A Model for Reengineering a Local Presbyterian Church in Order to Effectively Present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a Postmodern World

The Presbyterian Church in Canada, of which the author of this project is a minister, is a declining, mainline Protestant denomination. The historical roots of the Presbyterian Church are to be found in the Reformation of the sixteenth century. The church has a rich heritage of biblical tradition in terms of proclaiming and disseminating the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, however, the denomination's adherence to the authority of Scripture and its influence in Canadian society are in question. Statistics presented in this project will show a continual decline in church membership since 1965. Studies conducted by the denomination itself over the past thirty years show the same concerns being raised again and again. These concerns include the lack of vision, lack of vital worship, lack of effective youth ministry, and the need for renewal. Each of these will be documented and addressed throughout the project. Whether or not The Presbyterian Church in Canada will survive the twenty-first century remains to be seen. The fact that it has seen a consistent loss in membership for thirty years has to say something about the effectiveness of its ministry.

It will be the author's contention that liberal theology and a considerable emphasis on social action and social justice are at the root of the denomination's decline. The current lack, and indeed loss, of the call to a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord has, in the author's opinion, been detrimental to the church's health and ministry. To reverse the circumstances of the Presbyterian Church is not all impossible. As with the prodigal son, God does not reject a humble repentance and turning to Himself. The probability of reversing the denomination's loss of members may be in question, unless a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit is allowed to infuse the church, both in its theology and structure. This project will offer one approach which may be used of the Spirit to begin the process of genuine renewal within the Presbyterian Church.

Much of the project is a response to a study commissioned by the denomination's 120th General Assembly, in June of 1994. The results of the study were presented the following year as a State of the Church Report. In seeking to challenge the church to renewal, the report chose a wilderness journey motif. In part it said, 'The Presbyterian Church in Canada, like God's people of old, faces a journey in the wilderness. . . . On the wilderness journey our destination is not clear: all we know is that God goes with us.' Each chapter title of this project reflects that same motif, progressing from the current state of the church in the wilderness to an analysis of why the church is in the wilderness, and concluding with a recommended way through the wilderness. Various quotes also appear under each chapter title reflecting the theme of the chapter, and offering a challenge which reflects on the desired outcome of the chapter.

The wilderness journey of which the 1995 State of the Church Report speaks is a reference to Israel's time in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. There are both similarities and dissimilarities between Israel's situation and that now facing The Presbyterian Church in Canada. The most striking difference is in terms of destination. Israel was traveling to the Promised Land. Their destiny, at the outset, was not in question. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:8), He stated that He would deliver the Hebrew people from Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey, the land of Canaan. The destiny of the Presbyterian Church, at least currently, is not as clear.
Israel spent forty year in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. Sadly, this did not have to be. Had Israel been obedient to God, they would have entered Canaan the first time they came to its borders in the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 13). Instead, God sent them back into the wilderness until the adults of that generation had died.