I recently spent some time on the East Coast
with a few other colleagues from the U.S. and Canada, dreaming and scheming about ways to collaborate beyond our state (and national) borders.
On my final day we drove to Albany to meet with a few local denominational leaders, presenting ways in which we could provide macro-level support across all the congregations within their respective regions. Going around the table introducing ourselves, our work and the organizations we represent, I’ll never forget how one of the denominational leaders painted the picture of her regional reality:
The truth is we are losing people faster than our resources.
Our buildings will outlive our congregations.
The time for this conversation was ten years ago.
Reimagination is not an urgent matter, it’s paramount.
The reality facing my new friend in Albany is the same reality facing so many (most?) other denominational leaders across the country. But it’s not too late.
Not too late to ask big questions.
Not too late to lean into hard conversations.
Not too late to imagine.
Not too late to plant seeds for new life.
And radical love.
Resurrection first requires death, friends. Friday first, but then Sunday. That’s how this whole thing works. It’s what separates us from the rest of the world.
New life is bursting forth from cracked concrete, broken down boilers, underutilized educational wings, and aging congregations who dare to believe that Sunday is still coming. Let it be so.
With Hope,
