Page 5 - Glory & Grace Issue 12: Witnesses

Three “Jeopardy” contestants were recently stumped when asked: “Matthew 6:9 says, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven, blank be thy name.’ ” Not a single contestant offered a guess to fill in the blank. When the famous buzzer sounded, the host revealed the answer: “Hallowed.”
(Editors note: We hope you already knew that!)
The rise and fall of American religion is well documented and this moment from “Jeopardy!” is just one small indicator that, “the times, they are a- changin’.” If you have an eye toward history or you have lived life long enough, you will likely agree that the church isn't what it used to be. Today, with fewer Americans participating in a faith community than the generation before them, it begs the question, in the next generation will there be witnesses to the hope and grace given in Jesus Christ?
KOG’s response to the question, “will there be witnesses” continues to be a bold and expectant “yes.” We are anchored in Christ’s words that “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18), and simultaneously recognize that the church of the future may look differently than it does today. Christ’s call to “be my witnesses,” requires each person to “be prepared to give the reason for the hope that is within you” (1 Peter 3:15) and for the church as a whole to humbly and creatively embody that witness into an age of change.
What does this look like and why does it feel so foreign (as in, “we’ve never had to do this before”)? Good questions. For some, this may mean exploring the question, “Why Jesus?” in their own life. For others, it might involve sharing with others how church makes a difference for them. Yes, there may be some who feel comfortable testifying to how they came to know the abundant life that Jesus gives, while others may simply aim to invite someone to join them for worship. If “being witnesses” feels strange to you, its likely that you’ve lived in contexts where Christian affiliation was more or less assumed, which is not the case today. Scholars at Luther Seminary report that from their vantage point the core challenge is that “Christian communities struggle to form deep Christian faith, identity, and practice with their members, families, and neighbors.”
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In the pages that follow you will see examples of how KOG’s members and groups are witnessing to abundant life given by God and shared alongside one another. You’ll see snapshots of serving others and ways we love neighbors, but what isn’t captured in photos are some of the hard, but also very real elements of “being witnesses.” Sitting with someone in the hospital, witnessing one’s pain, or accompanying another in grief are also examples of bearing witness to the transcendent in the pattern of cross and resurrection.
Without a doubt, God’s mission will continue into the future and the Holy Spirit will gather communities to receive Christ’s gifts and share God’s love. The invitation before King of Glory is to consider what kind of witness will our community be? KOG’s strategic conversations this past spring around the theme, “Called to Be,” as well as our fall curiosity about “Why Church,” are helping us to listen for God’s calling along the way.
Could it be that God is shaping KOG to be a unique witness in Billings? What if this community of faith could surpass people’s expectations of what they thought church was, and instead witness to an in- breaking God who is continually forgiving sin and making us new? In a time marked by division, what difference might it make if KOG’s witness is to a God who holds us together despite our differences, when everything else seems intent on pulling us apart? Could KOG, albeit imperfectly, be witness to a different way of living? What impact would it make in Billings (and beyond) if KOG’s witness included that its very existence is evidence to something “beyond,” that is true and good, and larger than itself?
As you pray for KOG’s ministries and Christ’s church around the world, we invite you to dream about, and reckon with, what you believe a future as witnesses to Christ will entail. It continues to be our prayer that God will prepare us to be faithful to the Holy Spirit’s leading so that today’s changing world might always encounter a witness to Jesus and his love.
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“Forty million Americans have stopped attending church in the past 25 years. That’s something like 12 percent of the population, and it represents the largest concentrated change in church attendance in American history.”
The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church by Jake Meador (The Atlantic, July 2023)