Church membership is shrinking across mainline protestant denominations. The reported number of U.S. adults who claim to be religiously unaffiliated is growing rapidly. Faced with these statistics, many within the church throw up their hands and wonder what will become of the church. Yet, research shows that while many are done with the institution of the church, they are not done with spirituality. Many believe in a higher power. Some are seeking ways to be grounded in something larger than themselves. In a world where so many are starving, where financial stability is increasingly hard to find, where gun violence and mass shootings are ever more frequent, where war rages around the world, and where political discourse is increasingly divisive, people remain hungry for good news. It appears that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw a group of people who were tired and overwhelmed, harassed and helpless. They, too, faced a world where political violence was at a high, where people could be killed because they disagreed with the powers that be, where families struggled to put food on the table, where religious leaders seemed to champion rules over people, and the division between the haves and have-nots was increasingly great. The people around Jesus yearned for good news. They hoped for the end of suffering from disease and physical impairment. They dreamed of a world that was just. They grasped at the hope that all could be fed. Jesus’s message was compelling, and so they crowded around him. As Jesus notes in Matthew 9:35-10:8, “The harvest is plentiful …” (v. 37). But, he continues, “the laborers are few” (v. 37). It was not a lack of people who yearned for the good news; it was a lack of people to do the work of proclamation and healing in a hurting world. And it is not a lack of people seeking some hope and good news today. Jesus sent his disciples out, out of their comfort zone, out of the safety of their community, out among the crowds. I wonder how many of our churches still hope that if they build it, people will come? They remain within the walls and the traditions of the church. They remain in their comfort zone and hope for someone who will shepherd them in comfort. ... Thank you to this week's writer, Rae Watson. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. | 
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