About What on EARTH is the Church Doing? by Troy Shepherd:
The future of the American church is trending post-Christian. The church’s public mission has been struggling to maintain its relevance within culture for decades.
When the COVID-19 pandemic created a forced worldwide disruption, the church began to quickly realize its heavy dependency on processes and structures, only to discover that culture had already deemed these as ineffective outreach methods. Data shows that not only is church attendance and memberships declining, but the leading religious group in America is now those who are unaffiliated with organized religion, the group referred to as the ‘nones.’
If absence truly makes the heart grow fonder, has the church become disillusioned that people must really love the church? While culture continues to morph and change, the church is struggling to overcome these shifts. What can the church do to regain an effective approach towards a religiously disinterested culture?
What on EARTH is the Church Doing? outlines current trends that are relevant to church leaders and attendees, as well as guide a narrative towards understanding how culture is disengaging with religion and how this differs from the usual mission of most churches today. To be the church is to go beyond the safety and comfort of organized religion. When the church can see beyond their own benefit, a mindset change will create a divergent church.
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Author Bio:
TROY SHEPHERD is an app and website developer, business entrepreneur, and researcher on cultural trends related to religion and community. He is the founder and developer of Shepherding My Church, a missional-reflection project, as well as the creator of the SURROUND app, which connects believers of similar faith. He is co-author of What Should Post-Pandemic Religion Look Like? as well as co-host of the podcast Disruptive Dialogues on the Future of Religion.