Crack Addiction and Church Transformation

Christianity
Written By Derek Penwell

Another article in a series of articles about how healthy congregations get healthy. Feel free to go back and check out the first article on Killing Committees and jump ahead to the third article on Crack Addiction and Church Transformation.

Why Is This Happening to Us?

Church transformation. It’s a big deal right now. Denominations that used to think almost exclusively about new church starts are having to think long and hard about churches withering on the vine.

“We’re getting older.”

“We need more young families.”

“I believe the children are the future; teach them well, and … ” Um, sorry.

We get a lot of news about fancy-pants mega churches with their new “family life centers,” complete with climbing walls and dedicated space for “Christian Aerobics.” It can get pretty disheartening in a declining church to see these successes so widely celebrated, touted as the embodiment of modern Christian faithfulness.

It’s tough. What are declining churches to do?

Answer: Change.

Continue reading at [D]mergent (http://dmergent.org/2011/10/03/crack-addiction-and-church-transformation/)

Derek Penwell

Author, Speaker, Pastor, Activist. Derek Penwell is senior pastor of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church, and a lecturer at the University of Louisville in Religious Studies and Comparative Humanities. His newest book, Outlandish, focuses on understanding the political nature of Jesus’ life as a model for forming communities of resistance capable of challenging oppression in the pursuit of peace and justice.

He is an activist and advocate on local, state, and national levels on issues of racial justice, LGBTQ fairness, interfaith engagement, and immigrant and refugee rights.

https://derekpenwell.net
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The Plight of Mainline Denominations
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Killing the Whispers and Other Reflections on Church Decision-Making