What is the future of the Church?

This is a question of which I face every day as I step into ministry. In serving with young adults, this is a question I believe is answered beautifully through the unique, passionate, and determined leaders that the Church of today is fostering and growing. The future of the Church is deeply rooted in how well these young adult voices are brought into the beauty of inter-generational leadership, service, and worship.

Serving in institutional local church ministry to teenagers for 8 years followed by my current tenure with young adults, has me convinced that the Church is not at its end, as some are quick to lament, but only at the birth of a new beginning. We must not be afraid of asking questions, seeking open dialogue, modeling transparency, and pursuing discussion where all voices, young and old, are given equal footing.

It was during my educational pursuits, receiving both a Bachelor’s degree focused in Religion and Philosophy as well as a Master of Divinity, that I fell in love with the Church: its history, traditions, people and theology. It was also during this time that I began to experience the transformational journey that exists when people of all ages, backgrounds, and ideas come together to serve and bring hope to a world that desperately yearns for it.

What is the future of the Church? I have faith that it is bright but that our success moving forward starts with the breaking down of the walls that separate, always moving forward into the beloved community that exists within the Kingdom of God.