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Your church doesn't have to be growing in members, money, property, or professions of faith to be healthy.
Church growth books: I had to read a LOT of them in seminary. So many base church success by money. They call it a "growing" church, a "vibrant" church, a "successful" church. But they mean a "rich" church.
If a church wants small town, struggling churches to thrive, what they need is to redistribute the wealth that the rich megachurches take in. Not send us more "church growth" books.
otherwise, they need to realize that churches with 10 octogenarian people who can only afford a quarter time, bivocational pastor probably aren't going to grow. The problem probably isn't "they don't know about fresh expressions" either.
I don't want to be negative. There are exceptions and it's good to try new things. But so many of these "fresh new ideas for vibrant churches!" are just invites for young clergy to join the gig economy.
"work far longer and harder than what you are paid for to start what is essentially a small business that will keep you paid and get your town excited for a couple years until the other churches catch on and the market gets over saturated. this is probably the gospel?"
"beg people to give you a 5 star review on your church facebook page, and hope they like/subscribe to your sermons, and maybe they'll even leave you a tip. Definitely the church Jesus wanted."
I don't know that there's any real possible alternative to this under capitalism. This is where almost all careers are headed. But I wish the church would at least resist it, or just not present it as THE WILD HOLY SPIRIT DOING HER FREE WORK when it's just gig economy capitalism
