Hello Folks,
     I do not know if you have wondered about what appears to be the cultural shift that is taking place in the church but it is something that has caused me to wonder what will the future look like for congregations in the Church of God and among other groups.  It seems that there are changes that are taking place everywhere we turn where local congregations are concerned.  As I look at the changes it makes me think that within the next 15 years most congregations will look entirely different than they are now.  Now, this may be nothing new and every generation may come to this same conclusion but it is disconcerting to me to see what is taking place.
     This is what I think I see.  The older generation is dying off and no one is coming in to take their places in many areas.  While we may see our Sunday a.m. attendance growing it seems that we are seeing all other attendances shrinking.  Sunday school, p.m. worship and Wednesday nights are changing almost everywhere you turn.  My generation, and those older than me, are asking the question of whether we have people who are committed to the local congregation.  I know that some will say that they are committed to Christ  but that does not appear to transfer over to any local group of people who are attempting to make a difference.  It almost like they want to do their own thing without any interference or accountability.  They want the local church to provide ministry but they do not want to invest their time or finances in the local church.  Maybe it is because some of us older folks are used to measuring commitment by finances and attendance.  But is there another way of measuring it?  That is a real struggle for me.
     If we continue to move in the direction we are going in now we will wind up being a Sunday morning only group.  The question might be asked if that is a bad thing?  But then I wonder how we will combat the efforts of a society that is becoming distinctly anti-Christian?  We want to train our children and youth for Christ but we expect the church to do that in 2 hours or less a week.  Is that even reasonable? 
     These are some of things that are in my mind.  What do you think?

Have a great day,

HGRudd