Dream Up the Church You Want to Worship In - Reimagining the Church for a Post-Christendom World
In the midst of the seismic cultural shift of our time, the church finds itself in a position where innovation is no longer optional but essential. This is especially evident in Western contexts, where the old Christendom model is crumbling under the weight of its inability to adapt. These legacy systems, like unwieldy supertankers, are too slow to meet the fluid demands of the present age. What is needed are speedboats—agile, responsive, and purpose-built for the mission field.
This moment calls for leadership, but not the kind that simply relies on skills or strategies. What’s needed is an apostolic imagination—a capacity to think beyond inherited frameworks and cultivate a holy dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Leaders must ask the daring question: What could the church look like if it truly embodied the missional heart of God?
Reinvention is required at every level. On a macro scale, the church needs a systemic overhaul, reconfiguring itself as an apostolic movement that can effectively engage a post-Christendom West. On a micro scale, leaders and communities must enter a transformative process of unlearning and relearning—a metanoia—that ensures the church remains faithful to its mission and relevant to its time.
This is not just a structural revolution; it is a spiritual one.
At its core, it demands an openness to the Spirit’s transformative work, enabling the creation of vibrant, incarnational communities that are deeply rooted in their local contexts. When imagination, Spirit-driven innovation, and authentic community intersect, the church can reclaim its identity as a transformative presence within a disenchanted culture.
Tinkering with outdated models won’t suffice. Doing the same things better will not yield different results. This is a call to fundamentally re-envision what it means to be the church today—to be an apostolic Jesus movement. The apocalyptic cultural moment is a kairos moment, challenging our clunky and ineffective forms of ecclesia, but also brimming with opportunities for those bold enough to step into uncharted territory. The future of the church hinges on leaders who can dream with clarity, act with courage, and lead with daring faith. Now is the time to rise to the challenge.
-Alan Hirsch