PreSynod Workshop

Ministry in a Secular Age: Practices for Faith Formation and Evangelism with Robert Cunningham and April Murrie

The world and the church are not what they used to be. Almost everyone can agree that a life of faith and belief in Jesus encounters different obstacles than was common to previous generations. The philosopher Charles Taylor’s important work, A Secular Age has become a go-to for many seeking to understand the nature of these changes. Both evangelical practitioners and intellectuals commonly lean into Taylor’s analysis in their efforts to understand the changes afoot, but also as an aid for sorting out what faithful ministry must look like if we are to faithfully engage both insiders and outsiders with the gospel of Jesus. One of the chief observations Taylor makes is that in our day, all beliefs are contested all the time, the world is disenchanted; Doubt is commonplace.

Robert Cunningham and April Murrie are planting Church of the Good Shepherd in Charlottesville, VA. Much of their ministry lives have been lived among students and young adults most deeply impacted by the kinds of changes reflective of our secular age. Taylor’s work and the work of his interpreters have deeply shaped the way they have sought to engage the unbelief of our day. The work of James K. A. Smith, Mike Cosper, and Andrew Root press Taylor’s analysis into the work of ministry and mission of the church. Join us for a Pre-synod workshop that grapples with the particularities of this cultural moment of widespread doubt, anxiety, and meaninglessness. We will consider how the secular age impacts churches and the people they minister to, as well as to note the helpful structures Anglicanism has to resist secularism. Finally, we will consider ways we’ve seen the Spirit continue to faithfully press the Good News of the Gospel toward skeptics and believers alike, even today.