The FaithX Project

Strategic Missional Consulting

New Year, Same Challenges. Follow the Light!

by Mary C. Frances

We couldn’t have imagined we’d still be here last March. No, we couldn’t have imagined then that we would still be here now but here we are physically distanced, doing drive-through worship, showing up on Zoom, Facebook Live, and YouTube.  And, somehow, some way…by the grace of God, it’s working, it’s all working.  And it needs to keep working for quite some time.

Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time talking with a public health expert.  Someone who lives in the world of exposures and workplace safety.  Someone who has no skin in the game except to keep people safe.  He said hunker down.  The worst is yet to come.  We have another 9-12 months ahead of us before we can feel safe gathering in groups indoors.  A year?!  Another year?  We definitely didn’t see that coming last March!  

But maybe that news could be freeing.  Rather than looking ahead for each corner we need to turn in order to go back to the way things were before, what if we let go of that and just focus on what’s ahead, focus on the new year?  What if we dove into the next year with creativity, energy, grace, and adaptability without worrying about being in our buildings?  Could this be our best year of ministry yet?

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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