The Church's Presence in the World

Yes, churches had their share of struggles in recent years: racism, abusive leadership, declining participation, for instance. But for all of their struggles, churches can and do participate helpfully in the life of their places. They feed and care for neighbors; they speak up against injustices. The stories below highlight that in some places, churches still bear witness to the goodness of God in the world. Stories like these help to motivate us in the work that we are doing as part of the Cultivating Communities project.

Cultivating Communities works alongside cohorts of churches that are in close-proximity to each other, providing resources and helping them discern what it might look like for their congregations and their places to flourish. Our first two cohorts (one in the mountains of East Tennessee and one on the west side of Chicago) are now underway.

(Learn more about our cohorts and the Cultivating Communities Learning Journey)

Why the decline of the church matters to everyone As churches slowly disappear, so does the good they do in the world. That’s a loss for everyone, says longtime religion journalist, Bob Smietana. It’s not the church’s fault that the world's in the shape it’s in. All these changes were coming to the church no matter what. I do think that people are going to have to be like, “All right, it’s going to be different. How do we live out our values for the whole community and not just our community?”   (via Faith & Leadership )

Reconciliation or Antiracism? Helping Churches Answer the Biblical Call to Racial Justice. A free webinar from Seminary Now (Sign in required.) Join Derwin Gray, Christina Edmondson, and Chad Brennan, with host Darrell Bock to engage this important question. 

(via Seminary Now)     Click Here to watch this webinar ...