When I look at the church, what gives me hope?
I think young people are asking great questions of the church, and those questions are pushing the church to think critically about what we believe and how we worship, but most importantly how we are to live as God’s people. I see—not just in young people but across ages and denominations—a real desire to live integrated lives with faith as a meaningful, centering heartbeat. People are thinking about how what they eat and what they buy have to do with their faith. They see global issues like poverty and ecological crises and social injustice, and they want to respond—and change things. If we can listen and heed these voices, the church has a bright future indeed.
Danielle Shroyer is a writer, speaker, and ordained pastor who addresses issues of theology, culture, church leadership, and emerging communities of faith. The author of The Boundary-Breaking God, she is part of Journey Church in Dallas.
