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Aug 04 2017

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

 

 

Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: FaithX Blog, FaithX News, FaithX Services, Future of Faith, Ministry Development and Redevelopment, Posts by Ken Howard, Research · Tagged: ABC Local Radio, Academic publishing, Amazoncom, Answers in Genesis, Ark Encounter, Art therapy, Barack Obama, Christian, Christianity, YouTube

Jun 28 2017

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.

Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: FaithX Blog, FaithX News, FaithX Services, Future of Faith, Ministry Development and Redevelopment, Posts by Ken Howard, Research · Tagged: Abuja, Catholic Church, Christian, Christianity, Donald Trump, Evangelicalism, Fox News Channel, John Roberts, Pew Research Center, Supreme Court of the United States

Aug 31 2016

New Pew Study Shows Continued Fragmentation in the Church

Parting-of-Lot-and-Abraham-cropped

By Darren M. Slade
FaithX Research Coordinator

According to a Pew Research Center survey in 2016, nearly half (49%) of American churchgoers have actively sought a new church home at least once in their lifetime.[1] Roughly three-in-ten Christians (29%) sought a new congregation within the last five years.[2] While the main reason for this pursuit was due to moving (34%), the second and third most common reasons for seeking a new congregation was marriage/divorce (11%) or conflict with clergy or another member of the congregation (11%).[3] Almost one-in-ten (7%) cite other problems with their previous church, including theological disagreements (3%), general dissatisfaction (3%), and difficulties with church leadership (1%).[4] This indicates that internal conflict constitutes a substantial reason for why church members switch congregations and change churches, confirming the long-held suspicion that church fragmentation is due (at least in part) to theological and hermeneutical strife.[5]

What is it about church life that compels American Christians to fight with each other and, ultimately, to abandon their houses of worship? Do we simply conclude that sinful humanity’s fallen nature precludes Christians from maintaining peace and harmony within the body of Christ? Is the problem regional where the individualistic, decentralized, populist, and pluralistic American culture (and even the West in general) creates a propensity for fragmentation? Does this trend reflect a more damaging christological implication, suggesting that Christ has failed in his duties to remain the “head” of an organized, coherent, and productive “body” (cf. Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:18)? This is especially pertinent since conflict has permeated the church since its inception as indicated repeatedly in the New Testament epistles.

In his book, Paradoxy, Ken Howard argues that the focus of every church should not be doctrine or action but relationship with Jesus Christ. The foundation of this new paradigm is the acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord and that he loves humanity. This allows for a greater diversity of opinions and beliefs within the church body, but the presence of God’s love is the unifying factor that maintains a healthy and biblical congregation. A Christian is someone whose primary focus is to engage in a loving relationship with Christ and with others.[6]

Is this a potential solution to the problem of fragmentation or does it reflect a community desperately seeking to avoid conflict at all costs? Is love for Christ enough to stop this trend of church splitting?

Dennis Hollinger explains that problems in ministry are oftentimes the result of overemphasizing one of three areas in the Christian life. He argues that churches need to focus on their maturation process by developing growth, balance, and interaction between the head (doctrine, theology), heart (relationship, worship), and hands (action, charity) of the Christian community.[7]

Is this really the root cause of the problem? Are American Christians just overly immature and in need of good discipleship?

For me personally, I have attempted to be an active member of three separate churches in my life as a Christian, and I left every one of them due to internal conflict with members of the congregation, especially their leadership. While I have grown and learned from these experiences, the wounds of having been discounted, discouraged, and disowned continue to affect my understanding of Christianity today. And I know I am not alone. Even during my years at seminary and discussions with other PhD students, I have repeatedly encountered disenfranchised Christians who no longer feel welcomed inside a church building, though they remain anxious to build God’s kingdom. From my perspective, something drastic has to change in Christianity or the religion itself will surely die. [Read more…]

Written by Darren M. Slade, PhD · Categorized: FaithX Blog, FaithX News, Posts by Darren Slade, Research · Tagged: Americans, Biblical studies, Catholic Church, Chinese Americans, Christian, Christianity, Christianity in the United States, Citizenship of the United States, Opinion poll, Pew Research Center, United States

Sep 14 2015

Eight things the Church could learn from Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey Church Logo

by Ken Howard and Wendy Dackson

Alrighty then! Our recent blog post “10 Ways the Church is Like Downton Abbey” got quite a lot of views. So, like our friends in Public Television, we decided to renew Downton Church for a second “season.” And the theme for season two is “Eight Lessons the Church Could Learn from Downton Abbey.”

Indeed, there much agreement in the comments we received that Downton Abbey – both the story and the production – was an excellent metaphor for the organized Church. Both are centuries-old institutions, both have a tendency toward aristocratic organization and behavior, both are steeped in tradition and stymied by traditionalism, both have a higher opinion of their own inherent holiness than their histories reveal. In other words, as institutions, both Downton Abbey and the Church are prone to similar mistakes.

Yet as the historical premise of Downton Abbey and the current cultural context of the Church (“in a world where everything is changing, an institution struggles for relevance…”) reveal, both institutions are capable – albeit reluctantly and imperfectly – of learning and change. So taking the metaphor a step further, what are some lessons that the Church can learn (or perhaps remember) from looking in the mirror of Downton Abbey.

Lesson #1 – Noblesse oblige (with nobility, obligation). One thing that the various members of the Crawley family learn again and again, each in different ways, is that with positions of social power and influence comes social obligations: an understanding of their responsibility for those whose lives and livelihoods depend upon them. Lord Robert always seems keenly aware of the house’s obligation to provide economic sustenance and social stability (maybe too much of the latter) to both those directly employed by the house, and those on the wider estate and in the village. Lady Cora seems more attentive – though in a somewhat naïve fashion – to the emotional lives of those who depend on them. Lady Mary, on the other hand, makes a transition from self-centered debutante to more of a socialite with a conscience, who understands that part of their responsibility to those around them is to remain relevant to their needs in a time when those needs are changing in big ways.

What might the Church learn? Despite the claim that churches are somehow under siege from the prevailing culture (at least in North America and western Europe), they still hold a privileged position. Whether as employers of lay professionals (educators, administrators, musicians, and a variety of others), or as shapers of public opinion and policy (as evidenced in the new-but-contested RIFRA laws in Indiana), they influence people well beyond who shows up in any given congregation on Sundays. That influence shapes public perception of the Church –for good or ill. Churches might be better attuned to how their actions affect those with whom they have little if any contact.

Lesson #2 – Willingness to change. Speaking of change, another thing the members of the Crawley household all seem to learn – albeit reluctantly – is that change (sometimes profound change) is often a necessity. And they display willingness (if under duress) to listen to and act on (if sometimes fumblingly) voices other than their own about better ways forward. Indeed, one by one each of the family members seem to learn the painful lesson that the world doesn’t revolve around their comfortable traditions, and that awareness of the changing needs of the world around them often requires them to adapt – not just by adding electricity, telephones, radios, and other new-fangled technology, or sporting new fashions at social occasions, but by making deeper changes and finding new reasons for being.

What might the Church learn? That “modernizing” is more than trying to be “trendy” or “relevant” to a particular generation – right now, the millennials. Concentrating on new music that sounds more like what young people hear on the radio, or being more “cool” in the language used in preaching, or using “contemporary” forms of worship isn’t enough – worse than not enough, in some cases it may actually be harmful: like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, when we really need to be getting people into lifeboats. This is not a new problem. Every generation in From the very beginning, every generation in Church has faced the challenge of translating the Gospel for a new generation. The problem arises when, instead of offering the new generation a true translation in words they understand, we instead sugarcoat it with passing cultural affections in order to make it easier to swallow. True modernizing means discovering what are the public perceptions and beliefs about the faith are and addressing them honestly and directly, without compromising the core of Christian faith or cheapening the tough demands that being a follower of Jesus entails. It isn’t easy or quick, the way changing up the music or adding projection screens might be.

Lesson #3 – A Sense of Family. At Downton, the servants are more than simply support staff to the family and the house. By and large, there is a palpable sense of family between the upstairs Crawleys and the downstairs servants: a feeling of connection and interrelatedness. And while the relationship is not always pleasant – or healthy, for that matter – it is deep and strong… How else could a character like Thomas survive for all these seasons? And how else could the Dowager and Isobell become such a mutually (and lovingly) irritating odd couple.

What might the Church learn? William Temple is frequently misquoted as saying that “the church is the only institution that exists primarily for those outside it” (click here to read what he actually said), how Christians behave toward other Christians is important. When the Church treats its loyal members badly – especially when longtime, committed lay people are treated badly – it does more than encourage those individuals to leave. It undermines the public perception of the Church as a benevolent institution. Because when church is important to people, they share all the reasons why. But when church loses its luster, people share those reasons, too.

Lesson #4 –Willingness to “bend the rules” in order to “do the right thing.” There is a ongoing tension at Downton Abbey between the need to respect the rules (or follow tradition, which is harder) societally and the need to do what is right in individual cases. And example of this was the case of Mrs. Patmore’s dead nephew, Archie, and his exclusion from the war memorial, which Lord Grantham resolved by erecting a special memorial to honor Archie’s sacrifice. This goes to the heart of the tension in the church between tradition (honoring things that have been tested by time) and traditionalism (worshipping tradition for its own sake), which the Church has had to learn century after century.

What might the Church learn? First, we might learn that some rules just shouldn’t exist in at all. Second, we might learn that service doesn’t have to be perfect to be sincere and devoted, and that the people who render service also don’t have to be perfect, either. Finally, we might learn that we will garner more loyalty by finding ways to show appreciation than we will by finding ways to withhold it.

Lesson #5 – Willingness to find humane ways to outplace members of the downstairs household when continued relationship becomes untenable. Time and again, the Crawley family finds ways to part ways with servants who have become too difficult or embarrassing to endure. On the plus side, they realize that in an “incestuous” institution like the aristocracy one has to take great care in the way that people are let go, since termination without reference is tantamount to a sentence of lifelong poverty or worse (in the case of pregnant Ivy), and even laying off a person due to the elimination of a specialized position (in the case of Mosley) may render an otherwise loyal and competent former employee without honorable work. They have learned from painful experience not to throw anybody “under the bus.”

What might the Church learn? Don’t throw people under the bus. See Lessons #1 and #3. ‘Nuff said.

Lesson #6 – Willingness to find ways to support and applaud the personal and professional goals and ambitions members of the downstairs household. An ongoing trope throughout the seasons of Downton is the ambitions of the downstairs household. We have seen housemaids become secretaries, footmen become chefs, kitchen maids become assistant cooks and aspiring farm owners, butlers and housekeepers become real estate entrepreneurs, and chauffeurs become family members and estate stewards. Lady Sybil helped Gwen get a job as a secretary; the entire household has been supportive of Daisy’s attempt to further her education (even if the family didn’t much care for Miss Bunting, her teacher). Alfred’s acceptance to culinary school was a triumph and a point of pride for upstairs and downstairs, and he went to London with everyone’s best wishes. Tragically, William Mason’s aspirations to serve his country did not turn out well, but the household honored his service.

What might the Church learn? Keeping people “in their place” might be beneficial to the institution – but only in the short term. Downton Abbey benefited from Tom Branson’s transition from chauffeur to estate steward (and beloved family member). Arguably, difficult as it was for the family to adjust, without Branson’s acumen and skill, the family might have fallen into financial ruin. The Church might find it difficult to believe that lay people could have skills the Church either doesn’t recognize or didn’t confer, or that some might have more theological learning than the majority of priests and bishops. Nonetheless, without the laity, the Church will fall into ruin. A little permeability between the ranks might be a good thing for all concerned.

Lesson #7 – Keeping secrets is a tricky business. Of course, there are secrets and “secrets.” Any relationship – whether family, friends, or business – has a certain degree of confidentiality that must be respected. Trust depends on that. Most of the Downton characters, but especially servants especially, have a degree of knowledge about other characters which could be devastating if it were more widely known. Anna (nee Smith, now Bates) kept housemaid Gwen’s aspirations to a secretarial career to herself once she knew them – and skillfully made the distinction between “private” and “secret” when questioned by Mr. Carson. Anna also has kept the much more sinister secret of the Turkish Ambassador’s (Mr. Pamuk) death in the supposedly-virgin Lady Mary’s bed, and not used it as a bargaining chit for her own advantage. Former-footman, now under-butler Thomas has threatened to do so, however, although his previously-secret (and then illegal) homosexuality would have come to light to his disadvantage. (That was handled interesting by Lord Robert when questioned about Thomas’s behavior.) Thomas kept the secret of how Lady Cora lost her unborn child…until it was advantageous to share it with his erstwhile enemy Mr. Bates.

What might the Church learn? In any community setting, people are going to know things about each other. Not everybody will know everything about everyone else, and that is fine. But we need to learn discretion and kindness in how we deal with confidences. That goes not only for laity, but clergy as well – there may be a bit of a stereotype of “church gossips” like that of Dana Carvey’s SNL “Church Lady” character, but ordained people equally can be the soul of indiscretion.

Don’t remember the Church Lady? Click here to refresh your memory.

Lesson #8 – Awareness of the world outside our walls. Downton Abbey (whether we are talking about the characters, story line, or production) seems to understand that there is a world beyond their walls, that to some is equally if not more compelling and attractive – and may be compelling and attractive to those within the walls (Alfred the footman who wanted to be a chef, assistant cook Daisy wanting to learn to run a farm, Lady Sybil training for nursing and marrying Tom Branson). And there is an acceptance (sometimes grudging, but pragmatic) and even encouragement (when there is manifestly no choice) to go explore that world.

What might the Church learn? The Church needs to understand that very few people – and probably a vanishingly small number of people under age 60 – believe any more that there is “no salvation outside the Church.” The Church may be a formative community, and a locus of spiritual and moral learning, but not the site of many peoples’ highest aspirations, as it might have been hundreds of years ago. The Church may need to think of itself as a starting place for peoples’ spiritual and moral journeys, but not necessarily the entire road they will travel.

That’s all we have to say for now, though we are certain we have not wrung the Downton Abbey metaphor completely dry. Will there be “Season 3” of Downton Church? That all depends on how much feedback we get from you…

In the meantime, if you’d like a more musical and satirical take on Downton Abbey, click here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO7t7fRk4IU]
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Written by Ken Howard · Categorized: FaithX Blog, FaithX News, FaithX Services, Ministry Development and Redevelopment, Posts by Guest FaithX Friends, Posts by Ken Howard, Research · Tagged: Anambra State, Associated Press, Christian, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, List of Downton Abbey characters, Michael Edelstein, NBCUniversal, Sophie McShera, United Kingdom

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