Chapters 6 and 7

1.       I was struck by Diana’s description of mainline congregations, “…although they are not always open to change, that’s not the primary feeling in the congregations.  Their primary emotion is grief.  They are grieving the fact that their churches are declining, that their children are going away, and that the traditions they love might disappear.  They are in mourning” (p. 172).  Discuss.

2.       In Chapter 6, “Belonging,” Diana makes this statement:  “Church is no longer membership in an institution, but a journey toward the possibility of a relationship with people, a community, a tradition, a sacred space, and of course, God”  (p. 192).  What thoughts do you have about what Diana says?

3.       I drank my morning coffee from a mug that was given to me by a congregation of our synod.  On one side of the mug is the congregation’s logo and name.  On the other side is the website , phone number and the slogan, “A place to belong, believe and become.”  I am sure that the order was chosen quite deliberately.  It has made me stop and think on many mornings.  Diana suggests that Western Christianity traditionally ordered faith from belief to behavior to belonging (p. 201).  Now, she says, we need to reverse the order to belonging, behaving, and belonging (p. 204ff).  Does this make some sense to you?  How might that change your congregation?

4.       Diana sums up the chapter, “The Great Reversal,” by saying this:  “Relational community, intentional practice, and experiential belief are forming a new vision for what it means to be Christian in the twenty-first century, a pattern of spiritual awakening that is growing around the world” (p. 214).  How would you respond to Diana’s assertion and do you see this trend developing in your congregation?