Transitional Churches

[Ernie]

I would like to advance the thought experiment that all churches are transitional or temporary. In the first chapters of the Revelation, Jesus declares some of the churches Paul planted 30 years earlier to be near death. Even though there was activity and structure, Jesus still says they were dead in the areas that count.

If I were currently planting a church, I would entertain the idea of writing in an expiration date from the beginning. After a period of time, say 15, 20 or 30 years, the structure dissolves and the members are left the task of reorganization.

Now that is a novel idea.

In the book, Historical Drift, Must My Church Die?, the author Arnold Cook shows the life span of a church as an arch. He points out that as a church is about to reach the height of the arch, it should serve as a launching point for starting the next arch. Otherwise it will peak and then begin its descent and look back at the top of the arch as the golden days.

[joshuabgood]

I would like to advance the thought experiment that all churches are transitional or temporary. In the first chapters of the Revelation, Jesus declares some of the churches Paul planted 30 years earlier to be near death. Even though there was activity and structure, Jesus still says they were dead in the areas that count.

If I were currently planting a church, I would entertain the idea of writing in an expiration date from the beginning. After a period of time, say 15, 20 or 30 years, the structure dissolves and the members are left the task of reorganization.

Now that is a novel idea.

In the book, Historical Drift, Must My Church Die?, the author Arnold Cook shows the life span of a church as an arch. He points out that as a church is about to reach the height of the arch, it should serve as a launching point for starting the next arch. Otherwise it will peak and then begin its descent and look back at the top of the arch as the golden days.

How does one know though when the "top of the arch" is reached versus the best days being yet to come? For instance, as a movement, where in the arch is BMA? Or the CA movement at large?

[HondurasKeiser]

I would like to advance the thought experiment that all churches are transitional or temporary. In the first chapters of the Revelation, Jesus declares some of the churches Paul planted 30 years earlier to be near death. Even though there was activity and structure, Jesus still says they were dead in the areas that count.

If I were currently planting a church, I would entertain the idea of writing in an expiration date from the beginning. After a period of time, say 15, 20 or 30 years, the structure dissolves and the members are left the task of reorganization.

Now that is a novel idea.

In the book, Historical Drift, Must My Church Die?, the author Arnold Cook shows the life span of a church as an arch. He points out that as a church is about to reach the height of the arch, it should serve as a launching point for starting the next arch. Otherwise it will peak and then begin its descent and look back at the top of the arch as the golden days.

How does a church begin the next arch? That dynamic, failing to launch the next arch, happened in my home congregation.

[barnhart]

I would like to advance the thought experiment that all churches are transitional or temporary. In the first chapters of the Revelation, Jesus declares some of the churches Paul planted 30 years earlier to be near death. Even though there was activity and structure, Jesus still says they were dead in the areas that count.

If I were currently planting a church, I would entertain the idea of writing in an expiration date from the beginning. After a period of time, say 15, 20 or 30 years, the structure dissolves and the members are left the task of reorganization.

Now that is a novel idea.

In the book, Historical Drift, Must My Church Die?, the author Arnold Cook shows the life span of a church as an arch. He points out that as a church is about to reach the height of the arch, it should serve as a launching point for starting the next arch. Otherwise it will peak and then begin its descent and look back at the top of the arch as the golden days.

How does a church begin the next arch? That dynamic, failing to launch the next arch, happened in my home congregation.

I would idealize every gathering (church) ought to be planning or executing planting another (church) gathering. Always either one or the other. Just as every believer ought to be either building up an existing gathering or working to create another.

Also I wouldn't despair if the critical moment had passed, we don't know when the wind of holy spirit refreshing will blow, the cycle can start again at any time.

[Ernie]

And what if a church sets out to bring the unchurched into the church, but ends up becoming a church of transplants from other churches. It may appear successful since it grows very rapidly, has lots of helpful spiritual programs, and a good team of pastors and mentors, but what if never accomplishes its initial goal. Is it still a success?

[RZehr]

And what if a church sets out to bring the unchurched into the church, but ends up becoming a church of transplants from other churches. It may appear successful since it grows very rapidly, has lots of helpful spiritual programs, and a good team of pastors and mentors, but what if never accomplishes its initial goal. Is it still a success?

It isn’t a success in its original goals, no. So the question then, is, “Is the church accomplishments glorifying God and/or growing the Kingdom of God?” If that is yes, then it may be still considered a success of a different kind.

[nett]

I guess my question is what does the church do to engage the young people that avoids a generation gap?

The reality of a generational gap is a product of modernity, so the less you embrace modernity, the less you have to worry about generational gaps.

The most recent extreme end of this would be the medieval era, when the only aspiration children would have held was to achieve their parents level of success. This created a lot of generational stability, it also created ecological, and economic stability.

What necessarily follows from this philosophical observation is that the church is just as vulnerable to the exponential function as any other institution.

To have multiple generations aspiring to be "greater" than their parents creates economic, ecological, and social overshoot. Which is exactly what we currently have, in the broader culture, but also in various cultures of the "transitional" churches.

If we look at the VERY regressive (non-amish) plain groups, like Delano TN, Scottsville Ky, Belize etc, they have no generational gap, and their youth retention rate is close to 100%.

[Josh]

And what if a church sets out to bring the unchurched into the church, but ends up becoming a church of transplants from other churches. It may appear successful since it grows very rapidly, has lots of helpful spiritual programs, and a good team of pastors and mentors, but what if never accomplishes its initial goal. Is it still a success?

In other words, what happens to nearly every CA "intentionalist" church?

[Chris]

Yes, as Jonas Sauder points out, the Old Order movement was a new thing. For the first time in Anabaptist history, Mennonites and Amish didn't just try to live simply and avoid being on the cutting edge, but they decided to ban certain kinds of practical technology. (However this was not the first time that Mennonites and Amish tried to keep the older forms of worship and church polity.)

In light of this, since Eastern and Washington/Franklin and Nationwide Fellowship, etc. are now banning certain types of technology as well, this makes them the "New Old Orders", IMO.

Hmmm.
Yeah....

It makes me wonder.... In a happy but yet scary way... Perhaps they had wisdom in avoiding tech. I mean there is a fine mess of pornography addicts, game addicts, media addicts, and the world entering into the hearts of people from the tech itself.
I get on the fence big time on this subject...

[Pelerin]

I guess my question is what does the church do to engage the young people that avoids a generation gap?

The reality of a generational gap is a product of modernity, so the less you embrace modernity, the less you have to worry about generational gaps.

The most recent extreme end of this would be the medieval era, when the only aspiration children would have held was to achieve their parents level of success. This created a lot of generational stability, it also created ecological, and economic stability.

What necessarily follows from this philosophical observation is that the church is just as vulnerable to the exponential function as any other institution.

To have multiple generations aspiring to be "greater" than their parents creates economic, ecological, and social overshoot. Which is exactly what we currently have, in the broader culture, but also in various cultures of the "transitional" churches.

If we look at the VERY regressive (non-amish) plain groups, like Delano TN, Scottsville Ky, Belize etc, they have no generational gap, and their youth retention rate is close to 100%.

You can reject as much of modernity as you want. How do you keep your kids on board with that vision?