ESA asked dozens of Jesus followers the question “When you look at the church today, what gives you the most hope?” This was my answer:
Churches that love God in creative worship; churches that acknowledge people’s brokenness; churches that are as committed to grace as they are to truth; churches that have rediscovered their identity in, and are reenergized by, God’s mission; churches that engage in holistic ministry—evangelism, compassion/justice, and reconciliation; churches that celebrate racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity; churches that strive to practice God’s unconditional love in a polarized world.
What I’m describing are churches whose people strive to be disciples of Jesus Christ in a lost and broken world. What gives me hope is not necessarily newfangled, hip forms of church, but churches that desire to embody Christ in genuine discipleship, no matter what form that takes.
Click here to see how John Perkins, Ron Sider, Phyllis Tickle, Alexia Salvatierra, Kathy Khang, and others answered the question.