In 2000 I prepared a presentation for the Society for Church Growth in which I asked what I considered at the time to be some of the key questions of our time. In looking back over these questions I find they are still the key questions with which Western Christianity is wrestling. You be the Judge if they are.
- What is it about my relationship with Jesus my neighbor and the world can’t live without experiencing?
- How do I share my faith without coming off like a bigot?
- What will Christianity look like when it truly understands that North America is a mission field?
- What is the difference in being missional and doing evangelism?
- What is the difference in a being pastor and being a cross-cultural missionary?
- What does it mean to live in a world where one’s spirituality is more important than one’s credentials?
- Can we imagine doing evangelism that is not carried out within the context of conquest?
- How do leaders lead without control?
- What will authority look like in an out-of-control, anti-institutional, non-religious world?
- What will Christianity look like when it’s no longer defined by books?
- How do we transition from handing out data that informs to offering an experience that transforms?
- How will we help people grow their spirituality instead of just learning more about the Bible?
- What will Christianity look like when the church is missional and not institutional?
- How will we “be” the church instead of “go” to church?
Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com
easum@aol.com