The Remedy for Decline
What is the number one reason for the decline of a Christian culture? That was the question I was asked. My correspondent really seemed to want to know an answer. So I gave an answer. The answer was not the rise of a secular worldview. Nor is the answer the decline of churches. It is not that we have fewer churches; rather, the answer lies in the fact that we have fewer people who are truly Christian.
To make my point more sharply, I am saying that we have too few disciples among the folk who claim to be Christian. My guess is that many of those who have not yet drifted back to worship services since the pandemic may well fit this description. Furthermore, the disappearance of so many young adults may well suggest that we have not inculcated the Christian faith to the next generation.
So what I said to my conversation partner a few days ago, I will say now. The number one thing that churches can do is to pass on the faith (1 Cor 15:3). It might be called evangelism, discipleship, faithful parenting, or spiritual formation; yet if we are not practicing these things then we are not living out our calling. We cannot assume that just because a person comes to a church service or a high school huddle group or prayer breakfast that a person is really encountering the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual dynamics of being formed into the image of Christ. I think that the evidence of our largely empty worship centers, youth rooms, and Sunday school classrooms should be clear.
So here is my recommendation: pass along the faith! Rather than wringing hands over what is not present in your church, gather up those who are present or who God brings your way and begin sharing the faith. And before you begin to redesign your Sunday School program or small groups ministry, I am going to ask you to do something else. I am asking you to practice faith formation for and with others—yourself.
We are way too quick to create a program—and way too slow to simply embody a different way of being in the world. Your congregation likely does need to let go of old programs or redesign its current ones. But more than that, your congregation needs people who are actually living out faithful lives with other people. And that starts with you!
Having said that, I know that good resources matter, so let me share a few. If you are seeking to share faith with adults and are looking for insight, consider these titles:
Greg Ogden, Transforming Discipleship.
Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship.
A bibliography on discipleship and living the way of Jesus could become extensive very quickly, so this brief list reflects a few books that have shaped me. An older minister gave me a copy of Bonhoeffer’s book as a college student. I didn’t read it until I was in law school a couple of years later, but it changed the trajectory of my life. Peterson and Willard will also challenge and enliven your own living. And Ogden—Ogden will give you a simple way of inviting others to a faith-filled life of faith.
And for those of you who are working and living with children and youth and who want to increase your imagination and practice, consider these titles:
Ron Bruner and Dana Pemberton, et. al., Along the Way: Conversations about Children & Faith.
Holly Allen and Christine Ross, et. al., Intergenerational Christian Formation.
David Csinos and Ivy Beckwith, Children’s Ministry in the Way of Jesus.
I’m not an expert in this area, but these suggestions come from Dr. Ron Bruner and Dr. Jennifer Schroeder.
My correspondent was concerned about the growing secularity in our culture and in the decline of Christian values. And so am I. Yet the response to that reality lies in faithful living and the transmission of the Christian faith to others. And that begins with you and me. How is my own practice of Christian faith shaping my values, attitudes, and behaviors? Decline certainly calls for renewal. Yet renewal begins with me.
Blessings on your walk with the Lord!
Carson
