by Dave Roberts » Sun Oct 14, 2018 4:30 pm
In many ways, I think the de-emphasis on denomination is part of a post-denominational world. As I have worked with churches as their interim pastor, one of the focus points from the intentional interim training that I like to use is a focus on Connections, how the church connects with the wider world. What I am finding is that local ministries seem to be the key for the church. In my current intentional interim, the church seems much more involved with a local interdenominational ministry to human needs and a backpack project providing food to students from a local elementary school who have been identified as not being fed on the weekend by parents of guardians or not fed well.
Part of my awareness is the virtual demise of local associations as the seat of denominational awareness. There are few full-time directors of missions in VA outside of metropolitan areas, and the missions emphasis that the associations used to provide, along with the absence of denominational programs that provide missions education, has left major information gaps. When I was a full-time pastor, I tried to have two or three events each year that focused on a denominational connection like having a missions speaker, someone from the state team, or an emphasis that brought a wider awareness. In addition, most pastors used to be fed through a denominational network of colleges and seminaries. Now, I am aware of pastors in VA and NC Baptist life from at least half a dozen different seminaries rather than from a denominational network.
Also, the diminishing of church financial resources as churches have moved from my parents' generation into succeeding generations has meant that smaller gifts through the local church that meant less money to denominational causes. That also has resulted in more focus on direct mission efforts over denominational ones. Sending a team somewhere gets more resources from the local church than does a denominational emphasis.
The scene is changing. I am not certain where it is going totally for the future.