This morning at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) we continued a summer sermon series: Stories That Shape Us: How Jesus’ Parables Transform the Way We See God, Ourselves, and the World.
Sermon
My message, “God Doesn’t Play It Safe” is based on Matthew 13:1-23.
You can watch below or read the manuscript.
Excerpt
Newsflash #1: Christianity is declining. Over the past sixty years, we’ve seen a steady and significant decline in Christianity across this country. Sociologists often describe this trend by pointing to changes in three key areas: belief, behavior, and belonging or what people believe, how they practice their faith, and whether they identify with a religious community.
Perhaps the simplest example is what happens on Sunday mornings; fewer people go to church and those that still attend do so less often. Many of you have observed this among your own family and friends.
Newsflash #2: Mainline Protestantism is declining – and that includes the ELCA. I’ve been exploring and writing about this decline for the last 20 years. And, last summer I realized that I’ve written more than 50 blog posts about the topic.[1]
My most popular Lutheran post is the bluntly titled, “ELCA Membership Cut in Half”.[2] A related post received even more buzz: “The ELCA is Missing 4 Million People!”[3]
Ever since our denomination was formed by merger in 1989, our membership has been declining. If you’d like to talk numbers, see me after worship.
Newsflash #3: Religion is obsolete. One of the most thought-provoking books published this year proposes that religion is more than merely declining; it has already become obsolete.
Renowned American sociologist Christian Smith – no relation to me – argues that there is no future for religion because it religion is incompatible with our current cultural zeitgeist.[4]
Restating this without highbrow language, he believes that the way the world works has radically changed in recent decades and isn’t receptive to traditional religions, including Christianity.
To recap: over the course of the lifetimes of those of us gathered here this morning, America has become a much less religious place and some are beginning to question if there is a place for Christianity in the future.
In response, many local churches are buying in to this narrative, accepting that the best days are now behind us. Rather than imagining growth, they are trying to hold on to and extend what remains – people, buildings, and even dollars in the bank. Many wonder if by doing less and less they may be able to delay the closure of their congregation – at least beyond their own lifetime.
Today’s parable offers another way. The Parable of the Sower is every bit as challenging to hear in the twenty-first century as it was in the first.
[1] Greg Smith. “My Religion is Dying: A Deep Dive into Mainline Decline” on So What Faith, June 10, 2024, https://sowhatfaith.com/2024/06/10/my-religion-is-dying-a-deep-dive-into-mainline-decline/
[2] Greg Smith. “ELCA Membership Cut in Half” on So What Faith, May 25, 2024, https://sowhatfaith.com/2024/05/25/elca-membership-cut-in-half-2125/
[3] Greg Smith. “The ELCA is Missing 4 Million People!” on So What Faith, June 15, 2023, https://sowhatfaith.com/2023/06/15/the-elca-is-missing-4-million-people/
[4] Christian Smith. Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America by Christian Smith (Oxford University Press, 2025). Read my review on So What Faith in :Great New Books for May 2025,” May 1, 2025, https://sowhatfaith.com/2025/05/01/great-new-books-for-may-2025/