A great amount of literature has been written on how the changing world-view from modern to post-modern has effected evangelism, the worship service, and also what a church needs to do to be missional? But, little has really been written on some other major outside factors. I have been reading historical economic trends. I have also personally experienced changes in managerial trends and evangelism and mission focus. What I would like to explore in this discussion is how these trends directly affect how congregations are "managed" or lead. Some may object to the term "managed". But in fact, leadership and "management" occur to a greater or lessor degree in any organization. In particular, what are the forces that either held or hinder the transition of existing congregation move to a missional mind-set? Do factors like the free market, the move towards progressive economic ideas help, hinder or have an effect on church organization? How does the individualism of U. S. society vs the more "group" mind-set of other cultures affect organization and work? How does the top-down mindset of governance of business affect how things are done in the church? How does our Restoration heritage/understanding of the eldership (made in the throes of the modern world-view) affect how things are done? How does the desire that has grown for participation in all decision making of members of all organizations affecting how things are done?
Which of these factors ( and there are probably many others) make so very difficult to move existing congregations from being inward focused to being outward focused?
To give a place to start, I would propose some discussion of the following factor. Our country was founded on free-market principals and individual responsibility. Until the advent of the progressive movement, little government assistance was viewed as the purview of the government. ( The progressive movement in the U.S. began with Theodore Roosevelt, made major head-way with Woodrow Wilson, was rejected, and then was advanced significantly by
