On the bright side…

Oops…

Well, I goofed.

I have no intention of sending articles on Sunday, a day I’d like to largely leave everybody to their worship and rest.

But I’m also bad at reading calendars, and accidentally scheduled what was to be today’s article for yesterday.

In it I explained why I believe the church is in a bad spot right now, and why I feel criticism is warranted. (Read it at https://churchreset.substack.com/p/on-criticizing-the-church)

As a bonus article, let’s talk a bit about reasons for optimism.

The church still wins in the end

As we see in Esther, God’s purposes have always followed the “if you don’t, somebody else will” principle of human participation.

If we remain in decline, he’ll strengthen His kingdom through some other people. We don’t have to worry about killing the leaven or chopping down the mustard seed. We aren’t that impactful.

But, maybe we can still play a part if we accept that…

Pruning is inevitable

There’s a reason the New Testament promises pruning (John 15) and discipline (Hebrews 12). We’re always going to have times in which correctives are needed.

When those times come, it is not a reason for despair - God disciplines who He loves so we can excel still more. So in this moment of pruning, the best thing we can do is receive the discipline and change rather than complain about the negativity of the diagnoses.

2020 was a watershed

We don’t talk about it nearly enough, but everything from March 2020 on has been different. The events of those horrific years set a lot of people back significantly.

But everywhere I go I met people who talk about how the lockdowns changed everything for them, too, but in a good way. They have stepped up in their Christianity, their careers, their health, their marriage and parenting, and plenty of other ways.

I couldn’t tell you exactly what it was, but something about the helpless feeling moved a lot of people to take life far more seriously and intentionally. And I believe we’re already reaping benefits that will continue to manifest for years to come.

People get the leaders they deserve

I do believe we’re in a leadership crisis, and I believe that’s the case for numerous reasons. There’s a vicious cycle of weak leadership, leading people to disrespect and devalue leadership, leading to even weaker leadership, and so forth.

And, we’re in this cultural moment of hyper-individualism in which no one can tell anyone what to do. We’re all the captains of our own ships, down to our DNA and genitals. That diseased thinking has crept into the church, and leadership often accommodates it as far as possible to keep the numbers up.

But just as the culture is primed for a backlash against the insanity, so is the church. And I’m already seeing it.

Through the work at Focus Press we meet people all over the country who are starving for more, desperate to live out a higher standard of holiness.

The passion in this counter-culture will not be stopped because it’s essentially going up against nothing. Any resistance to the status quo will win, given enough time. And though it will take time, this resistance will produce a new generation and a new class of leaders that will form a brighter future.

Just look at the home and private school movements as an example. For homeschooling, in the 80s a few visionary families could tell something was wrong, and they began to fight the laws to bring about change.

In the 90s we got questioned all the time about whether it was legal and just how much harm it would do to us.

Now here we are in a culture where it is totally normal and growing all the time. And with it is coming students who are often better educated, better socialized, and better prepared to take on the world. The growth of private schools has had a similar trajectory.

What we can learn from such a movement is that passion, patience, and perseverance can drive an unbelievable amount of improvement. And I believe the church is ready for something similar. Maybe already in the middle of it.

How it will go and what it will look like, I don’t know. But to those who get it, keep on keeping on. Your labor will not be in vain.