In the Spring of 2012 I was working on my capstone project at Pepperdine University. Our project was focused on the seven strategies that Chevron should apply to its future business in order to be successful. I started researching what types of futuristic Energy documents existed, and came across the Outlook on Energy 2040 by ExxonMobil. I was captivated by how ExxonMobil used data to project what strategies would work for its company 25+ years out. I finished reading it feeling a burning question within my heart, "Why doesn't the Church have something like this?"
At the time, it was obvious to me that the Church was fragmented, and this fragmentation was leading to people not taking faith seriously. It was so sad to me. We were losing people from walking with JESUS not because HE wasn't good enough, but because our institution was so broken.
I wanted to do something about it. I didn't know what it would look like, but I figured I could do a similar document to what ExxonMobil had created; helping the Church think through data and trends of today and essentially plan our future. A year went by and nothing had transpired, but my heart still yearned to create a solution. I reconnected with a videographer, Jerrod Saba, in the Summer of 2013 and told him this dream I had to help the Big 'C' Church. Although he wasn't a Christian, something in him found a fascination with this idea, and he recommended that we actually film pastors to capture the "document" in video form. Feeling so inspired by his comments, I reached out to the only pastor I knew and requested an interview with him.
A few weeks later our project had officially launched - Future of the Church. The original intent was to give the Church strategies and/or solutions that went above and beyond the four basic answers/tenants Christians know: JESUS, Bible, Prayer, Church Attendance. I truly believed there had to be something more. So at first, my questions steered clear from theological debates, and instead tried to be as strategic and practical as possible. As our journey unfolded over the next few years Jerrod and I would end up traveling around the country and interview 80 pastors/Church leaders seeking to find the perfect formula for the future of the Church. Eventually we would individually and collectively discover an Answer much better than any man-made formula we could ever find. Our journey changed us both, and we will never be the same.
To God be the glory alone.
Steven Siwek Jr | Director & Executive Producer
Future of the Church
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