George Thompson, Jr. on the “inner-directed conventional church”
An excerpt of George B. Thompson Jr.‘s “Church on the Edge of Somewhere: Ministry, Marginality, and the Future,” from Alban Weekly:
The life of an inner-directed conventional church offers stability, status, and affirmation, especially to its long-time members. They are more interested in what they think of themselves than of what their community thinks of them. Indeed, as the years go by, inner-directed conventional churches might hold a perception of their place in the community that is very different from reality. Deep down, the congregation believes that “we have what we want” and “we are content to be who we are.” Beyond commenting to visitors that “we are warm and friendly,” members of these churches say little out loud about what is important to the congregation. Their budget typically includes mission projects locally and beyond, but a newcomer to the church might feel that these are token gestures. In inner-directed conventionality, a church’s energy and concentration clearly is on itself (however it defines itself) rather than upon the needs of persons and groups in difficult circumstances. Their efforts to interact with people in need are often brief and ill-considered. We can speculate that the culture of inner-directed conventionality makes it awkward and nervous for a church that is content with itself to wrestle deeply with segments of its world for which contentment is elusive.
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