Church renewal is the potential revitalization of the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus Christ. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a syn ...

in light of the perceived decline of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in many Western countries. The idea of a post-Christian era has made church renewal a popular topic of study among many commentators. There are a number of church renewal movements, such as the

emerging church movement The emerging church, sometimes wrongly equated with the "emergent movement" or "emergent conversation", is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century. Emerging churches can be found around the globe, predominantly in North Ameri ...

, the Missional Church Movement, the

Confessing Movement The Confessing Movement is a largely lay-led theologically conservative Christian movement that opposes the influence of theological liberalism and theological progressivism currently within several mainline Protestant denominations and seek ...

, the simple church movement,

New Calvinism New Calvinism, also known as the Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement, is a movement within conservative Evangelicalism that reinterprets 16th century Calvinism under contemporary US values and ideologies. History The movement started in th ...

, and

New Monasticism New Monasticism is a diverse movement, not limited to a specific religious denomination or church and including varying expressions of contemplative life. These include evangelical Christian communities such as " Simple Way Community" and Jonatha ...

. Dozens of renewal movements have emerged within mainline Protestant denominations in the United States. While the church has experienced trials throughout church history, the modern church renewal movements have arisen in response to the perceived decline of the church in recent history. For example, between 1948 and 2008, the percentage of Americans who identified themselves with some form of Christianity has dropped from 91% to 77%. Among other factors, low

church attendance Church attendance is a central religious practice for many Christians; some Christian denominations require church attendance on the Lord's Day (Sunday). The Catholic Church teaches that on Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithf ...

in Western Europe and the decline of

mainline Protestantism The mainline Protestants (sometimes also known as oldline Protestants) are a group of Protestant denominations in the United States and Canada largely of the theologically liberal or theologically progressive persuasion that contrast in history ...

in North America often motivate this concern. Even more troubling for church leaders is that of the 59% of Americans who are not affiliated with a

church congregation A church (or local church) is a religious organization or congregation that meets in a particular location, often for worship. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by clergy or lay leaders, ...

, six out of ten still consider themselves Christians and do not feel a need to be associated with a church. Various philosophical, theological, sociological, and practical reasons have been given for the decline of Christianity and the waning influence of the church, and various ideas have been proposed to halt the decline. Many theologians and scholars of religion have begun to look to the

Global South Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...

, where Christianity is perceived to be flourishing, for hints and suggestions concerning the renewal of the church in the

Global North Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and Global politics, politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global S ...

.See especially Philip Jenkins, ''The Next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity'' (Oxford, 2007). Also see Lamin Sanneh, ''Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West'' (Eerdmans, 2003).

Notable theologians dealing with church renewal

Alan Hirsch Alan Hirsch (born 24 October 1959) is an Australian author, serial entrepreneur, thought leader in the missional church movement, key missions strategist for churches around the world, and founder of numerous global organizations. Life Hirs ...

* Thomas C. Oden * Michael Frost *

Ed Stetzer Edward John Stetzer (born 1966) is an American author, pastor, and Christian Missiology, missiologist. He is Dean and Professor of Leadership and Christian Ministry at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He also serves as Distinguished ...

Brian McLaren Brian D. McLaren (born 1956) is an American author, speaker, activist, public theologian and was a leading figure in the emerging church movement. McLaren is often associated with postmodern Christianity. Education and career Raised in Rockville ...

* William Abraham *

Harvey Cox Harvey Gallagher Cox Jr. (born May 19, 1929) is an American theologian who served as the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, until his retirement in October 2009. Cox's research and teaching focus on theological developments i ...

References

{{Reflist Practical theology Christian terminology