Is the Church as We Know It Inevitably Heading For Complete Oblivion?
Or is there any way to turn around the oil tanker?
I heard something in our church which bothered me a few Sundays ago.
“What? AGAIN, Paul?” I hear you say.
Let’s be honest. It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have something spicy and provocative to say about the ways of the institutional church here on Medium.
But shouldn’t church both comfort us AND disturb us? I think it should — and whilst there was a healthy blanket of comfort from much of what happens during church services, there is often something that makes me feel, “Hmmm, not sure about that…”
And this week, something bothered me.
The preacher was a retired minister with many years of faithful and devoted service behind him — reflected on how he now looked back on his ministry.
He talked about how the church had shrunk wherever he had ministered — despite his best efforts. And how his steps to alleviate the shrinkage had barely made a dent in the inevitable decline.
He mentioned how when he started, there were one million members of Methodist churches here in the UK.
