About the project
Since the Enlightenment, the place of churches in Western society — and their self-understanding — has been changing and continues to change. In the second half of the twentieth century this process has intensified, connected with complex and layered developments of secularisation, globalisation, pluralism, and the emergence of an increasingly fluid society. It is fair to speak of a crisis of the church in the West, in the sense that older forms of the church will not continue in the same shape, nor hold the same place or impact in society. Even where communities hope to preserve traditional church practices, their relationship with the surrounding world has been profoundly altered, with important consequences for the Christian upbringing of younger generations, the missional calling of the Christian community, and the practice of Christian discipleship.
This research explores what the future of the church in this context can and should look like. It does so from the conviction that the church lives by the grace of God, who calls this community into being and to whom the future belongs, and from the conviction that the life received in relationship with the triune God remains the greatest gift that can be shared both within and beyond this community.
Integrated diagnosis and vision for the church
Given the far-reaching changes that churches and societies are undergoing, little can be taken for granted about what Christian communities will — or should — look like. Aware of the layered and multifaceted challenges that Christian communities face, this project seeks to avoid reducing attention to only one dimension of the church’s future, or becoming lost in a multitude of issues regarding the future of the church that cannot be brought together into an integrated diagnosis and vision. Instead, this project will continually attempt to connect the various dimensions of this complex set of questions with the church’s central identity in the saving life it has received in its relationship with the triune God — Father, Son, and Spirit — who invites the church into God’s future.
Two dimensions
One part of this project therefore focuses on the ecclesiological question of the identity of this community:
- What is the specific identity and calling of this community in the world?
- How can this identity be strengthened and sustained?
- What does this imply regarding suitable organisational forms for Christian communities in a fluid society?
The identity and future of the church and of local Christian communities is directly related to the second, soteriological dimension of this project. This concerns the hope for, and the nature of, the salvation or “good life” that the church and particular Christian communities have received, seek to embody, and wish to share with the wider world.
How the church relates to society
Both dimensions are directly connected to the question of how the church relates to society as a whole. The concepts of hope and the good life serve as bridges:
- What is the Christian understanding of the good life for which everyone longs?
- How is this life — and the hope of life in its fullness — embodied and how can it be recognised?
- Can the church embody or represent the good life and salvation in a way that is both countercultural and attractive?
The question of identity in turn raises further questions. How can the church be a distinctive community, faithfully telling its own story that cannot be reduced to another grand narrative or social project? And at the same time, how can it be a community that is hospitable to all, eager to build bridges and collaborate wherever possible?
