focuses on utilizing the gifts of the entire local congregation to create an intriguing, attractive, and provocative community that compels others to come closer and want to know more. Whitesel, Bob, Growth by Accident, Death by Planning: How Not to Kill a Growing Congregation (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2004). This work is based on the premise that all growing churches eventually reach a plateau and then begin to decline. It is then that most congregations turn to strategic planning for decision making rather trusting the more responsive and intuitive decision-making process that led to their initial growth. Woolever, Cynthia and Bruce, Deborah, A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations: Who's Going Where and Why? second edition (Louisville, MO: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010). Based on data from the 2008 US Congregational Life Survey, the largest ever conducted, this volume provides insightful interpretation of the significant changes, current trends, and future possibilities for American congregations. The goal of the book is to provide religious leaders and worshippers with reality-based analysis gleaned from healthy, growing, excellence-oriented organizations. It encourages congregations to move toward data-driven decision making in light of the research facts that are presented. Woolever, Cynthia and Bruce, Deborah, Beyond the Ordinary: 10 Strengths of U.S. Congregations (Louisville, MO: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004). Utilizing results from the first US Congregational Life Survey (encompassing over 2000 congregations and 300 000 congregants) this books looks at the behaviors of worshippers across the spectrum of denominations and faith groups, and explores the common characteristics of strong congregations.  /HDGLQJWKURXJK&KDQJH DQG&RQIOLFW Churches change. Churches fight. There is a certain inevitability to both of these statements. Like any living organism, like any human institution, congregations are constantly pulled between the forces of stability and the forces of change. Whether consciously or unconsciously, the tension between these opposing forces creates conflict at the very heart of the Christian community. Sometimes this conflict is neutralized in a state of equilibrium. Sometimes it is manifest in positive ways and unleashes creativity, growth, and health. Sometimes it negatively erupts into anger, discord, and strife. And as many know from first-hand experience, the latter manifestation of church conflict can be particularly devastating and destructive. Rather than seeking to actively avoid change and conflict in congregational life, this chapter seeks to embrace its reality and is primarily focused on the role of pastoral leaders in the task of discernment. In brief, the task involves diagnosing the intensity of the conflict or the consequences of the proposed change and prescribing the appropriate level of intervention and leadership. The basic approach is that change and conflict are not problems to be solved but rather are realities to accept and utilize. The overall goal is to help pastoral leaders become more successful agents of change and more effective managers of conflict. The most common mistakes made by pastoral leaders in the face of change or conflict have to do with properly discerning congregational dynamics and, likewise, discerning an appropriate response. One response to recognizing that a change is approaching or a conflict is brewing is to simply ignore it and hope it goes away. This might be precisely the right and appropriate response in some instances, if pursued in a thoughtful, strategic, and intentional manner, yet the mistake is when pastoral leaders choose blissful ignorance as an automatic default response to any disruption in the status quo. Sometimes issues do not go away and only simmer and intensify and a relatively small problem becomes a larger one, which has grown out of proportion to the initial disturbance. A second common mistake is to overreact. Pastoral leaders may rightly perceive an imbalance in the congregational system and overcorrect. What otherwise might have been easily addressed and quickly resolved now becomes highly charged. The center of conflict is no longer the presenting issue but rather the heavy-handed or overreaching response of the leadership. A third common mistake on the part of pastoral leaders is to oversimplify and underreact. In the face of significant disruption and intense conflict a corresponding response is necessary. Oversimplification can cause leaders to offer a response that is often too little and too late. If a tourniquet is required, a Band-Aid is of little use. Even when confronted with the absolute necessity of bold action, pastoral leaders are often timid and reticent to assert the power and authority given them by God, their denomination, and the community they have been called to serve and lead. There is good reason for caution on this front, but caution need not necessarily lead to inaction or inadequate action on the part of congregational leaders. In all three of these scenarios, discernment is key. &RQIOLFWLQ6FULSWXUH Before we venture too far into this topic it is important to place change and conflict within the context of the larger Christian story. The Book of Acts and the Pauline letters are instructive, inspiring, and encouraging. Acts records the birth of the Church and the history of its early formation. It is a story of the transformation of disciples, from those who followed Jesus, to apostles, those sent forth to cont