Jason Locke's Blog

Most North American churches are in crisis mode. Decline. Division. Lack of direction. Even closure. These are the realities you likely know all too well. It’s old news. In response to these negative trends, I typically hear one of two lines of thought. The first just involves doing what churches already do, only better. Welcome people more warmly. Lead better worship. Be more transparent. Preach more effectively. Make your facilities more inviting. Serve nicer coffee. Have snazzier kids’ classes. Use social media more successfully. The list goes on and on. Standing-room only crowd for our workshop at the 2023 Harbor Lectures This set of strategies stems from the reality that most church leaders have a church-shaped mission. In other words, they know how to do one thing: Sunday morning worship. And since that is what churches do, that must be the tool to turn things around. The mission must fit church as they know it. The second line of thought is less optimistic. It embraces dec...

To read my latest article on the Mosaic site, please click the link below: https://www.mosaicsite.org/main/2023/2/7/the-church-of-scotland-is-changing-fast-can-the-churches-of-christ-follow-suit  

As I begin this post, I'm in Ravenna, Italy. If you don't like history, you might want to skip the first three paragraphs. I was unaware of Ravenna's significance until recent years. Perhaps I was taught this crucial piece of history long ago and didn't absorb it. More likely, though, is the idea that this town is forgotten by many who teach Western or religious history. Ravenna was the western seat of the Roman (or Byzantine empire by then) for a few centuries. After the sacking of Rome, Ravenna became the ideal spot for the empire's western capital because its marshy, seaside location made it easy to defend. The city was easily accessible from the Byzantine capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). Great buildings, palaces, and cathedrals were built in Ravenna in the 4th-8th centuries. It was the last Roman or Byzantine foothold in an Italy dominated by Lombards, Goths, Vandals and so forth. Much of ancient Ravenna was destroyed over time. Allied bombing in...

Fifteen visits spread out over twenty-one days in the United Kingdom. It's been a whirlwind tour. I've visited with lay leaders and clergy. With those launching Christian communities in new developments. With those trying to renew a sense of mission in ancient, dying parishes. With those bringing new forms of Christian community alongside traditional worshiping assemblies. With budding enterprises in rural villages and creative outreach in urban areas. With leaders whose churches no longer meet on Sundays, or no longer use their sanctuaries. With churches who have transformed or rebuilt their spaces. With churches who have one vicar for eight congregations. With churches who have hired innovative lay leaders to reach out in their communities. With Anglicans. Baptists. Methodists. Scottish Presbyterians. And with those who coach, train and inspire these folks. I'm hardly the first person to have experienced such a journey or visited these church settings. But I don't kno...

This was my latest post for Charis . It's an online resource produced by the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry at Abilene Christian University. http://char.is/blog/2016/09/29/five-keys-to-reviving-a-dying-church/ Click, read & share. Thanks!

Liberec, Czech Republic. Not a highlighted spot on most people's maps. Certainly not a well-known place. But I lived in the Czech Republic for the better part of a decade, and I know its regions and cities. This article tells the tale of one church I encountered that displays all the characteristics of a seemingly vibrant church in an unexpected place. Communism decimated Czech churches. It's hard to destroy 1100 years of Christianity, and Communism wasn't the only philosophy to mount an assault on belief in the modern age. But Communism managed to finish off an entire generation of believers. When I moved to Prague, conservative Protestant or "evangelical" churches could claim maybe 50,000 people out of a population of 10 million. And many of those churches were demoralized after discovering that the fall of Communism didn't bring the masses flocking back through their doors. Czech  churches  certainly needed renewal, but I didn't see much sign of it....

This week, I read & shared a piece by Steve McSwain from the Huffington Post religion blog. McSwain seems to be a good guy, and he is a respected church leader. His article,   " Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore "  is a well-reasoned response to a previous blog post by Ed Stetzer on the Christianity Today blog. Stetzer is another widely read Christian leader. In his article,   " The State of the Church in America: Hint: It's Not Dying ," Stetzer argues that "The church in America is in transition," and that we shouldn’t really think of it as declining or dying. What is Stetzer saying? He wants to reassure us that the American church is just getting rid of "cultural" and "congregational" Christians – i.e., those who aren't serious about their faith. According to Stetzer, this will leave the church with a group of people who can seriously engage society as "a mobilized mission force in the midst of this missio...

Editor's note: This is the last in our series of guest columns on church decline. Starting later this week, articles will focus on renewal. Our twelfth and final guest column is from Tim Spivey, a native of Southern California. Tim preaches for New Vintage Church in Escondido, California. He is a Pepperdine University graduate and has his DMin from Abilene Christian University. Tim is a prolific writer. You can find his blog pos ts at newvintageleadership.com .  He has a keen eye for church health, and I think you’ll find his reflections to be helpful in our conversation about church decline. The View from Tim Spivey Growing up in the Churches of Christ on the West Coast in the 1980s and 1990s was a blast. Churches of Christ during that era were growing and spiritually vibrant. Those who have moved into Southern California over the last fifteen years or so may find that hard to believe, but it’s true. In Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties there were a number ...

Editor’s note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. Coming articles will focus on renewal. Our eleventh guest column (on this issue) is from Stan Granberg, the founder and director of Kairos Church Planting Ministries . Stan grew up in the Pacific Northwest. After years as a church-planter in Kenya and as a teacher in the southern US, he returned to the Northwest to find a changing landscape among Churches of Christ. In the article below, Stan describes the impact this has made on his work for the Kingdom. The View from Stan Granberg I grew up in the Seattle/Tacoma area. During the 1970s and 1980s our fellowship of Churches of Christ had a dynamic feel to it. Our camps were full. Youth events were frequent and dynamic. The Great Northwest Evangelism Workshop was drawing 2,000 or so participants. We had no megachurches but the incoming people outnumbered the outgoing and our church life seemed good.  When I returned to Portland, Oregon to...

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. We’re about the shift to articles on renewal, but I still have a couple more that help us think about decline. Our tenth guest column is from Rick Gibson, a native of Bakersfield, California. Rick worked with Jeff Walling at the Mission Viejo Church of Christ in Orange County, where he ministered for 11 years. He is now the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for Public Affairs and Church Relations at Pepperdine University. As CMO, Rick leads Pepperdine’s efforts to elevate the brand and reputation of the University. Rick brings his carefully honed vision for “image” and “branding” to the struggles of our West Coast churches. The View from Rick Gibson 10 Things Apple Knows that Churches Forgot I recently read an article that outlined the various views of the major Christian churches in America. The web-based article contained a cleverly animated info graphic. Click on a particula...

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. Just a couple more to go. Articles in April will focus on renewal. Our ninth guest column is from Aaron Metcalf, a native Oregonian who preaches for the Westside Church of Christ in Hillsboro, Oregon . The Westside church has experienced significant loss in the past decade, and Aaron’s perceptive thoughts help us look a little differently at church decline. The View from Aaron Metcalf The great passage from Acts 2:27, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” has never been part of my ministry experience in West Coast Churches of Christ. I’ve never been a part of a church community that experienced rapid or even significant gradual growth. Most of the churches I’ve been a part of, in fact, would have been happy if the Lord sustained our numbers daily and stopped the decline. Forget growth; let’s just keep who we have! In my current ministry context decline ha...

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. Still to come: articles from church leaders like Stan Granberg, Aaron Metcalf, Tim Spivey, Rick Gibson and more. Articles in April will focus on renewal. Our eighth guest column is from Brian Sandine, a West Coast native who has preached in San Leandro, California since 2000. Brian brings us the heartfelt and honest story of decline through the lens of the San Leandro Church of Christ . I pray that you’ll be blessed and informed by his words. The View from Brian Sandine I am an ethnographer at heart. I like to talk with people about what happened, what life was like, and what their experience has taught them. I like to hear them tell their story and reflect on that story’s importance. So to write this piece, I asked several members of our congregation to tell me about it. I preach for the San Leandro Church of Christ, a church in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a church with a story—sever...

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. During the rest of March, you'll read thoughtful words from church leaders like Tim Spivey, Stan Granberg, Aaron Metcalf, Rick Gibson and more. Articles in April will focus on renewal. Our seventh guest column is from Andy Wall, a native of Southern California. Andy preaches for the Conejo Valley Church of Christ , just 20 minutes from the Pepperdine University campus. Having grown up as a missionary kid in Greece, Andy has the eye, not just of a skilled minister but also of a missionary—a powerful combination in helping understand our role in the unfolding mission of God. The View from Andy Wall Decline and Renewal: A Study of What Former Members Are Saying My journey of wrestling with the decline within Churches of Christ began during the early 90s, when circumstances caused me to reflect on two questions: why were so few of my former youth group members still in the Churches of...

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. During the rest of March, you'll read thoughtful words from church leaders like Tim Spivey, Andy Wall, Stan Granberg, Aaron Metcalf, Rick Gibson and more. Articles in April will focus on renewal. Our sixth guest column is from Mark Manassee, a native of Southern California. Mark preaches for the Culver Palms Church of Chri st in Culver City, home to some of California’s biggest movie studios. Mark has experienced church life outside the West Coast, and his eyes are wide open to the unique opportunities and challenges that our churches face. Mark is completing a DMin at Fuller Seminary in Missional Leadership, and he’s helping his church re-learn what it means to partner with the mission of God in their community. The View from Mark Manassee I love Southern California. I have lived in several states from the Northeast to the South to the Midwest but I am a Southern Californian through and...