POSTmodern Ministry

Ministry to Postmoderns

How is the Seventh-day Adventist church doing in attracting people of today’s culture and generation?  Is it possible that the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America and Europe could be at a crossroads?  Many churches in Europe are near empty, or are being filled for uses other than worshipping God.  Could this happen in the United States? 

George Barna states in his book, Revolution, that “eight out of every ten believers do not feel they have entered into the presence of God, or experienced a connection with Him, during the worship service.”[1] He then says, “Regarding faith-based conversations, most Christians believe that since they are not gifted in evangelism, such outreach is not a significant responsibility of theirs.”[2]  This seems to be a formula for ineffective church growth.

In The Second Coming of the Church, Barna states, “Most American churches...are holding fast to programs and goals established by their charter members years ago.  Many of these ministries have mastered the art of denying the cataclysmic cultural changes around them, responding with cosmetic changes that make little difference.”[3]  He further states, “Only one out of four adults – and even fewer teenagers – believe that there is such a thing as absolute moral truth.  They believe that the Bible is relegated to nothing more than a book of riveting stories and helpful suggestions….[4] 

So here is the equation that happens in the minds of these people.  “Without absolute moral truth, there can be no right and wrong.  Without right and wrong, there is no such thing as sin.  Without sin, there can be no such thing as judgment and no such thing as condemnation.  If there is no condemnation, there is no need for a Savior.”[5]  If this seems scary, it is even more frightening to think that this is not a future prediction but a present reality!  

Barna then goes on to say, “Increasingly we find that young people view sermons as lectures, or class presentations, and are one-sided communiqués that are ineffective.”[6]  If this is the experience of believers, and an accurate representation of today’s culture, what are we as the church to do?  How can these people be reached with the truth of Jesus Christ?

Dr. Miroslav Pujic, TED Director of Ministry to Postmoderns, has come up with the following identifying characteristics of this group. [7]

What is a postmodern, and what distinguishes them?  Postmoderns value the process of participation rather than finding “the answer.”  Instead of one universal truth, they find significance in many little truths.  Instead of programs, they are more interested in discovery.  They are not isolationists – they value community, belonging, and friendship over wealth and prosperity.  They are technologically savvy, and media is important to them.  They are highly interactive which means they don’t do well in one-sided lectures.  Images are their method of conveying meaning.  They are not interested in religion, but are intensely spiritual, and open to spiritual things, including the occult.  They are political in a global sense, not believing or trusting one main political authority, but in universal decentralization of power and process.  Where a person of the modern age values individual pride, autonomy, and builds self-confidence, postmoderns find value in and admire self-sacrifice and selflessness, yet have anxiety over the ever-changing paradigm of their lives.  Truth to a postmodern is relative – it is a reality based on personal life experience (whatever form that might take), and whatever is believed to be personal truth then becomes truth.  Their belief is, “if it’s true for me, then it is truth.”  Because of this, they are very open-minded, and acceptance comes easily.  They poke fun at one another, and affectionately spoof what moderns would define as serious issues.

To the postmodern mind, the style of evangelism the church has previously relied upon brings a “one size fits all” message.  The church’s hope is that after an evangelistic effort has finished, new converts will see and understand the truth, and make major lifestyle changes in a matter of weeks.  In the culture of the modern mind, this seems logical, but a postmodern person simply cannot connect with this.  It is obvious that these two cultures are speaking different languages.  How can the gap be bridged?

One lay-led postmodern, urban Atlanta church, New Life, meets in the Vineyard Church at the corner of Jimmy Carter Blvd. and Peachtree Industrial, and is reaching out to postmoderns in Atlanta (website).  Another postmodern group, Fusion, led by Pastor Chris Bullock, meets at the Defoor Centre.  For more information about Fusion, check out their website

Looking for more on POSTmodern training etc., please contact Bill Levin at wflevin@gccsda.com.

LIFEdevelopment is a ministry specifically to post-moderns, primarily young people of today’s culture, by being involved in building authentic friendships with unchurched, secular people, and in the process, leading them to Jesus, and providing them hope through support and nurture.  This type of evangelism is based on sharing your life, interests and values.  The idea is to invite people into community with God and with each other. The venue for evagelism is the workplace, store, health club, school, or home.  In telling your story and becoming a friend, a safe environment is created in which a postmodern may explore spirituality.             
 
The LIFEdevelopment Seminar took place on March 9-11, 2007 – “W” Hotel in Atlanta

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