Until the mid-twentieth century, the attractional model of church, which focuses on belonging and church growth, worked well. However, as our society becomes more secular the pool of people looking for a church is declining, thus the attractional model is becoming less and less effective.
As a result, we are seeing a shift to the incarnational or transformational model of church that believes the purpose of the church is to make change happen.
Watch the video: Being an Incarnational Church
The incarnational / transformational model takes two forms:
Examples of Spiritual Churches:
Friends Church, Calgary
Willow Creek Church, Chicago
Southland Church, Steinbach, Manitoba
Calvin Presbyterian Church, Zelieniple, PA
Oakridge Church, London, ON
New Hope Church, Calgary
Abbey Church, Victoria, BC
Example of Missional Churches:
Converge, Calgary
Redeemer Church, New York
Lake ridge Church, Chestermere
Eucharist Church, Hamilton, ON
The Story, Sarnia, ON
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Calgary
As you can see, there are a growing number of congregations that are reinventing themselves in order to foster a more meaningful congregational life, for both their current and future congregants.
What aspects of the above congregations sound interesting or appealing to you? Why?
Is there a focus or activity that Westminster should explore?