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THE 'UNCHURCHED’: A challenge for mainline Christianity
by Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle

Current data indicates that an increasing number of Americans identify themselves as ‘unchurched’. This includes not only those who, in their adult life, do not go to church, but also a great number who were not raised within a church tradition. While it seems to me that more conservative Christian churches have had considerable success attracting good numbers of these individuals, mainline churches, including those who identify as progressive, seem to lag behind. In my area of the country, this has certainly been my impression.
In a brief article, I cannot delve into all of the reasons or potential strategies for changing this situation. In considering the issue, however, I would like to make these suggestions:
1. That local churches rethink how we go about getting the word out about our churches. A church’s social media presence is important and cannot be underestimated.
2. That we recognize the reality that many couples, heterosexual or homosexual, come from ‘ mixed’ religious backgrounds. This includes many individuals who did not have a ‘churched’ upbringing. Resources such as my book A Home United published by Energion may be helpful in encouraging dialogue among those couples, a dialogue that can be extended out to others.
3. That churches renew their commitment to adult education, while looking for creative ways to do it effectively. Sitting back in the church building and waiting for people to come may have been a great strategy in the 1950’s, but not anymore. We have to look for viable ways to be present in our communities.
4. That local churches not shy away from talking to people about the unique spiritual resources to be found in their denominational identity. To do so is not to deny ecumenism. As a matter of fact, in my book Crossing the Street, also published by Energion, I contend that we benefit from knowledge of and exposure to a variety of worship traditions, including musical ones. It is simply to say that it is good for a Presbyterian to talk positively about the values of that tradition in presenting a church as attractive to those who know little about it. I would also note that within denominations you will find a depth of theology and theological discussion that should not be bypassed in the quest for ecclesiastical relevance.
Finally and, tying this all together, is my strong belief that churches have to get VERY INTENTIONAL about reaching out to the unchurched. My suggestion to the reader is that you do whatever you can to make this a real priority in your church. Do what you can to discuss and raise consciousness about this issue.
I would appreciate your comments!
Rev. Dr. Bob LaRochelle is Pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Windsor, Connecticut
Follow him on Twitter at @REVDRBOBL
Follow Christ the King Lutheran @CTKWindsor
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May 24, 2016
Are Our Sermons Hitting Home?
by Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle

It has long been a well-established ‘given’ that the sermon plays a crucial role in any worship service. The importance of the preached word was a valuable insight of and priority established in the Reformation and in the years since the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church has committed itself to in depth homiletic training of its clergy ( priests and deacons) for whom preaching is part of their ministry. Yet, in spite of the expectations of good preaching, it is important to raise questions about its effectiveness in local churches and to explore some ways in which messages delivered by a preacher might be even more effective.
As someone who over a lengthy career preaching in both Catholic and Protestant contexts, I often wonder if the sermon is ever remembered even later on in the service, much less four or five days later. Consequently, one of the most important factors in sermon preparation is my own focus on one particular question: Does this message connect to the real life of the people who hear it? In other words, is there something in it that leads people to think that these words of the Bible were not just written for another time and place but instead have incredible relevance to the way they live their lives?
Likewise, I believe that the sermon has to be presented as a message respectful of peoples’ ability to question and to doubt. So often, I have heard sermons that have presented some pretty incredible pieces of information as ‘givens’. I mean, really, what intelligent person might have some doubt that this Biblical character REALLY lived to be 900?? So, what I am saying is that the preacher must be realistic in her or his assumption that the listeners are capable of intelligent and critical thought.[ene_ptp] In addition, I would like to suggest two approaches I have used which can help complement the overall approach to preaching in a local congregation:
1. I really like to provide specific opportunities to DISCUSS the sermon. Oftentimes, I have done adult education programs after worship in which the topic was the sermon itself. This is a wonderful way to engage the ‘listeners’ and really help make them participants in a shared breaking open of God’s Word. I was first exposed to this approach as a college student who attended a local church quite frequently where the pastor offered us this opportunity. I loved it then and I find it helpful now!
2. On occasion, I like to preach a CONVERSATIONALSERMON in which I will say a few things, for sure, but will also open up the conversation to the insights and questions of members of the congregation. When it is prepared and responded to well, it makes possible a preaching dynamic that draws upon the lived real life experience of the participants at worship. At times, I have even done this for several consecutive Sundays using a specific thematic approach to that block of time. Examples of these sermons and a more developed commentary can be found in my book SO MUCH OLDER THEN, published by Energion.
It is my view that now, as much as ever, the sermon remains an integral part of Christian worship. It is so important that great emphasis should always be placed on preaching well. Good preaching, as I see it, involves a willingness on the part of the preacher to approach this task creatively and expansively, with due respect given to peoples’ intelligence and lived experience grappling with the issues raised in the Scripture we proclaim!
I look forward to your comments!
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May 10, 2016
ADULT EDUCATION—A BIG NEED IN OUR CHURCHES

by Rev. Dr. Bob LaRochelle

What is Adult Education like in your congregation? How is the level of participation? Are the topics you study engaging, and does their complexity challenge you to think deeply? Do you find yourself surprised or even shocked by what you are learning?
I have worked in various capacities in local congregations for a long time now, and in different church traditions as well—both Protestant and Roman Catholic. To be[ene_ptp] perfectly honest, I have found that one of the greatest and most often overlooked needs is worthwhile adult based religious education. Oftentimes, what is called Adult Education in local churches focuses in on Adult Bible Study. I am not suggesting that this is unimportant. As a matter of fact, most of the teaching that I do is teaching from and about the Bible.
My conviction, however, is that local congregations have a great responsibility to offer adults the opportunity to explore, discuss and grapple with a wide variety of real life ethical concerns and profound theological questions. Sadly, in establishing strong programs for children in local churches, we have often conveyed the wrong impression that religious learning stops at a young age.
The reality is that adults need a religious education that takes them deeper than the often surface, literal understandings about Bible texts they have received, or the remote catechism style answers that have shaped their doctrinal education. The good news is that there are great materials out there that explore real life issues and expose people to different perspectives.
To be honest, I have been looking at developing some classes in my congregation based on some of the materials this publisher, Energion, offers. In reviewing the variety of titles in Energion’s collection, I am struck by how various, operative, and conflicting opinions on current church issues are available through this one company. It’s pretty incredible—progressive theological and conservative evangelical voices, as well as everything in between, all under one roof!
So, my simple suggestion is that if you are at all involved in participating in or shaping programs in your local church, that you look to explore the development of relevant topics in which a healthy pluralism of voices can be read, studied and discussed. While these materials certainly need not come from one publisher, I would suggest that this page you are on is a great starting point.

April 26, 2016
DENOMINATIONS: NOT AN EITHER/OR

by Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle

The following are some rather established facts regarding the current state of institutionalized religion in the United States:
1. Traditional mainline denominations have experienced a significant decline in numbers.
2. Mergers and cooperative arrangements between/among denominations have raised questions regarding the relative importance of denominations and whether affiliating with a particular established church is really that big of a deal.
Some would argue that nit picking about the differences between and among Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians and the like is wasted energy and really problematic when set against Jesus’ expressed intent that His followers ‘all be one’.
In this brief space, I wish to make a case for the importance of denominational identity. In so doing, I make two points:
1. The unique theological insights that have marked the establishment of denominations need to be preserved. As an example, I would cite the incredible work of a Martin Luther or a John Wesley, among others, work which eventually led to denominations with polity and liturgy that reflected these unique theological contributions.
2. Ecumenism, in its best sense, involves finding ways to incorporate insights and practices from traditions not one’s own. In this regard, I would urge Methodists to learn more about Luther and Lutherans to learn more about Wesley, etc. Particular hymns, for example, from various traditions represent theological approaches and nuances that can help expand peoples’ awareness of the depth of Christian theology and practice.
Contemporary church practice has included a proliferation of independent churches, megachurches, and those with very loose affiliation with historic Christian theology. Many of these churches of a more conservative bent focus on the simple act of ‘accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.’ Many more progressive ones convey a message that actual theology is less important than connection around a particular set of values. They emphasize a conviction that within this church one can hold to a wide variety of perspectives. As a more progressively oriented Christian myself, I am comfortable with diversity of thought within a church. My point is that I would like it if people engaged with and had dialogue around different theological perspectives, including an exploration of their roots.
Basically, what I am calling for is an active, vibrant approach to education within local churches, an education which does not deny, yet rather encompasses the great diversity of the church’s tradition. Healthy, exciting conversations can be had by both youth and adults around topics such as: God, God’s will, sin, afterlife, salvation, etc…The varied, diverse resources of Christian theology and liturgy, born of denominational history, can illumine current conversation and bring it to yet unexplored depth.
I would appreciate if you would discuss the implications of what I am saying for life in a local church community, perhaps your own!
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April 12, 2016
Talking about God
by Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle

[ene_ptp]At my church, as at most, I would suppose, we offer a regular program of adult education. Over the course of time, I have led sessions on a variety of topics ranging from social issues to hot topics in the modern church ( e.g. same sex marriage, the death penalty, etc.) and, probably most frequently, adult forums dealing with reading the various books in the Bible. Parenthetically, I would note that in whatever church I have been, there has always been quite the interest in the Book of Revelation!
Recently I decided to lead a session in which we would simply explore the question of God. I told people as they came in that we were about to go on a roller coaster ride as my plan was not so much to give them answers about God but, instead, to try to pose questions that would encourage serious reflection and lead into meaningful conversation.
I have done this before with high school youth and adults and I have found it to be a really meaningful experience. I would encourage pastors and those who teach in local churches to do this. In encouraging you, I would stress that what I said previously is most important, i.e., trying to lead people into serious dialogue and inner reflection on this deeply personal topic.
While I am not posting the entire outline of my session here, in this brief space, I can offer you a quick overview:
1. I asked people to talk about how they understand God…..encouraging them to consider specific questions: Is God a person? Does God have feelings? What do you think God does with prayer?
2. I explained some of the traditional understandings of some of God’s attributes- omniscience (all knowing), omnipresence (present everywhere), and omnipotent (all powerful). I asked them what they thought of those and whether they saw any contradictions.
3. I moved into some alternative views of God:
4. Kushner—from When Bad Things Happen to Good People- a view that God does not really have control over human choices. This always leads into great discussions on free will and prayer.
5. The notion of the suffering God and liberation theology’s sense of Christ in the suffering poor
6. The understanding of God as ‘ground of being’ and some panentheistic thinking about God
7. The notion that God created human beings in His (hmm) image and we have been returning the favor since
8. I posed an amazing scenario (not to be described here) from one of the most amazing books I have ever read, Thomas Lynch’s The Undertaking, a scenario which gets people thinking about where God was /is when tragedy occurs. This brief scenario is one of the finest discussion starters on the topic of God I have ever seen.
While this discussion could go on forever, we concluded with an exploration of the notion of God as mystery and what that might mean to us as individuals. I cited the quote from the priest in the film Rudy who tells a rather lost young man: ‘ There are two things I have learned in my life as a priest:
1.There is a God
2. I am not Him ( the priest’s use of gender, not mine!)
My bottom line in this is that the act of talking about God is really an important function of local church communities. I would even suggest that it could be incorporated dialogically into sermons. I try to show some of this in a book I wrote for Energion, So Much Older Then, a book of conversational sermons. If you get a chance, you may want to give it a look!
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March 22, 2016
The Dangers of Religious Illiteracy
by Rev. Dr. Robert R. LaRochelle

At this point in our culture, three significant realities are operating at one and the same time:[ene_ptp]
1. There is significant variety in the different religious perspectives held by Americans and the number of functioning religious groupings. Religious pluralism is a reality.
2. There is a real lack of knowledge about religious perspectives outside of one’s own.
3. With the significant decrease in church and religious education attendance, there is a decline among many people in the knowledge of the religious tradition of which they are a part, especially regarding the depth of diversity inside of one’s own tradition.
Several years ago, Stephen Prothero wrote a significant work simply entitled Religious Literacy. In summary, Prothero contends that lack of religious knowledge can be dangerous. I agree with him. It seems to me that a lack of knowledge of both one’s own AND other religious approaches can lead to unnecessary suspicion, prejudice, and dangerous activity. Sadly, there are far too many examples of this happening not only over the course of history but also in recent years.
As I see it, two particular problems have to be confronted head on:
1. The terrible lack of knowledge most Americans have with different religious perspectives. Failing to seek deeper knowledge all too often leads to terrible biases and actions directed toward those who are ‘other.’
2. The deficiencies in knowledge that ‘mainline’ Christians have about Biblical interpretation, theology and the conversations and developments within their traditions regarding a wide variety of religious issues. This makes misunderstanding about one’s own tradition an all too common reality.
What I am saying is that a lack of knowledge unfortunately leads to a reflexive fundamentalism regarding the Bible and a surface understanding of the complexities inherent in confronting the ‘ God question.’ Sadly, those who might not feel connected to churches but hold to an inherently ‘liberal’ view of theology often feel as though they are really outside of the mainstream of organized religion and that organized religion can never really express their own way of looking at the world. This need not be true and it isn’t! Yet, without adequate exposure to serious theology within their local churches, the opportunities for deeper understanding of their own traditions may not happen for many of our young!
Within the Christian community, we are seeing an ever increasing polarization between ‘conservatives’ and ‘liberals’. Sadly, many of our young are not even engaged in these conversations as they have come to perceive their own churches as places which really do not offer an adequate alternative way of thinking about religious faith. The reality is that those churches rarely do. Therefore, this religious illiteracy is depriving people of the opportunity to learn from such Christian thinkers and practitioners as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, Dorothy Day, Gustavo Gutierrez, John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg, Martin Luther King, James Carroll, Oscar Romero, and so many more who have really challenged some of the conventional wisdom of the most conservative elements of the traditions in which they were raised. It is also depriving people of experiencing the depth to be found in some of the major conventional thinkers within various Christian traditions, people like Luther, Wesley, Aquinas, Augustine and many more!
This is truly sad and unfortunate!
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March 8, 2016

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