Everything Must Go: The Theology of Church Closings
The Star Tribune recently reported on the startling wave of church closings across the state of Minnesota, and more broadly, across the United States. Declines in church attendance and membership have triggered organizational mergers, pastoral consolidations, and building closures in all Christian denominations, though mainline Protestant denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have taken the hardest hit. Since 2000, the ELCA, America's largest Lutheran denomination, has lost over 200,000 members nationwide, permanently shuttering some 150 church buildings. The trend is not an anomaly. Nearly all Christian denominations have buried more faithful than they have baptized in the last 18 years as America continues to secularize and drift away from religious institutions.
The Star Tribune story brings to life stories difficult decisions and feelings of regret surrounding church closings - and a church closing is certainly an appropriate occasion for lament. As congregations have closed their doors, members have said farewell to institutions that marked and celebrated centuries of significant life passages and transitions - the very institutions where they rejoiced at baptisms, celebrated at weddings, mourned at funerals, and rejoiced in the hope of God's promises.
So perhaps in these times of uncertainty and change, it is not the theology of Luther or Barth that will console those who lament - but the philosophical musings of the band Semisonic. After all, "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
It is often difficult to see the beginnings that emerge from painful endings, but as the church puts up for sale signs, says its closing prayers, and holds its penultimate potlucks, new beginnings will indeed emerge.
The folding of the church is not the end of religion in America - nor is it the end of the work of God within our midst. Remember, if the Christian theologian believes that God is always actively creating all things new, then that work of creation must continue - even when beautiful houses of worship are put up on Craiglist. But where exactly is God's work of new creation? Where is our new beginning? Where is the hope for those who would prefer to see the church stick around for a bit longer?
Perhaps to answer that question, one must understand what is really coming to an end. An institution is closing some of its doors, in response to cultural trends that are incredibly complex and well beyond its control. What is ending is the church as a fixed way of life, the church as a cultural mainstay, and the church as the guarantor of the "American way." And with 23% of Millennials confessing no religious belief or affiliation, it would be naive to suggest that the church is likely to rebound back to being culturally normative anytime soon.
What is really coming to an end is a church that we can take for granted. In this new era, fewer and fewer will be "taken" to church as part of a weekly routine, which means fewer and fewer will habitually "go" to church.
Because fewer will habitually go to church as some sort of occassional obligation, more and more will have to actively choose to go to church - not because they are expected to, but because they are intrigued by the opportunity to contribute to a church's mission.
These people will gradually choose to go to church not because they are driven there every Sunday throughout their youth, but because they want to get involved in the counter-cultural work of building up the Kingdom of God in their communities - to join God through the church in the rebellious and overtly badass work of building bridges where political authorities want to build build up walls, of loosing those in captivity where the powers that be see only the need for more chainlink fences. When the church of Christendom, or the Church of Perpetual Cultural Mainstay shutters its windows, the missional church of justice, engagement, and even resistance opens for business.
Remember, the early church followed an anti-establishment, homeless political zealot who was as far away from the centers of cutlural power and influence as one could get!
The opportunity in these difficult times of church closing comes from the movement away from passive attendance at church as a cultural expectation towards active engagement as part of a dynamic movement. When Christian move towards active engagement in this Spirit-driven movement, they consciously commit to working towards that movement's mission - whether that mission takes the form of forgiveness, of social justice, or reconciliation, or the myriad other forms that a mission can take. Ultimately, as Christians move towards participation in this movement, they enlist themselves in the service of God's calling to create, redeem, and liberate.
In Matthew 14, the disciple Peter leaves the security of his boat in order to take the courageous and faithful step towards the call of Jesus. As a church, our boat is slowly and inevitably sinking amidst a storm that we cannot calm on our own. Give time to those who grieve the loss of their church. But once the grieving ends, it will be time to venture out towards new beginnings in uncharted but exciting waters.
@RyanPanzer, a Lutheran blogger and occasional student at Luther Seminary, has spent his life in a church on the decline. He is eager to step out of the boat.
The Star Tribune story brings to life stories difficult decisions and feelings of regret surrounding church closings - and a church closing is certainly an appropriate occasion for lament. As congregations have closed their doors, members have said farewell to institutions that marked and celebrated centuries of significant life passages and transitions - the very institutions where they rejoiced at baptisms, celebrated at weddings, mourned at funerals, and rejoiced in the hope of God's promises.
So perhaps in these times of uncertainty and change, it is not the theology of Luther or Barth that will console those who lament - but the philosophical musings of the band Semisonic. After all, "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
It is often difficult to see the beginnings that emerge from painful endings, but as the church puts up for sale signs, says its closing prayers, and holds its penultimate potlucks, new beginnings will indeed emerge.
The folding of the church is not the end of religion in America - nor is it the end of the work of God within our midst. Remember, if the Christian theologian believes that God is always actively creating all things new, then that work of creation must continue - even when beautiful houses of worship are put up on Craiglist. But where exactly is God's work of new creation? Where is our new beginning? Where is the hope for those who would prefer to see the church stick around for a bit longer?
Perhaps to answer that question, one must understand what is really coming to an end. An institution is closing some of its doors, in response to cultural trends that are incredibly complex and well beyond its control. What is ending is the church as a fixed way of life, the church as a cultural mainstay, and the church as the guarantor of the "American way." And with 23% of Millennials confessing no religious belief or affiliation, it would be naive to suggest that the church is likely to rebound back to being culturally normative anytime soon.
What is really coming to an end is a church that we can take for granted. In this new era, fewer and fewer will be "taken" to church as part of a weekly routine, which means fewer and fewer will habitually "go" to church.
Because fewer will habitually go to church as some sort of occassional obligation, more and more will have to actively choose to go to church - not because they are expected to, but because they are intrigued by the opportunity to contribute to a church's mission.
These people will gradually choose to go to church not because they are driven there every Sunday throughout their youth, but because they want to get involved in the counter-cultural work of building up the Kingdom of God in their communities - to join God through the church in the rebellious and overtly badass work of building bridges where political authorities want to build build up walls, of loosing those in captivity where the powers that be see only the need for more chainlink fences. When the church of Christendom, or the Church of Perpetual Cultural Mainstay shutters its windows, the missional church of justice, engagement, and even resistance opens for business.
Remember, the early church followed an anti-establishment, homeless political zealot who was as far away from the centers of cutlural power and influence as one could get!
The opportunity in these difficult times of church closing comes from the movement away from passive attendance at church as a cultural expectation towards active engagement as part of a dynamic movement. When Christian move towards active engagement in this Spirit-driven movement, they consciously commit to working towards that movement's mission - whether that mission takes the form of forgiveness, of social justice, or reconciliation, or the myriad other forms that a mission can take. Ultimately, as Christians move towards participation in this movement, they enlist themselves in the service of God's calling to create, redeem, and liberate.
In Matthew 14, the disciple Peter leaves the security of his boat in order to take the courageous and faithful step towards the call of Jesus. As a church, our boat is slowly and inevitably sinking amidst a storm that we cannot calm on our own. Give time to those who grieve the loss of their church. But once the grieving ends, it will be time to venture out towards new beginnings in uncharted but exciting waters.
@RyanPanzer, a Lutheran blogger and occasional student at Luther Seminary, has spent his life in a church on the decline. He is eager to step out of the boat.
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