Necessary Change for the Denominational Church

July 26, 2010 by Deborah Arca

Continued from Page 1

The other piece that is going to be major is institutional structure, from church sessions to middle governing bodies. Because again, if I believe in the connectional church, we have to have the structures there that support that and manifest a healthy presence. So in a denominational future, how we structure middle governing bodies is going to be huge. That's the game changer for the PCUSA -- re-thinking our synods and presbyteries to model ministry in a connectional way.

As far as ministry components, I predict a resurgence in justice ministries again, as so many young folks are looking at issues like trafficking, gender, invisible children, environmental issues, etc. Folks are realizing that we need to come alongside some of these movements and be influencers. The last thing I'd say is that we just hired a new director of our Washington office who is going to reinvigorate our prophetic presence in DC. I think that piece is going to be really important.

What would a vibrant mainline church of the future look like?

It is one where you walk in and you feel that there is life. You feel that there is theological integrity and you feel like people in that space have been part of its birth. There is this sense that there is something greater happening and that it is because of this that people have gathered. In a reformed understanding where we believe God is unfolding some reality, it's a place that knows its role in that and is journeying along that way.

Read the full interview with Bruce Reyes-Chow here.

Bruce blogs at Bruce Reyes-Chow. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

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7/26/2010 4:00:00 AM

Future of Mainline Protestantism

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About Deborah Arca

Deborah Arca is the former Director of Content at Patheos. Prior to joining Patheos, Deborah managed the Programs in Christian Spirituality at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, including the Program's renowned spiritual direction program and the nationally-renowned Lilly-funded Youth Ministry & Spirituality Project. Deborah has also been a youth minister, a director of music and theatre programs for children and teens, and a music minister. Deborah belongs to a progressive United Church of Christ church in Englewood, CO.

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