Christians and Jews Face Similar Challenges
Monday’s Alban Institute Roundtable featured the thoughts of Rabbi Hayim Herring presented in his book, Tomorrow’s Synagogue Today: Creating Vibrant Centers of Jewish Life.
The conditions he cites are faced by all religious groups today.
- organizations cannot exclusively control their messages
- information is more accessible and less private than in the past
- people energized by a vision will collaborate freely
- mistakes made by any one member of a group can be corrected by others
- success is tied to the ability to distribute knowledge and leadership
- synagogues can become a “platform for organizing people with similar interests” rather than remain a “top-down” operation
- synagogues are challenged to see “communities that do not yet exist”
- synagogues “should recognize the importance of niche communities and foster linkages among them”
- ongoing feedback mechanisms are vital
- organizations need to focus on what they do best
2×2 has already discussed many of these points. We think every one creates a positive, new strength with truly exciting potential.
We also predict that the upper echelons of church leadership are going to resist embracing new societal realities. They will continue to think like hierarchical leaders. Some may stubbornly oppose the inevitable, using their last vestiges of power to create real harm and chaos.
Ironically, the American Church may have the most difficulty adjusting to new ways. Separation of Church and State, a precious American right, gives the Church powers other organizations cannot claim. Parishioners, equally protected by the Bill of Rights, will find their denominations lording their protected status over them. Courts will not be able to sort out the resulting feuds.
Parishioners providing ideas and leadership that are welcomed in the secular arena, will be challenged by church leaders who are desperately hanging on to control mechanisms they enjoyed since the Reformation.
The emerging Digital Church Age with all its promise will spark a great power struggle. Much of what the Church teaches will be forgotten along the way, beginning with the Ten Commandments. Servant leaders were never more needed. If they prove to be in short supply, as we suspect they will, innocent lay people will be hurt, rank and file pastors will be silenced, and church leaders will meet in increasing seclusion as they come to distrust the people they lead. It could return us to the Middle Ages and the Inquisition.
We hope the coming revolution in the Church will be a short transition as young leaders, coming of age sometime since 1985 reach leadership positions. But meanwhile, it could be very ugly.
The sooner Rabbi Herring’s observations are embraced, the sooner the Church will enter the wonderful new world of the 21st century. It could take a decade or two . . . or three! Plenty of time to build a bunker!