Recent studies have demonstrated that society isn’t as interested in church as it once was. At least in the United States, the majority of Americans are either unchurched (meaning they have not attended a religious service in the last six months), or dechurched (meaning they used to attend religious services but have chosen to stop)1. Looking ahead, it seems as if the trend toward churchlessness is only going to continue. According to the Barna Group,
Looking to future generations does not paint an optimistic picture for the importance of churchgoing. Millennials (those 30 and under) stand out as least likely to value church attendance; only two in 10 believe it is important. And more than one-third of Millennial young adults (35%) take an anti-church stance.2
Couple this forecast with what has been called the Secularization Thesis, the idea that as a society modernizes, it loses religion (resulting in children viewing church as less important than their parents), and it’s not difficult to envision a world where only a fraction of society participates in organized worship.
Although there seems to be a clear connection between the modernizing of a society and its secularization, the Secularization Thesis has recently undergone some serious criticism. You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’m spiritual, not religious” or “I’m not really interested in organized religion, but I have my own way of worshipping God.” These sentiments seem to be on the rise today, and they pose a challenge to the idea that modern societies necessarily become secularized. In truth, it looks like modernization doesn’t always lead to secularization but to pluralization.
As a society progresses and diversifies, it becomes more and more pluralistic.“You worship God however you want, but your religious truth doesn’t have to be my religious truth.” Religious pluralism doesn’t allow for one true church or religion, and it sees most religious beliefs (granted they don’t harm others) as equally valid. This means that Christians aren’t just going to be challenged with having to answer the question, “What makes the church important in a modern world?” but also, “What makes your church right?”
Can you answer those questions for yourself? In this resource, we are going to explore some of what the Bible has to say about the Church. The goal is to gain a better understanding of what the church is and to be able to identify the church when we see it. Of course, no church on earth today is perfect, but long ago Jesus gave this promise to one of his disciples: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
Despite the challenges faced by the church today, we have the promise of Jesus Christ. The good news is that his kingdom—the church—won’t be swallowed up by secularism or pluralism. Jesus supernaturally protects his church from destruction, and we can rest assured that right now Jesus’ church is thriving throughout the world. Since we have this promise from our Lord himself, our concern isn’t whether or not there is such a thing as the “church,” but rather, what exactly is the church, and where can we find it today?
