Jason Locke's Blog

If you’re familiar with any of  the blog posts  from my sabbatical partly spent in the UK, then this book by Mike Moynagh explains a big piece of my research. During our 10 days based in Oxford, I got to visit with the author over cool drinks on a warm, summer afternoon. That two-hour chat was one of the highlights of my sabbatical. Mike is incredibly pragmatic, knowledgeable and humble. We had a wide-ranging conversation about how most efforts to "diagnose" the church's problems are quite misguided. What often results amounts to little more than prescribing surface changes: sprucing up the building, livening up the worship service, preaching more emphatically or with better theology, or simply doing the liturgy well. These changes, Mike suggests, never really address what lies at the heart of church decline in Western societies today. To be clear, Mike Moynagh loves the traditional church. He personally prefers the Anglican liturgy above more "contemporary" ...

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  

On Sunday, January 22, 2023, the College Church of Christ elders hosted a meeting for church members. During this meeting, they announced their unanimous decision to sell the church’s existing property and relocate to a more appropriately sized property elsewhere in the Fresno/Clovis area. Each elder and minister shared their own words of affirmation about this decision. This move is not taken lightly and no doubt evokes sadness in many folks. Still, the church leaders believe this is a crucial, positive step. Despite the many memories that fill this campus, the church's current needs are no longer a match for this property. Selling and relocating will help the College Church more fully live into its mission and vision for the future. A brief bit of context may be helpful. In early December, the elders asked church members for ideas about what to do with the building and property. It was acknowledged that the College Church sits on an expansive 9-acre property with nearly 45,000 ...

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...

Editor's note: As promised, I have the amazing fortune of being able to publish several guest columns about the decline of West Coast Churches of Christ. Over the coming weeks, you'll read thoughtful words from church leaders like Tim Spivey, Andy Wall, Lynn Anderson, Stan Granberg, Scott Lambert, Aaron Metcalf, John York, Rick Gibson and more. These are all respected church leaders who love God's church as a whole, and they show a deep respect for what God has done and still can do in Churches of Christ. Our first guest column in from a gifted, young, hard-working Texas preacher who came to California with high hopes. After preaching in Redwood City for three years, Sean Palmer has returned to Texas to work with a church plant called   The Vine Church . He is a prolific   blogger   who works as hard as any minister I know. I hope you'll find some valuable insights in his excellent article. The View from Sean Palmer I had the honor of preaching on the West ...