Four 2023 Adaptive Church Shifts

by Mark Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader

Every moment is an opportunity for transformational growth. This new year, 2023, presents a fresh opportunity for us to live into greater expressions of church. Here are four adaptive shifts which will empower faithful adaptation in our current contexts.

Consumerism To Contentment

Contentment… what a counter-cultural concept here in the world’s largest economy. If you could find a way to bottle contentment and sell it, this would be the next best-seller (ironically speaking). There is a stream of thought flowing through American culture which believes we don’t have enough, always needing more. We need not be intellectual giants to recognize the marketing efforts of sellers as prime contributors to America’s rampant consumerism.

Now imagine groups of people who aren’t driven by these things. Imagine groups of people who have become content, who are content, living in peace rather than artificially created want. Is that possible? Can Americans be weaned from the addictive allure of consumerism? It would take an act of God for that to happen… an indwelling of a power beyond ourselves. Contented living, in this particular cultural context, would be an exceptional witness to a powerful spirituality. This is one aspect of life for those caught up in the Way of Jesus – contentment. Like the Apostle Paul, Christ-followers learn to be content in all circumstances, regardless of what they possess (or don’t). Their sense of contentment is internally guided rather than externally dependent.

Churches who help people detox from consumerism, discovering peace and contentment through living in Christ, would be winsome contrast communities indeed.

Criticism To Solidarity

Is there anyone who hasn’t noticed the Christian Church has fallen out of favor with popular culture in this USA? Those who participate with churches have moved from favored status in larger culture to outliers. One aspect of this trend is fueled by the tendencies of some churches to posture themselves in an over-and-against kind of way. They take note of the secularization of America, responding with harsh criticism, defensiveness, and anger. Part of their irritation is the result of being dethroned as the religious golden-child, moving from higher social status to lower social status as community organizations.

Is this what Jesus had in mind when commissioning us to be church? Still in the Christmas season as we are, perhaps we might shape ourselves after the one who incarnated into humanity. Rather than cast stones from a heavenly balcony, Jesus took on flesh and blood, joining we humans in solidarity. Rather than being afraid of humanity (ridiculous idea), Jesus joined humanity, motivated by powerful love. This is the pattern we are called to imitate… joining our communities, loving like Jesus loves. Laying aside the negative criticism, we become winsome faith communities when we identify with our neighbors in the mix of daily life. Coming down off that religious high horse is a relief, shaping us into Christ-reflective churches.

Complexity To Simplicity

Remember how quickly your church made decisions during the pandemic? The press of time and immediacy of the crisis required us to do so. Now that we are largely beyond that crisis, many churches are working to repopulate their committees and structures.

Can we pause for just a minute? Remember pre-pandemic times? Many churches were asking us how to streamline their bloated structures, believing the tail was wagging the dog, with serving the structure becoming the mission. Now alert churches are also doing the same – simplifying and trimming their processes and structures.

We can no longer afford the luxury of unnecessary meetings, in-person or online. We don’t want to burn the precious energy available for church engagement with peripheral activity or unnecessary procedures. We need structure; helpful and efficient structure which real people can understand and use. Simple, streamlined, effective structures are preferable to historical energy-draining activities.

Control To Trust

Adaptive churches, those who thrive in this current cultural environment, are fluid organizations. Admittedly, not everyone wants this kind of church experience. Some prefer churches where most everything is predictable, very slow-change ecosystems. There are plenty of these churches to be found…for as long as they remain. Adaptive churches live with the awareness that the world is changing and so are they. Therefore, they recognize transformational growth rises from many people and experiences, not only from guided and directed initiatives.

Trusting ourselves to holy experiments, believing God will guide us as we go, means we must give up tight control. Yes, churches need some controls in order to function, yet far fewer than we imagine are necessary. Transformational change and growth are messy experiences. Growth is not sequential, tidy, nor always controllable. Thriving, adaptive churches decide this is okay, or even more, preferable. They rather release control and trust the Holy Spirit-guided process, adapting and thriving in 2023.

So, may we lay aside

Consumerism

Criticism

Complexity

Control

While moving toward

Contentment

Solidarity

Simplicity

Trust

Making adaptive church shifts here in 2023.