Illinois Great Rivers Conference 2025 Journal-Yearbook
We have been rehearsing stories about how people are not coming to church anymore because religious pluralism has increased or the “nones” (those who practice no reli- gion) are getting more numerous. We have been telling ourselves stories about how we have faltered because the world has changed and we’ve not kept up. All these things are happening. All of these challenges are facing the church. But the narrative of decline is misleading. Because it misleads us away from the witness of Jesus. Friends, Jesus only had a staff of 12, well, really 11 (if we don’t count Judas). Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem instead of a chariot with horses. He had no mate- rial possessions to speak of and certainly no budget. Yet, he and his disciples changed the world. Narratives of decline mislead us away from this witness of Christ—away from the power of the Holy Spirit--and away from the reality of God’s grace. You know the story of Harriet Tubman, don’t you. I think the story of Harriet Tubman can be instructive when it comes to narrative. She led hundreds of Black people to freedom during slavery. I imagine that she often had no idea where she was going or how to get there. I imagine that people told her stories about how she would fail. But they say, Harriet saw visions. She must have grabbed hold of the vision articulated at Pentecost and originating with the prophet Joel, “I will pour out my spirit on all people: Your sons and daughters sill prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17/ Joel 2:28) . Our hope does not lie in how much we have—in how many churches or their size—in how much money, or in the size of our staffing. Our hope lies in the rivers of grace poured into us by the power of the Holy Spirit—the Spirit that has given us visions and dreams. Like the one from your new mission, vision and strategy document: “Today the people and churches of the IGRC are still at work proclaiming beloved community by inviting all to Be Loved and to Be Loving through our congregations and ministries.” It goes on to say, “We can see the hope and life of God’s promised future as we become a church filled with Christ’s grace, connected to our communities, meaningful for the next generations.” Do you hear the promise of God’s grace in that statement? Can you see a different kind of vison in that statement? Can we shape together a different kind of narrative based on that statement--a narrative of grace—a narrative of hope—a hope that does not disappoint. Do we know where that hope lies? And, do we have the endurance to persevere in the face of struggle? This is what has been true throughout history: authentic Christian witness is almost always accompa- nied by struggle, even suffering. Now when I speak of struggle and suffering, I don’t mean a false and inauthentic victimhood—like being convinced that not having dis- proportionate privilege in comparison to others is a hardship. I don’t mean self-cen- tered victimhood, like believing that winning is what life is all about and we can only win if others are visibly losing. I mean the struggle and suffering that comes when we act with mercy, justice and love toward a neighbor. I mean the suffering and struggle that comes when we give aid to the immigrant, when we insist that our LGBTQ siblings be treated with dignity and respect. I mean the suffering and struggle that surely comes when we stand up against
218 Leadership Reports
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