Discontinuity & Hope

by Schaller, Lyle E.

• ISBN13: 9780687085392
• ISBN10: 068708539X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: Abingdon Pr

Summary

Change: Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? That depends, says Lyle E. Schaller, on your viewpoint and values. Any given change can be threatening if all your values are wedded to the way things are now, if you can only view the future through the lens of the past. Or it can be exciting, if your viewpoint is geared toward the new possibilities that will arise from this change. By looking at several examples of large-scale, discontinuous change that have occurred over the last ten to thirty years, Schaller prepares church leaders to orient themselves to the new challenges and opportunities for ministry that will result from the accelerated transition going on around us.

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(8)
Continuity to Discontinuity	15	(56)
The Dumb Answer	15	(3)
Six Big Surprises	18	(1)
The Ecumenical Movement	18	(4)
The Erosion of the Western European Religious Heritage	22	(7)
The Fourth Great Awakening	29	(11)
From Cooperation to Competition	40	(2)
From Doctrine to Polity	42	(3)
From Low to High Expectations	45	(3)
The Ministry of the Laity Has Arrived	48	(3)
The Redefinition of Women's Ministries	51	(6)
From 30 Percent to 1 Percent	57	(4)
From Lover to Leader	61	(2)
The New Sources of Resources	63	(3)
The Endangered Species List	66	(5)
The Big Seven	71	(22)
From Deflation to Inflation	72	(2)
From Neighborhood to Region	74	(4)
From Community to Marketplace	78	(3)
From Small to Large Scale	81	(2)
From the Old South to the New	83	(2)
From Relationships to Competition	85	(3)
From Producer to Consumer	88	(5)
New Generations Bring a New Context	93	(66)
From Racial Integration to Ethnic Separation	93	(6)
From Minority to Majority	99	(3)
From Vertical to Horizontal	102	(2)
From Institutions to Individuals	104	(5)
From Superstar to Teams	109	(6)
From Generalist to Specialist	115	(1)
From Full-time to Part-time	116	(3)
From Movements to Networks	119	(4)
From Family to Peers	123	(5)
From Passive to Active	128	(2)
From Improvement to Entertainment	130	(5)
From Survival to Choices	135	(5)
From Enemy to Ally	140	(4)
From Verbal to Visual	144	(2)
From Neighborhood, Church, and School to Laundromats, Bars, and the Workplace	146	(4)
From Too Young to Too Late	150	(3)
From Sympathy to Intervention	153	(3)
From Talk Therapy to Drugs to the Internet	156	(3)
Seven Neglected Changes	159	(28)
From Service to Challenge	159	(2)
From Toys to Experiences	161	(3)
From Belief to Unbelief	164	(2)
From the Center to the Margins	166	(4)
From Unifying to Divisive	170	(2)
From Higher to Wider	172	(2)
From One Site to Many	174	(5)
The Big Omission	179	(8)
What are the Consequences?	187	(40)
A Congregational Perspective	187	(6)
A Ministerial Perspective	193	(5)
A Parishioner's Perspective	198	(3)
A Call Committtee's Perspective	201	(4)
A Denominational Perspective	205	(11)
A Theological School Perspective	216	(9)
What Next?	225	(2)
Notes	227