Introduction: Renewing the Church

We all have the temptation to see the early church with rose-colored glasses. They did not need renewal; they were the powerhouse that turned Christian faith from a private heresy in a geographic backwater to a mighty water that took over much of the world. Reading 2 Corinthians with a beginner’s mind, we see a different picture. It was never easy to be the church. The health and vitality—even the mere continuance—of the church was fragile, threatened from within and without. Yet both images are true. The early church was a treasure in a clay jar, led by people with feet of clay but ultimately led by Christus Victor, the one who triumphed over sin, death, and the devil.

The articles in this issue reflect that reality in the contemporary world, in this kairos moment. Each author sees the church from their own vantage point, through the prism of their own academic discipline and personal experience.

Tod Bolsinger reminds us that we are in a time of profound transition in which the leaders of the church need to take advantage of the disciplines of spiritual formation and adaptive leadership, remembering all that has carried us through the difficult transitions of the past. Robert Chao Romero names the current threats to the survival and growth of the church but also reminds us of the gifts that are currently emerging into global view—the contributions of the Brown Church, the church of the Global South, the immigrant church—to the broader Christian community. I flesh out some of the same concepts in stories from the front lines of church renewal. Inés Velásquez-McBryde and Bobby Harrison give us a peek into church renewal on the ground in Southern California, describing a multiculturally led church plant during the pandemic. Marcos Canales and Oscar García-Johnson describe a trip to Chiapas in which they gain a new understanding of transnational mission partnership with indigenous communities, compelling them to change their local church practices to better advocate for the family of God in these communities.

Sebastian Kim takes us to Korea, describing the development of uniquely Korean revival and protest theologies and asserting their creative tension and mutual influence in building Korean churches and society. Cameron Lee focuses on those he calls “ministry refugees,” providing advice for how to help them negotiate through damaging experiences and draw from the expertise born from them. Scott Cormode offers tools for how to move each of us and our churches into a spiritual place that lays a foundation for renewal—immersed in grace, responding with gratitude, generosity, and hospitality. Lastly, Kirsten Sonkyo Oh relates the current moment in church renewal to Advent, noting that awareness of our transgressions is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s movement and has the potential to guide us toward hope-filled restoration.

In the end, this issue is about hope. Realistic hope, grounded hope, unshakeable hope in the promise Jesus made to Peter: The gates of hell itself cannot stand against the power of the treasure that we carry in our earthen vessels. A philanthropic leader told me at a recent American Academy of Religion conference that he was sick and tired of hearing that the church is dying. The church may be dying, but if so, the church is also rising. As Bishop Desmond Tutu said in an interview that I attended several years ago, “We are resurrection people.” This issue reveals the seeds of resurrection in the midst of our current crisis. Read and rejoice!