The Decline of Christianity

church and culture I got interviewed yesterday by Ken Briggs who is writing a book for Eerdman’s on the connection (or actually, the DISconnection) between the message of the church and the needs and issues of our culture.

He has noticed, as has many others, that although the church is trying harder than ever to get its message heard, fewer and fewer people are listening. Though in the past it has primarily been Mainline churches that were in decline, Southern Baptists are now in decline as well.

Ken Briggs wants to know what the church can do about this… if anything.

He and I met at a Starbucks in East Stroudsburg University and discussed these sorts of questions for about three hours. It was quite an honor to be interviewed by him, since he has also interviewed other writers and theologians around the country, including Stanley Hauerwas, the most widely read and oft-cited theologian of our day.

Ken is conducting research and interviews this year, and the book is scheduled to be out in 2013.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Ecclesiology Written on March 20, 2012

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Women Must Lead the Church

Men are abandoning the church in droves.

It’s true.

If you don’t believe me, just look around your sanctuary this coming Sunday and count the men. Then count the women. Unless your church bucks the trend, your church will have a strong majority of women.

There are numerous cultural and sociological reasons for this, none of which I intend to delve into (see this book for some help).

Instead, I want to talk about the cure.

In my opinion, if a church wants to get more men into church, we must begin with what we currently have: women.

Women lead the church

Women are the key to the life, health, vibrancy, and future of the western church.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Ecclesiology, Skeleton Church Written on February 15, 2012

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Skeleton Church

My newest ebook is now available. You can get it on Amazon.com, or (for a limited time) you can subscribe to the email newsletter and get a free copy.

My newest ebook, Skeleton Church, has been published!

Here is what Skeleton Church is about:

The church has a skeleton which is identical in all types of churches. Unity and peace can develop in Christianity if we recognize this skeleton as the simple, bare-bones definition of church. But when we focus on the outer trappings, the skin, hair, and eye color, the clothes, the muscle tone, and other outward appearances, division and strife form within the church. Let us return to the skeleton church and grow in unity once again.

If you are a newsletter subscriber, a free copy of this book should already be in your email inbox. Thanks for subscribing!

If you want to get a copy for yourself, it is available on Amazon.com, or (for a limited time) you can subscribe to the newsletter and get a free copy.

Post a review and get a link here:

If you post a review on Amazon.com and on your blog (if you have one), let me know, and I will include a link to your review here. Thanks!

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Ecclesiology, Jesus, Mission Written on November 26, 2011

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Jesus is Returning Today!

Jesus is returning today

No, I’m not pulling a “Harold Camping.” Though I do believe that Jesus will return to earth literally and physically at some time in the future, I am NOT saying that today is the day.

But I am saying that Jesus is returning today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And every day from now until He actually returns.

Confused yet? I am saying that Jesus returns daily until He actually returns.

The Daily Return of Jesus?

I think that as Christians we have often taught and thought about what Scripture says concerning the future return of Jesus Christ, while ignoring and neglecting what Scripture says concerning the present and daily return of Jesus Christ. If you didn’t know that such an idea is taught in Scripture, then you have proved my point. Most people don’t know it, which is why most people don’t live for it.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Discipleship, Ecclesiology Written on November 6, 2011

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Bounded vs Centered Sets

bounded sets vs centered sets

Yesterday I wrote a long article about Bounded Sets and Centered Sets. In an attempt to simplify and summarize that post, here is a brief chart which I pulled from page 50 of Shaping of Things to Come by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.

Underneath the chart is a brief video which you might also find helpful, and following that is a quote from C. S. Lewis which, although he doesn’t speak of bounded sets or centered sets, seems to address the concept. I have also written about this previously in my post, Belonging before Believing.

Bounded Set and Centered Set Approach

Bounded-Set Approach	Centered-Set Approach
The evangelizer is the expert who has special knowledge regarding God that the lost person must take in to be saved.	Each person is the expert on his or her own life and has the God-given ability to seek for the truth. The evangelizer respects this.
The “lost” person is viewed as flawed in character and sinful.	Each person is viewed as created in the image of God–precious, valuable, and loved by God.
Seeing people as simply lost or saved, it tries to paternally “fix up” sinners and make them like us.	Seeing people as seekers, it tries to stimulate others to ask, seek, and knock, while understanding we don’t know it all ourselves.
The goal is to get them to sign on, to profess belief, to become part of the team.	The goal is for the process of discovery of Christ and the search for truth to be furthered in the person.
A cataclysmic change occurs in people called “conversion.”	Conversion is a process that does not begin and end with the profession of faith in Christ, but begins with the Holy Spirit’s prevenient grace on the person’s life and continues through repentance for a lifetime–the Kingdom comes.
We Christians know and have the whole truth.	We don’t know everything about life or God–humility and wonder remain.