As the second least churched state in America, Vermont cries out for spiritual assistance. Can you hear the cry of her heart? Does it call to your own heart? Why not join Terry Dorsett and his team of missionaries in reaching Vermont with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

A Word from the Director:

Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, reveals in clear terms how small events linked together over time eventually merge into significant cultural change. It may be difficult to know exactly when the “tipping point” is reached, but there does come a moment when some idea or concept on the “edge” of culture suddenly becomes mainstream and everything changes as a result. One example of this in modern life would be the environmental movement. For years people on the edge of mainstream life have talked about protecting the environment, yet it seems that in the last twelve months that has suddenly become one of the primary issues of our culture. Rising gas prices, shrinking polar ice caps, environmental pollution, global warming and any number of other issues are all small parts of the big picture, and it is hard to say which one of those issues was the “one” that made environmentalism the new “religion” of America, but somewhere along the way it happened. Environmentalism now has such a grip on American life that it is difficult to ignore the issue regardless how one might actually feel about the environment.

Many Christian leaders feel that churches in North America are also nearing a tipping point culturally. Most major denominations report that they are in a long slow decline. While conservative churches have been spared the worst of such declines, even conservative leaders are beginning to notice a slow “graying” of the congregation. If this slow aging continues, even conservative churches will begin to slide into decline. While conservatives love to comment on why liberal churches are in such steep decline, they are not quite as open in discussing the graying of their own congregations.

It is hard to say exactly why conservative churches are aging and in some cases declining. Some say it’s because the music is designed for an older generation. Others say it’s because the sermons have no connection to real life experience. Others say it is because the church has failed to utilize technology in an increasingly video oriented culture. Others say it’s the judgmental attitude of church leadership. Some say it’s just because young people are too caught up in the world to consider the role God should play in their lives. Most likely, all of these issues are interconnected and contain part of the answer. Regardless of the cause, many believe that church life in America is reaching a tipping point and that large numbers of churches will close over the next twenty years as their congregations age and die out.

While this is not exactly encouraging news to those of us who love the church, the good news is that Jesus has declared that HE will build the church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Even as some existing churches age and slip into decline, other existing churches are experiencing renewal and new churches are also springing up all over America. Though new churches take many forms and come in all shapes and sizes and reach all age groups, there seems to be a particularly strong movement among young adults that gravitate toward the newer churches. Some existing church leaders have accused new churches of appealing to the “flesh” by using “entertainment” as a way to draw young adults. While this may be true in some new churches, there are many that clearly teach Biblical values and have no intention of “entertaining” people into heaven. Many of these new churches have long worship services with intense music that drives people to their knees in repentance and prayer. It is common in these new churches for the sermon to last 45 minutes or longer and for mid week Bible studies and prayer times to last two hours or more. Many of these new churches look a lot more like the churches described in the book of Acts than some existing churches do. Many of these new churches have very strict standards for “membership,” in contrast to how easy it is to “join” many existing churches.  In a day when many people in existing churches just want to “get in and get out” quickly so they can go on with their day, hearing about churches filled with young adults who are intense in their worship and hungry for solid Bible teaching is refreshing. It is living proof that Jesus is indeed building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail. Many existing churches may indeed close over the next two decades, but THE CHURCH will survive and grow and flourish and continue to serve Jesus and walk in obedience to His command to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

What about your church? Is it filled with people seeking a vibrant connection to the God of the Universe, or has it become a religious club devoted to the contentment of its members? Is your church reaching out to a community and sharing a solid Biblical message in a culturally appropriate way, or is it simply following human traditions masked in religious sounding rhetoric? Is your church reaching the next generation with the timeless truth of scripture, or simply serving as a senior adult chaplaincy service to those who already know Jesus? These are challenging issues to think about. We may not always like the answers we come up with. But if we are to be faithful in our service to the Lord, we must ask these hard questions.

Though some tipping points may be “bad” for the church, others can be very good. Imagine a nation filled with young vibrant churches on fire for God and desiring to obey Him in every facet of their lives. That sounds like a great future to me and if current trends continue, we may yet see that tipping point reached!

Terry Dorsett

Email Terry Dorsett to learn about God's Vision for Vermont and how YOU can become involved.