IS THE CHURCH OBSOLETE?
by Jim Wies

Viewing church in light of the cultural, social and technological changes of today.

Is the church obsolete? Wow! This writer was shocked at the words that reverberated through my mind and heart. Somehow I felt this was a significant and profound question for a man who has given his life to the church as a pastor and teacher for 30+ years.

When I think of the word “obsolete”, my memory takes me be back to the 8 track music player that I absolutely had to have in my first car, as a teenager. A few of us still have a box or two of those old bulky tapes in a garage, but nothing to play them in. Sitting here typing into my word processer, I also remember my first manual typewriter, and the accompanying bottle of “white-out” for the spelling mistakes I would inevitably find when I finished typing. Some people believe that the church as we know it is obsolete. They may have a fairly strong point.

Today we are in an amazing age of advanced technology and communications. To drive home the point, consider the invention of the transistor, a little less than 70 years ago.  Of course the transistor is a common component of most of our commonly taken for granted electronic items from radios to telephones to sound systems, TVs, microwave ovens, computers, etc. Transistors show up in places as diverse as airplanes, cars, broadcast stations, recording studios, remote controls, air conditioning, etc.

In fact, technology has increased so fast that many people are alive today who were here before television, Xerox, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, plastic contact lenses, digital watches, birth control pills, radar, credit cards, splitting the atom, lasers, frisbees, ball point pens, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets and air conditioning. They would have never heard of Big Mac’s, instant coffee, daycare, group therapy, nursing homes, FM radio, tape decks, CD’s, cordless keyboards, cellular phones, artificial hearts, ram, megabytes, hard drives, software or word processors.

This shift that we are in surpasses the transition from agricultural to industrial and industrial to technological.  It is historic.  Our past experiences and our current knowledge may not be adequate in this new age of communications.

The church is in major transition as well. (see article: A Third Apostolic Reformation) Most people know that the church, as it has been, is neither satisfactory to God nor adequate to the task before us in these closing days of this present dispensation. World population is presenting the possibility for a larger harvest of souls than has even been seen in the cumulative total of the previous 2,000 years. Meanwhile, the question that begs to be asked is “Are we trying to package a timeless message in an outdated methodology?” The challenge before the church is how to preserve and propagate an eternal and universal message in the context of a rapidly shifting civilization.

Consider that we only crossed over our first billion in population less than 150 years ago, and now there are close to 7,000,000,000 on planet earth. An amazing population growth statistic tells us that there are more people who have been born within the last 100 years than in the past 2,000 years combined. And prior to the 20th century, the fastest man had ever traveled was 35 miles per hour. Advances in technology, communications, travel, education, and social media are compelling us to rethink our entire approach to spreading the Gospel and the way we "do" church.

Of course, nothing takes God by surprise. Thousands of years ago the Lord spoke to the prophet Daniel of these days. “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”Dan. 12:4

It is estimated that a weeks worth of the New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a lifetime in the 18th century. It is estimated that 4 exabytes (4.0x10^19) of unique information will be generated this year. That is more than the previous 5,000 years. The amount of technical information is doubling every two years. For students starting a 4 year technical degree, that means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study.

Life as we know it is changing faster than most people can comprehend. The top 10 demand jobs in 2010 did not even exist in 2004. We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.

By 2013 a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the computational capacities of the human brain. Predictions are that by 2049 a $1,000 computer will exceed the computational capabilities of the entire human species.

Combining computer technology with the internet has increased our capability to access knowledge at a dizzying speed. There are over 31 billion searches on google every month. In ’06 it was 2.7 billion. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world with over 100,000,000 videos.

Wiki is a Hawaiian term meaning “Quick”. Wikipedia, a web based encyclopedia that is a relatively new entry into the world of encyclopedias, has over 15 million articles. Studies show it is more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica.

How is all of this impacting our church culture?  The days of giving a good sermon and expecting the building to fill are over. Yes, there are the few mega churches, as seen on television, but most people don’t realize those very visible mega churches make up only 1% of the churches in America.

The fact is, people don't come to church as often as they used too.  Many sincerely committed people only attend Sunday services twice a month. Some less. Consider this. The typical Christian hears an average of 7 different preachers/teachers in any given week.
Religious issues pollster George Barna pointed out that close to 25%, or one in four adults in America, downloaded a church podcast in the past week. (see Barna Update) XPMedia.com is a good example of the excellent resources available on the internet for free video teachings and sermons from a wide range of ministries.

Barna refers to a group of believers he calls “blenders” who look for multiple sources of inspirational input into their lives. He further points out that there is a certain segment of Americans who are currently leaving churches precisely because they want MORE of God in their life, but cannot get what they need from a local church. More and more sincere Christians are taking this more eclectic approach to feeding their spiritual appetites.

This can stress out local pastors, tempting them to become more legalistic in demands, or they can seek wisdom in this transition. Gone are the days when a pastor can think that he/she has primary control over the spiritual influence of his/her parishioners. Leaders must learn to function with an open hand realizing that the world is at the fingertips of everyone.

Click here to view the YouTube video: “Social Media Revolution 2”
(New and updated social media & mobile statistics that are hard to ignore. Based on the book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman)

While followers of Jesus know that the message of the Gospel is timeless and universal, it's becoming obvious that the church must embrace and fully use the technology of the future if it wants to fulfill it’s destiny. We need to recognize and adapt to some radical cultural, social and technological changes, while certainly remaining rooted in the eternal truths of Scripture to stay relevant in these exceptional times.

Martin Luther, in his day, changed how we do church forever. His courage to stand against the status quo is still being felt after 500 years. What most people don’t realize is that the protestant movement was fueled by a new invention that had recently appeared on the scene called the printing press. It enabled the printed word to spread. And the very first book published on this invention was the Gutenburg Bible. Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, is now the man who is acknowledged as the #1 most influential person of the last millennium.

But what about the inventions of today? The church would do well to recognize the significance of the incredible transformation happening now with information technology, the social networking phenomena, and other factors as we consider the question “Is the church obsolete?”

One such area of our culture that is going through rapid transition and transformation is community and communications. Even the word “community” means dramatically different things than it did 50 or 100 years ago. Quite often, the concept of community no longer has anything to do with geographical proximity. Today, “chatters” form a sense of ‘community’ with their friends in their favorite chat rooms, relating around their common likes and interests, while literally sitting in other countries and on other continents. In fact, one out of eight marriages last year in the U.S. were with couples that met online.

Social Media is not just a fad. It’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

Consider these amazing Social Media statistics:

•    Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30. 97% of Gen Y college students, also known as the Millennial Generation have a computer, and 96% have joined a social media network.

•    The first commercial text message was sent in Dec. 1992. Today, the number of text messages sent and received every day exceeds the total population of the planet.

•    Ashton Kutcher and Brittney Spires have more twitter followers than the entire population of Sweden, Israel, Switzerland, Ireland, Norway and Panama. (80% of twitter usage is on Mobile devices.)

•    The popular internet social gathering spot, "Facebook” has mushroomed. More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on facebook.. DAILY!

•    If Facebook were a nation, it would be the 3rd largest in the world, larger than the entire population of USA

•    50% of the internet traffic in the UK is for Facebook, and it tops Google for weekly traffic in America.

•    Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity of the Web.

We are now becoming the “connected” generation. These changes are affecting how we relate to one another and how we reach the masses. Communication is key to this new era. The Scriptures describe “church” as a relationally connected entity, (although traditions have turned it into a lot of other things) With the current advances in social media and communications, we now have the tools before us for a time of unprecedented relational and communicational connection.

Perhaps instead of becoming obsolete, the church is being handed the very tools it needs to become all it needs to be, in preparation for a great end-time harvest

Click here to view the YouTube video:  “Did You Know? 4.0”
(Official update to the original "Shift Happens" video. This fall ‘09 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology)

One definition of a fossil is an animal that failed to adapt during times of transition. Unfortunately, that could actually be descriptive of much of the institutional church. In many cases the traditional church has become dormant and lifeless. Obsolete would be a fitting word for it. The apostle Paul warned about this in his warnings about the last days in 2 Tim 3:1-5, where he talked about holding to a form but lacking in power.

What is needed is a fresh examination of the Scriptures for that which is universal and timeless, but can be pragmatically applied to this present hour. We need 21st century strategies rooted in the universal truths of Scripture concerning the Biblical definition of church.

So how does the Scripture define this thing called the church?  Let's look specifically at some scriptural descriptions of the church.  The following are 7 analogies commonly portrayed in Scripture that give us insight into the nature of the church.   - A Sheepfold   - A Family   - A Vine   - A Bride   - An Army   - A Spiritual Building   - A Body.

The church as a SHEEPFOLD... with Jesus as the Door to the sheepfold and the Shepherd of the sheep. (John 10:1-18) Relational focus:  toward God and the personal nature of our relationship with Him. This analogy speaks to us of belonging and protection. Scripture teaches a very clear membership to the church. You are clearly in or clearly out. To be "in" is a place of protection and safety.

The church as a FAMILY... with God as our Father, Jesus our elder brother, and we as brothers and sisters."But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 (also Matt 6:9; Eph. 2:19; 3:14-15; Heb. 12:5-9 etc..)  Relational focus:  Primarily toward God the Father and our relationship with Him; secondarily one another. This speaks to issues of relationship, fatherhood, and discipline.

The church as a VINE... With Jesus as the vine and we as the branches. (John 15:1-17) Relational focus:  toward Jesus and our relationship with Him on an ongoing basis. This speaks of fruitfulness through being connected (and staying connected) to Him.

The church as a BRIDE.. with Jesus as the Bridegroom. (Eph. 5:22-32; Rev. 19:7,8) Relational focus:  toward Jesus and our corporate relationship with Him. This speaks of love, affection, devotion, loyalty and covenant.

The church as an ARMY... With God as the Captain of the Hosts. (2 Tim. 2:3-7; 2 Cor. 10:3-4; Eph. 6:10-18; Lk. 10:18-19; Rev.12:9-12 etc..) Relational focus: our adversary. This picture speaks of spiritual objectives, order, rank and authority.

The church as a spiritual BUILDING... with Jesus as the Cornerstone; the key frame of reference; the plumb line from which the rest of the building is constructed. (Eph 2:19-22; 1 Pet 2:4-6) Relational focus: toward one another and toward the foundation of the building. This picture speaks to issues of the "connectedness" and structure of the building, and the unique worship experience that is found there.

The church as a BODY.... with Jesus as the Head. (Eph 1:22-23; Rom 12:4-5; 1 Cor 12:14-18,21-22,27-28; Eph 4:11-16) Relational focus: toward one another - our "connectedness" and our function.

The apparent fact is that each of these pictures has a relational focus. The first four pictures of the church primarily focus on our relationship with God. The church as an army deals primarily with our relationship to our adversary. The last two primarily focus on our relationships with one another, and give us insight into how the church ought to be connected to one another.

Church - A relationally connected reality
 
In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul the apostle states that we are no longer alienated, but rather fellow citizens with the saints; that we are being "fitted together" and "built together" into a dwelling of God. To be a "related" church simply means we are "connected" by relationship with one another.

God insists that we be rightly related to one another. The Scriptures in 1 John 2:9-11 & 3:19-21 imply that if we want to stay in right relationship with God, we must be about the work of maintaining a right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This means the task of building and maintaining right relationships is not an optional sideline but rather an essential ingredient of our Christian life, and an important part of how we define “church”.

CONCLUSION:
Throughout history past, and into eternity, the concept of being rightly related to one another is a value we must never take for granted. Put differently, LOVING GOD and LOVING ONE ANOTHER is the essence of authentic Christianity, regardless of the context. It has been said that advances in technology, communications, travel, education, and social media simply give us more sophisticated ways to sin or more sophisticated ways to love. I believe the following two components of the church, if they remain in the church, will insure that the church will never be obsolete - the love of God and the power of God poured out toward one another in love.
Sources:
       1.   The Religious Data Archives www.thearda.com
       2.    The Barna Group www.barna.org
       3.   YouTube video, Scott Mcleod, "Did You Know?"

More writing by this author can be found at: Supernatural Christianity Examiner