{"id":32645,"date":"2023-04-29T09:07:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-29T16:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=32645"},"modified":"2023-04-29T09:13:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-29T16:13:37","slug":"1001-new-worshiping-communities-a-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/1001-new-worshiping-communities-a-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"1001 New Worshiping Communities, a Movement."},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2021 the Presbyterian Church (USA) released statistic showing the steady decline of the denomination. Over the last twenty years, membership has decreased but the pandemic exacerbated the decline. The 2021 statistics show current active membership stands at just over 1.1 million, a 51,000-member drop from 2020. Total number of churches in 2021 stood at 8,813, approximately 112 less than 2020.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

While there are many reasons for the decline including all of the reasons many churches are bleeding members, after spending most of my life in the PC(USA), I believe a reason for the decline is the inability of the institution to change. Tradition has always been important to the Presbyterian church, order of worship is rarely tampered with, ritual gives a sense of comfort to those who have been part of their congregation for life. But what about those who visit? What about those who have young children or teenagers who don\u2019t find that same sense of \u201chome\u201d in the religious traditions and rituals? What about those with new ideas, new ways of being Church? For many of our PC(USA) congregations, change was not something they would entertain.<\/p>\n

In his book, \u201cCascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformation Change,<\/em>\u201d Greg Satell explores how to start and sustain transformational change using the power of cascades\u2014small groups that are loosely connected but united by a common purpose. Reading one of the first chapters of this book, all I could think about was how the PC(USA) is being left behind because of the institution’s inability to make significant changes. But as I continued to read I began to think about a relatively new movement within the denomination and how this movement might be the “cascade” Satell is referring to.<\/p>\n

In June 2012, the PC(USA) admitted it had a problem, and at the 220th<\/sup> General Assembly declared a commitment to a churchwide movement that would (hopefully) result in the creation of 1,001 worshiping communities over the next ten years. If anything was going to be the \u201ckeystone change,\u201d in our dying denomination, this would be it.[2]<\/a> The church had a clear purpose, a plan for moving forward, and was able to get a wide variety of presbyteries and congregations on board.<\/p>\n

The NWC\u2019s would take on new and varied forms of church for our changing culture, primarily seeking to make and form new disciples of Jesus Christ, to change and transform the world.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

Today, these NWC\u2019s are a network of loosely connected small groups united by the common purpose of making disciples with over 500 diverse new worshiping communities have formed across the nation. We haven\u2019t made it to 1000, which was the goal ten years ago, but we\u2019re moving forward.<\/p>\n

The reason I think this NWC movement has a chance to succeed is because the NWC\u2019s are not focused on \u201ccalling the faithful, but on forging a common cause among diverse constituencies.\u201d[4]<\/a> Leaders of NWC\u2019s form a worshiping community from and unique to their own context. One pastor, a die-hard skateboarder, started a new worshiping community with other skate board enthusiasts. A Cross Fit instructor, began a Cross Fit worshiping community. Worshiping communities have sprouted from yoga classes, amongst under-privileged teenagers, those experiencing homelessness, in restaurants and on college campuses. More than half the new worshiping communities have formed in immigrant communities, with over half of the 500 NWC\u2019s being communities of color. \u201cGod is worshiped in 14 different languages throughout the NWC movement.\u201d[5]<\/a> One does not need to be an ordained pastor to begin a NWC.<\/p>\n

While I wouldn\u2019t exactly call this movement a cascade, yet, our prayer is that as more and more people from outside the church, join these new communities, it will move like a cascade throughout the denomination and the Church as a whole.<\/p>\n

One of the ways the PC(USA) is able to sustain this movement is through their apprenticeship model. Like Eve Poole discusses in her book, \u201cLeadersmithing,\u201d the New Worshiping Community movement invests heavily in the apprenticeship model because they believe this work cannot be fruitfully done in isolation and having the encouragement of a seasoned leader standing beside you as you learn to do this work is vital.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

In Dan Camancho\u2019s book, Mining for Gold,<\/em> he discusses the importance of coaching for the success of a leader.[7] The NWC movement also provides coaching to its leaders, as \u201ccoaching ensures the work is contextual and sustainable, gospel-informed, motivated and inspired.\u201d[8]<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall, it is yet to be seen if the 1001 New Worshiping Community movement will be a cascade, making a difference in the membership of the PC(USA), but even if it doesn\u2019t succeed in that way, it has already succeeded in others. People, never exposed to the church or who have migrated away from the church are finding their way back to community. Lives are being changed by being in relationship with the body of Christ. Hope is being proclaimed while real needs are being met. Even if the NWC movement doesn\u2019t \u201csave\u201d the denomination, God has used it for good.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), “PC(USA) 2021 statistics continue to show declining membership, but also growth in new worshiping communities,” April 25, 2022, https:\/\/www.pcusa.org\/news\/2022\/4\/25\/pcusa-2021-statistics-continue-show-declining-memb\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2] <\/a>Greg Satell, Cascades How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change<\/em>, McGraw Hill, New York, 2019, 117.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Presbyterian Mission, “About 1001 New Worshiping Communities,” Accessed April 27, 2023, https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/ministries\/1001-2\/about-1001\/#:~:text=About%201001,-1001%20new%20worshiping&text=Primarily%20they%20are%20seeking%20to,over%20the%20next%2010%20years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Greg Satell, Cascades How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change<\/em>, McGraw Hill, New York, 2019, 121.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/ministries\/1001-2\/, Accessed April 25, 2023.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/ministries\/1001-2\/training-cohorts\/, Accessed April 25, 2023.<\/p>\n

[7] Tom Camancho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching, Intervarsity Press, 2019.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/ministries\/1001-2\/training-cohorts\/, Accessed April 25, 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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