21st century mission: Shifting center, growing diversity

21st century mission: Shifting center, growing diversity:

"ATLANTA – With the center of Christianity shifting south in the 21st century, what can North American Christians learn from what’s happening in Africa, Asia and Latin America?

What are the implications of the new alignments – with pluralism and secularism increasing in Europe and the United States, while evangelical Christianity is booming in many places in the southern hemisphere?

There are many ways to answer those questions, but one common denominator is this: North American Christians need to be ready for change. Things are shifting all around them, whether they’re prepared or not, and some of these realignments amount to dramatic reconfigurations. And with every change comes both some pain and new opportunities...."

We Presbyterians have long taken pride in being a "mainline" denomination, even as it became obvious that our numbers have been shrinking while more evangelical denominations have been increasing their numbers. Our Mission efforts over the past century have born fruit, and we have a great opportunity to learn from the success of the these indigenous churches.

It is refreshing to see this interest in the shifting center of the Christian Church worldwide, and I hope these discussions serve as a catalyst for renewal in the Presbyterian Church.

Read the whole article as well as the PC(USA) news release on the conference.