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Futuring and the Church

Our society is shifting from the industrial age to the information age. The impacts of this shift are being felt in rural America and will be felt even more over the next few years. Christian futurist Tom Sine in "Shifting into the Future Tense" (article 10-4) suggested that we will see as much change in the next 10 years as we have in the past 30 years. He believed we will see an erosion of the middle class, an increase in autonomy, a polarization between the young and the old, increases in pluralism and cross-culturalism, and increased environmental concern. Sine suggested a number of ways that the church can creatively build plans to anticipate and respond to these challenges.

In "Practically Speaking" (article 10-5), Douglass Hall offered ideas about what tomorrow's church will be like. He saw the church as a diaspora rather than an empire, and as a movement rather than an institution. He based this notion on two "musts." First, tomorrow's church "must be possessed by a new awareness of the uniqueness of the Christian message and way." Second, "church life must be determined by an overwhelming sense of commitment to the world, not in terms of dominance, but in terms of service" (p. 113). From these two "musts," Hall suggested that the church of the future will emphasize learning, function as a priestly community, and emphasize worship and ministry.

The changes Sine and Hall list, no doubt, will have a major impact on the rural church. In light of the impacts of those changes, Bernard Evans asked, "Can Rural Churches Survive?" (article 10-6). He maintained that their survival depends on the economic base of rural church members and the abilities of rural religious leaders. Evans listed a number of options that could enhance the rural church's survival, including multiple-point parishes, greater use of the laity, and greater denominational cooperation. However, Evans believed that rural churches must be attuned to more than their own survival. He addressed the broader issue of the nature and function of rural ministry.

Bernard Quinn in "Seven Challenges" (article 10-7), writes from a Catholic perspective and extends Jameson's list of conditions for a bright future for the rural church. Quinn noted seven conditions, or challenges, for the rural church: (1) religious growth of the church members; (2) placing Christ, rather than institutional well-being, at the center of parish life; (3) preserving Catholic identity; (4) promoting Christian unity; (5) involvement in evangelistic activity; (6) involvement in social action; and (7) involvement in world missionary activity. According to Quinn, the rural church must provide "for the spiritual nurture of its own members and reach out in witness to the community at large" (p. 21).

Quinn's challenges are similar to those Lutheran audiences face. Peter L. Benson in "Building a Faith for the 90s" (article 10-8) found that most Lutherans want to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus, learn more about the Bible, learn how to apply faith to daily living, and improve skills in showing love and concern to other people. To promote faith maturity, Benson believed that certain characteristics must be displayed in the congregation: warmth, care, challenge, worship, leadership, and education.

David Ruesink, the man responsible for the Rural Social Science Education project, has a passion and a vision for the rural church(8). In "Potential Future for Rural Churches" (article 10-10), Ruesink outlines what he believes could be a glimpse of the future of the rural church. Rural church professional and lay leaders will be among the "brightest and the best" and will be working "smarter." Seminaries will encourage interested students to weave rural issues into their coursework. Since however, they will be unable to accommodate every special interest of the students or their constituency, seminaries will draw heavily from expertise outside of its own faculty. More rural congregations will be a part of larger, cooperative parish ministries. Greater emphasis will be placed on regional, ecumenical training and ministry. What is your vision for the rural church in America?

What will the church be like in the future? Perhaps with tongue-in-cheek, Tom Raabe offered some final insights in "The Ultimate Church" (article 10-9). Read and enjoy!