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Inventing the Future of Faith-Based Communities and Organizations

Correlation is Not Causation: Why Theology is Not What Makes Churches Grow

Part 3 of the series “The Dis-Integration of the Church” – click here for part 1, click here for part 2
Table of Contents

 

In the first post of this series, “Religious Homophily: A Theory of Conservative Church Fragmentation,” I presented sociological and psychological support for the notion that “conservative” Christian churches (principally, those whose congregations adhere to exclusive theological beliefs) fragment and divide because factions within the congregation eventually split over biblical interpretations. The research into conservative fragmentation was in response to Ken Howard’s article, “The Religion Singularity: A Demographic Crisis Destabilizing and Transforming Institutional Christianity,” which demonstrates that church splitting is on a significant rise, even to the point of outpacing the growth of Christianity itself.[1] In the second post of the series, “Status of the Liberal Church: Fragmentation or Dissipation?,” I explained that “liberal” Christianity suffers more from congregational dissipation than fragmentation. In other words, dwindling memberships occur more frequently in liberalism than actual church splits. Those who leave mainline Protestantism either transfer into an unaffiliated status or into evangelical churches.[2] In this article, I will seek to answer whether theological conservatism and strictness play a vital role in denominational switching, as well as what factors cause churches to grow numerically. In the end, the idea that liberal theologies cause a deterioration in mainline Protestantism, while conservative theologies produce growth, is an oversimplification of the relevant factors that account for congregational development. Though theological conservatism tends to correlate with numerical expansion, it does not do so consistently and in all cases. Nonetheless, correlation does not equate to causation. Conservatism and strictness are merely two among a myriad of other influences that are present among growing churches, including (most notably) higher birth rates, higher youth retention, and a focus on evangelistic efforts.

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The Religion Singularity: An Open Letter To Faith Leaders

Dear Colleagues in Ministry,

Most of you know in your heart of hearts that institutional Christianity his facing serious headwinds: unprecedented levels of change, from within and without, that challenge our ability to adapt, as well as rising uncertainty that threatens to paralyze us with fears for our survival. Well, I’m here to tell you that the danger is real but we have a choice of how to respond.

I recently published research paper  in the International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society, entitled “The Religion Singularity: A Demographic Crisis Destabilizing and Transforming Institutional Christianity.” This paper is the result of five years of research, a year of open-source review and revision, and a year in peer review. As the title implies, the article describes the dangers and opportunities inherent in the demographic crisis I have dubbed The Religion Singularity.

The Crisis in a Nutshell. Denominations and congregations are now fragmenting at an ever-increasing rate, which has surpassed the growth rate of the Christian population worldwide. This, in turn, is sending number of Christians per denomination and per worship center into a freefall that will soon render denominations and churches unsustainable in their current institutional forms. In other words, we are witnessing the death of institutional Christianity as we know it, and we have already passed the point of no return.

We have a choice. We can fight to save our institutional life…and lose it. Or embrace our institutional death in such a way, as to become the mulch for our resurrection as a new Way of being Church.

Want to learn more about the Religion Singularity and how to prepare your congregations for the journey ahead of us?

  • Click here to download the Religion Singularity research paper.
  • Click here to view a 3½ minute YouTube video on the Religion Singularity and what faith communities can do to prepare for it.

How to Get Help. The focus of my current ministry is dedicated to preparing faith communities, their leaders, and the organizations that support them learn to survive and thrive beyond the Singularity. I do this primarily through individual and organizational coaching. I am also available for conference presentations and workshops. If you are interested in exploring any of these strategies, feel free to contact me by email at ken@faithx.net or by phone at 301-704-3290.

With hope for the future,

The Rev. Ken Howard
Executive Director

 

 

A Paradoxy Post-Election Conflict Transformation Journal – Post #1

By Ken Howard

That the recent presidential election turned the existing political and social divide in the United States into a gaping chasm is news to no one. And it should also come as no surprise that this chasm of division has extended to conservative and liberal Christian denominations. Yet what is not as widely known is how badly the election has divided individual congregations. But a growing number of church leaders are realizing that these divisions are deep and dangerous, and are seeking ways to break down the walls of pain, anger, and distrust before it results in schism.

In that regard, several dozens of churches across the country have taken me up on my post-election offer to provide a free 10-pack of my book, Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them, to use as the basis of conflict transformation dialogue. One of those congregations is St. Philip the Apostle Church in Scotts Valley, California, a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, where a team composed of two priests, Mary Blessing and Lucretia Mann, and a lay leader, Tina Grubbe (pronounced “Groob”), are facilitating a Paradoxy Conflict Transformation group. Members of the team have agreed to keep journals on the sessions, the content of which I will summarize (anonymously) in this and future blog entries.

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Groundbreaking Research Article Published – “The Religion Singularity”

Click on image to download PDF copy

By Ken Howard

I am pleased and excited to announce the publication of my peer-reviewed article, “The Religion Singularity,” in the International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society. The full title of the article is “The Religion Singularity: A Demographic Crisis Destabilizing and Transforming Institutional Christianity.” In this article, I trace the emergence and impact of a worldwide church demographic crisis that has recently entered a critical stage, but has been developing without attention for more than a century. Click here to download a pdf copy of the article or click here to purchase a bound copy.

The crux of the crisis I describe in the article is this. For nineteen centuries, Christianity experienced strong and steady growth in the total numbers of Christians, worship centers, and denominations worldwide. Since then growth in the number of Christians has continued largely unchanged. But growth in the number of denominations and worship centers, mostly due to fragmentation and schism, turned sharply upward in recent decades, substantially exceeding the growth rate of the total Christian population.

This in turn will send attendance and membership numbers in every denomination into a freefall that will soon make denominations and churches unsustainable in their current institutional forms. Denominations are unlikely to survive in any form. Churches on the other hand, given their smaller size and more organic structure, worship centers may be more likely to survive the religion singularity than their larger counterparts, but only if they are willing to become vision-guided and experimental. Stated plainly, we are witnessing the death of institutional Christianity as we know it, and we have already passed the point of no return.

In the paper, I suggest that this presents us with a window of opportunity. We can choose to view the impending death of our longstanding institutional paradigms as an evil and try to fight it (…and fail). Or we can choose to view it as the work of the Holy Spirit, bringing about the death of the old Way, and join with the Spirit in welcoming the birth of the new Way. Our window of opportunity will not remain open long – perhaps ten years at most. Which means we need to get start getting ready now, preparing ourselves not only for the emerging paradigm but for the journey to get there.  The journey will not be easy. In the article, I compare it to taking a dangerous trip through a wormhole, and ending up in an entirely different place and time.

Future blog posts will explore the religion singularity in greater detail, as well as ways to both survive and thrive through the journey and beyond.

We hope you will join us in that conversation.

Happening Now: A Paradoxy Conflict Transformation Journal

 

As you may have heard, a number of congregations around the country are employing Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them as the basis for conflict transformation dialogue groups in the wake of the last election.

One of those congregations, an Episcopal Church in the Diocese of El Camino Real, has agreed to report meeting-by-meeting about their experience with the reading and the dialogue.

Watch this space!

Meanwhile, if your congregation would like to take advantage of the current 10-Pack Paradoxy Conflict Transformation giveaway, click here.

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