Seldom has there been a more exciting moment for mission and ministry. As we teeter on the verge of a brand new millennium, the challenges - and therefore the opportunities - are extraordinary, despite all the worrying things going on. There are enough clues which lead us to believe that the 21st century could be looked back on by our great-grandchildren as one of the golden ages for God's people in God's world. However, it is the choices we make now and during the next few years that will determine the shape of the church in 2015 and beyond.

Our tragedy is that such a relatively small number in the West seem to recognize the astonishing position in which the Christian church finds itself. Somehow we seem to have allowed ourselves to get trapped in a downward spiral of despair, hopelessness feeding on a sense of helplessness, until a debilitating pessimism prevails. Large chunks of American churches seem incapable of breaking out of a cycle of perpetual depression, and are therefore unable to grasp the fact that this age of unparalleled and sometimes chaotic change has a flip side: possibilities galore.

These days optimism seems out of fashion. Yet we see no reason for so much of the gloom and pessimism, although we are not blind to the problems pressing on us from every side. Hidden within those predicaments are the seeds of the dynamic Christian life which could very well transform the not-too-distant future.

From some of the humblest laypersons to distinguished prelates, too often the response to our previous two books, New Millennium, New Church, and its brief sequel, Venturing into the New Millennium, has been a shaking of heads and the wistful comment, "We do hope you're right, but we don't really think so." Nevertheless, even we have been surprised how much the various trends we identified and described have been on target. As the picture has unfolded, a good number of the fascinating changes of course and direction we had anticipated have taken place.

Optimism energizes. Pessimism and exhaustion tend to reinforce each other. It is impossible for observers of the Episcopal Church to miss the cloud of depression that hangs over so many of the aspects of our life from the national level to many of our congregations and their clergy. In these situations, enthusiasm has waned, there is a dearth of vision, the church is stuck, and the resulting paralysis leaves us morbid and visionless. But we should not allow negativity to blind us to the many exciting pockets of life at various stages of maturity. Nevertheless, in too many places the church and its clergy tend to manifest obvious symptoms of depression. It is out of this pain that new life is starting to emerge.

As scholars have looked afresh at the Old Testament sages and seers, new insights have emerged into the character of prophecy as the agent of transformation in a religious community. Prophecy often begins with the condemnation of evil. Relatively little effort is required to be critical of blatant evils in church and society, and in the last quarter century we seem to have majored in this almost to the exclusion of all else. Once evil has been uncovered and described, the prophet is moved to grief. Today we find ourselves overwhelmed by such anguish, and as a result seek quick fixes to the church's seemingly intractable problems, but there are none. This is further complicated by the tragedy of a Christian community so often permeated by the broader culture's ills rather than having the ability to transform them.

Yet God permits alternative visions to emerge from the womb of agony. At the darkest moments new life springs forth. That fresh vision is now struggling to the surface. Our primary agenda in the next 20 years must be to give this vision legs. We are unapologetic about our optimism because we can see this new vision bubbling up everywhere, and because we believe God is always faithful to his people.

With mature reflection we find ourselves wondering whether the 1994 General Convention was one of the pointers toward a different kind of future, with its unexpectedly upbeat outcome in the midst of a variety of important, controversial, and still unresolved issues. A major shift evidenced itself from what people thought would be an unhealthy obsession with sex and money. Instead, the convention showed a renewed interest in and enthusiasm for global mission. This manifested itself in an amazing series of motions encouraging the church to more than restore cuts proposed by the Executive Council, and to reach for the high ground of Christian giving and faithful stewardship. The Presiding Bishop, in a rallying speech, challenged the church not to cut the heart out of mission. This was echoed in committee after committee, and was finally endorsed by both houses of convention. Mission appeared to be re-establishing itself as the primary task of the church, perhaps marking a changing set of priorities.

Many people sensed this shift in focus had its roots in the daily Bible study, prayer, and celebration of the Eucharist in intimate table fellowships which set this convention apart. This altered style of doing business began with the bishops in their annual meetings at Kanuga, was extended to the whole convention, and is likely to have a profound and lasting impact.

The next couple of decades will be crucial. As we come to terms with the fact that we are no longer a church functioning in a sympathetic social climate, we will be expected to make some radical - and sometimes painful - changes. Many of our priorities will be turned upside down if we are to be missionaries to this culture. If we refuse to take up this challenge, then there is a strong possibility that we will continue our decline into irrelevance or oblivion.

Yet even as our environment becomes less hospitable - even antagonistic - to our life and witness as a church, there is a rising tide of spiritual hunger among people of all classes and backgrounds. From Hollywood to Hoboken, men and women are on a spiritual quest which manifests itself in everything from a serious exploration of traditional Christian spirituality and religious life, to experimentation with bizarre New Age fantasies, or superficially delving into native American religious customs. For the first time in several centuries, an insatiable hunger for a personal experience of divine things is starting to emerge.

Is the Episcopal Church in the third millennium going to be a dinosaur or a dynamo? We are convinced that the best way to fail today is to attempt to improve upon yesterday's successes. We believe the way we respond in the next quarter century will determine the answer to this question. We have contracted to write a book which examines the practical implications of this emerging - and perhaps alternative -vision during the next 18 months. Cowley Press anticipates that it will publish this book in early 1997.

Because each of us has a role in the birthing of this new vision, we invite you to share in the venture of shaping it. We are just two individuals among many with a passionate commitment to follow God's will for this church, and we want to make it possible for you to participate in this process. Each month during the next year, THE LIVING CHURCH will carry a short article designed to stimulate your response to our observations on everything from evangelism and spiritual development to structure for mission and theological education. We encourage you to reflect prayerfully upon what we write, and then share with us your own observations, reflections, and suggestions.

The approach that we and the editor of THE LIVING CHURCH have chosen is designed to stimulate you to share your ideas, rather than to over-burden the debate format which characterizes each week's letters to the editor. We ask that you send your ideas in writing to us c/o THE LIVING CHURCH rather than mailing them to us directly, and we will incorporate observations and ideas into the book as each article is significantly expanded into a full chapter.

As you begin to reflect with us, we pose some questions which might guide your thinking:

• Do you believe the Episcopal Church alongside America's other "mainline churches" is in a state of terminal decline with little hope of this nose dive bottoming out?
• Does the pessimism and exhaustion often seen in the church stem from the inability of parishes and priests to break loose from the cycle of old ministry patterns and paradigms?

Or do you share our optimism which is best summed up in a recent comment of the Rev. James B. Fenhagen, former dean of General Theological Seminary and executive director of The Cornerstone Project: "We live in dark times, but the stars are out!" o

Send your observations and comments to:

2015

THE LIVING CHURCH

P.O. Box 92936

Milwaukee, WI 53202-0936