Future of Faith: The Courage to Be Church

As mainline Protestant membership continues to decline, many churches have resigned themselves to an inevitable death. Despite this fatalistic temptation, this conversation aims to reinvigorate congregations through a reclamation of the rich theological and practical tools found within our liberal Protestant history through a contemporary lens. Our conversation partner invites us to courageously hear the call to confront our precarity with hope rather than fear, inviting our communities to consider the power of faithful discipleship amid an uncertain future. Panelists include: Delaney Beh Rev. ellie hutchison Delaney Beh (they/them) is a recent MDiv graduate of the University of Chicago Divinity School and a Member in Discernment in the Indiana-Kentucky Conference. Growing up in both Catholic and evangelical churches, Delaney's sense of call at the age of 17 quickly led them into the affirming embrace of the United Church of Christ. After serving UCC congregations in Indiana, Colorado, and Illinois, they became increasingly struck by how the fear of decline often prevented churches from fully embracing their role as the hands and feet of Christ. These experiences inspired Delaney to write The Courage to Be Church: Renewing Liberal Protestant Discipleship in an Age of Uncertainty, the master's thesis that serves as the foundation for this conversation. Delaney hopes this research reflects the kind of ministry they strive to embody--one that meets an uncertain future not with anxious control but with surrender to the Spirit's still-speaking voice.