At the NEXT Church Northeast Gathering on Monday, there were not many answers - and that's exactly how we intended it. Just under 40 church leaders from around the Northeast gathered at Stony Point to imagine and dream together about what possibilities and opportunities God has for our future.
The idea was not to bring in an expert to give us 4 easy steps to taking a step. But, instead, to facilitate a conversation and holy discernment.
Rev. Jeff Krehbiel, pastor at Church of the Pilgrims in Washington D.C., showed pictures of a communion table they built out of a pile of compost in the middle of their sanctuary.
Now these are my kind of people!
A lot of the day was spent in open conversations where we brought up topics of interest and floated between discussions. It was a chance to dream and discuss and talk together.
We talked about getting new people involved in planning worship in creative and participatory ways. Some also imagined ways to talk about why a relationship with God matters to people who don't really see the point of church or God in their lives. There were more conversations and questions than answers. Right up my alley.
Near the end of the day, Rick Ufford-Chase, former moderator of the PC(USA) and co-director of Stony Point Center, shared his ideas on what the next Church might look like. The former church vs. the next church looks something like this:
- Community by coercion vs. community by cohesion.
- Institution vs. movement.
- Dominant culture assumptions vs. multi-faith partnerships.
- Center vs. fringe.
- Profession vs. vocation.
- Faith communities transforming the world vs. the world transforming faith communities.
Most importantly, the next church will be the Church. It won't be a charity or a social club or an organization clamoring for lost status or power in society. It will be the Church.