FAITH AND CARING IN THE GLOBAL VILLAGE
The Art and Science of Living and Teaching the Christian Faith in Contexts
by
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When James Kitchener (not his real name) answered the call to the ministry, he envisioned training to become the pastor of a large church where he would preach several sermons on Sunday mornings, command a huge salary, preside over a large staff of pastors, supervise supporting personnel and maintenance people; his church would ultimately be something similar to the mega church he grew out of. Barely one year into the seminary program, little did he realized that his dream may never come true, because barring some oddity, the model he envisioned may not exist in the next ten to twenty years when he expects to be ready for that position. Like many ministers and lay leaders, James now has to settle down for a ministry role he neither fully understands nor embraces at this time, and he doesn’t like it one bit. The point is he and many others in the church today are called to practice their faith in a field that is yet unfolding. My aim in writing this is twofold: (1) To further elucidate the controversial tenet of the priesthood of all believers and (2) To underscore the role of both clergy and laity in the development and functioning of the postmodern Church. I believe that as the Church seeks to adapt to its new environment and bring into its folds the people of this age, the role of clergy and laity will be in many cases superimposed to become the true “laos” of God. The latter will gain in exposure and responsibility while the former will need to reinvent itself to fit the new role. As a result, the Church will find once again its true mission of being God’s instrument of salvation in the world rather than be extinct as a “For Members Only” Club that it now exemplifies in too many instances. As for the main line Protestant denominations, a casual look at the statistical data of the past decade leads us to conclude that the verdict is in. Though their survival is inevitable, the reality is that the bleeding is constant: year after year their numbers are shrinking. Leading the pack with 14% decline over the past decade, the United church of Christ is followed closely by the Presbyterian Church (USA) with 12% over the same period, the United Methodist Church with 7%; the American Baptists lost 6% of their membership followed closely by the Episcopalians with 5% and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was out by 2%. Whichever way one looks at these figures, the bottom line is that things are not the same for the once mighty mainline churches in America, and perhaps, in the world; the successes of a more recent history do not justify their latent inability to make good the opportunities of the day and refine the luster of the past.
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About the Book
Faith and Caring in the Global Village is about pastoral care and Christian spirituality in the age of an ever-shrinking, interdependent world. It is a call to action that delves into the current argument about the necessity for the Church to embrace the mission-based paradigm in the ecclesial communities that are eager to have their say in the way the good news is communicated to them and to others. It speaks especially to the historical denominations that are still reluctant to do away with deep-seated traditions and social/racial status. Listening to the current tone of the debate, one would think that only scientists and politicians are responsible for the problems humans face and, therefore, they and they alone have the moral obligation and capacity to propose solutions for the resulting challenges, and lay out a set of plans to deliver us from annihilation. Although they have an important role to play, the exemplary conduct of many of Christ’s followers and the results of the teaching in many Christian communities points in a different direction, the Church. In the final analysis, the appropriate response to the call for relevancy leads to the understanding and acceptance of diversity in people, culture, and in practice; and to unity in purpose.
About the Author
Jonas Georges is a Presbyterian Minister who serves as the pastor of a multicultural congregation in Miami, Florida. He is also the Director of Field Education at the Florida Center for Theological Studies in Miami Florida.