More of the same?

“The fact that you have started reading this book will mean that not only are you interested in the search for a more authentic expression of ecclesia (the NT word for church), but you are in some sense aware of the dramatic changes in worldview that has been taking place in general culture over the last fifty years or so. Whatever one may call it, this shift from the modern to the postmodern or, from solid modernity to liquid modernity, has generally been difficult for the church to accept. We find ourselves lost in a perplexing global jungle where our well used cultural and theological maps don’t seem to work anymore. It seems as if we have woken up to find ourselves in contact with a strange and unexpected reality that seems to defy our usual ways of dealing with issues of the church and its mission. All this amounts to a kind of ecclesial future-shock where we left wandering in a world we can’t recognize anymore. In the struggle to grasp our new reality, churches and church leaders have become painfully aware that our inherited concepts, our language, indeed our whole way of thinking are inadequate to describe what is going on both in and around us. The problems raised in such a situation are not merely intellectual ones but together amount to an intense spiritual, emotional and, existential crisis.

The truth is that the 21st century is turning out to be a highly complex phenomenon where terrorism, paradigmatic technological innovation, an unsustainable environment, rampant consumerism, discontinuous change, and perilous ideologies confront us at every point. In the face of this, even the most confident among us in our more honest moments would have to admit that the church as we know it faces a very significant adaptive challenge. The overwhelming majority of church leadership today report that they feel it is getting much harder for their communities to negotiate the increasing complexities in which they find themselves. And as a result the church is on massive, long-trended, decline in the West. In this situation, we have to ask ourselves probing questions, “Will more of the same do the trick? Do we have the inherited resources to deal with this situation? Can we simply rework the tried and true Christendom understanding of church which we so love and understand, and finally, in an ultimate tweak of the system, come up with the winning formula?” (TFW, 15-16)

This is a direct quote from the introduction of my latest book, The Forgotten Ways. The aim of this little piece is to get us in touch (if we are not already) with the critical situation which God’s people face in the 21st Century. What do you think? Do you think we have the missional and spritual resources to respond adequately to the issues facing us?

November 15, 2006 | Filed Under missional church, the forgotten ways |  

Comments

9 Responses to “More of the same?”

  1. Jesse Size on November 15th, 2006 5:18 pm

    “Do you think we have the missional and spritual resources to respond adequately to the issues facing us?”

    I believe wholeheartedly that we do Alan but my fear is that too many are afraid to step out of the so-called “tried-and-true” way of doing things. Those already within the church who attempt to do things differently are often seen as bad guys, threats to the established order (perhaps this is exactly what they are).

    I don’t think that being able to recognise the unfortunately reality of remaining in our ways and ideas regarding mission alone will help us to respond to the issues facing us, but I believe that the emergence of innovative leadership and missional minds modelled by yourself and others like you will help us to take necessary risks and rely on divine providence as we get caught up in a movement bigger than ourselves.

    God bless you for helping us to catch a different vision of sacred possibility.

  2. Gaz on November 15th, 2006 6:32 pm

    Do you think we have the missional and spritual resources to respond adequately to the issues facing us?

    I think we do as long as we look to God for the answers and not do what we’ve always done.
    It’s not like God went, “Oh, the 21st Century, I didn’t see that coming.” God knows the problems better than us and even though it sounds trite the answer lies in being on the same page as the Father.
    That, to me, is the biggest challenge facing the church- whether we listen to the words of God or men.

  3. Journeyfiles » Blog Archive » Alan Hirsch - first Chapter of “The Forgotten Ways” on November 15th, 2006 6:48 pm

    [...] Alan Hirsch - first Chapter of “The Forgotten Ways” Here is a part of the first chapter of “The Forgotten Ways” from Alans Blog (alll rights reserved): “The fact that you have started reading this book will mean that not only are you interested in the search for a more authentic expression of ecclesia (the NT word for church), but you are in some sense aware of the dramatic changes in worldview that has been taking place in general culture over the last fifty years or so. Whatever one may call it, this shift from the modern to the postmodern or, from solid modernity to liquid modernity, has generally been difficult for the church to accept. We find ourselves lost in a perplexing global jungle where our well used cultural and theological maps don’t seem to work anymore. It seems as if we have woken up to find ourselves in contact with a strange and unexpected reality that seems to defy our usual ways of dealing with issues of the church and its mission. All this amounts to a kind of ecclesial future-shock where we left wandering in a world we can’t recognize anymore. In the struggle to grasp our new reality, churches and church leaders have become painfully aware that our inherited concepts, our language, indeed our whole way of thinking are inadequate to describe what is going on both in and around us. The problems raised in such a situation are not merely intellectual ones but together amount to an intense spiritual, emotional and, existential crisis. [...]

  4. Bjoern Wagner on November 16th, 2006 1:07 am

    Hi Alan! Thanks for publishing a few things beforehand. I took the liberty of citing you on my blog (of course with reference to your blog) to spread the good thoughts and bearings of you new book. Would it be OK to translate it into german? I will label it unofficial, but since I keep an german and an english blog, the germans might be interested or become interested in you book, too.
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
    Bjoern

  5. frank doiron on November 17th, 2006 1:14 am

    This is a bit of a twist. I believe that the weekly meeting in the west works against a church being missional and if we continue with it I do not see any kind of church being truly missional. The meeting has become an end in itself. What began as a medium to encourage and spur us on to good works has turned into something we now serve. Something like the Sabbath. The meeting was made for the church but now the church is made for the meeting. Do we need meetings? I think so but it must be serving the church who is on mission. Very few emerging churches make that switch. Having followed simple church closely, the central question still seems to be questions around what we will do when we meet. Other parts of the emerging church think the answer lies in re introducing candles, icons and stain glass art in the service. No matter which way you look it seems the meeting has a hold on us. That needs to change. We must free ourselves from the meeting then create missional churches where meetings then spur us on to being missional.
    The second twist is; I wonder if dialoguing (a necessary process) through blogs and the waiting for the next new book to come out have not become ends in themselves. We need to dialogue, for sure, to move forward but it seems that dialoguing all that some blogs and people are doing.
    Do we have the resources and spirituality? I think so. Do we have the will? I don’t know. If we hear that missional call it will probably look and feel like this; Jesus: “If you want to follow me then you must___________.

  6. Angryandshallow on November 17th, 2006 2:30 pm

    Do you think we have the missional and spritual resources to respond adequately to the issues facing us?

    Mate I think the answer to your question is yes but I wonder if the real question is “Are we prepared to face the reality of our situation and therefore the radical response required?”. The response is not to tinker with the current structures and thinking but to face the fact that much of it has become an idol….an idol we do not want to face as it appeals to us. God tells us to smash the idols and get back to him…scary stuff…exciting stuff…..lonely stuff!

  7. Alan Hirsch on November 17th, 2006 2:33 pm

    Now why aren’t I surprised at your answer Darryl G (angryand shallow)?? You’re entirely right mate. A lot of repentance needs to go down before we can go up.

  8. The Forgotten Ways » Blog Archive » Have we got it? on November 18th, 2006 4:18 pm

    [...] Two posts ago, I posed the question “Do you think we have the missional and spritual resources to respond adequately to the issues facing us?” (Thanks to those who responded.) I suppose I had better state my own view in regards to the question. [...]

  9. Subversive Influence » Blog Archive » Frost & Hirsch on November 20th, 2006 5:06 am

    [...] Alan Hirsch is also blogging now, and has posted part of the introduction to his new book, which opens with The fact that you have started reading this book will mean that not only are you interested in the search for a more authentic expression of ecclesia (the NT word for church), but you are in some sense aware of the dramatic changes in worldview that has been taking place in general culture over the last fifty years or so. [...]

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