Columnist Mashall Shelley
April 1, 2002
Lyle Schaller denies he's a prophet. I'm not sure I believe him. He's at least a world-class tracker—reading footprints, sniffing the air, seeing what others miss. And when he tells you what you're going to find over the next ridge, I've learned you'd better pay attention! Lyle is an author (more than 30 of his books are still in print), a former city planner, and perhaps this generation's best analyst of church sociology. He's also a neighbor. A few weeks ago, Eric Reed and Drew Zahn and I drove down Naperville Road to pay Lyle a visit. His living room was jammed with boxes and files that he was cleaning out at his wife's request. ("We've been married 20,209 days," he told us with typical deadpan. "If you keep track of it this way, every day is your wedding anniversary," which tells you something about the way his mind works.) We asked him what cultural trend will most significantly impact the way churches do ministry in the next few years. "The changing definition and configurations of 'family,'" Lyle said. He explained that with divorces, cohabitation, single-parent homes, blended families, grandparents raising infants … important assumptions have shifted. We acted on the tracker's advice. This issue of Leadership is the result. Lyle also offered two more bits of wisdom. First, he warned us to watch our language. "Language evolves, and the word family is one I would use with caution," he said. "It can be unintentionally offensive. Yes, many people place a high value on the family in our society. 'Family values' has a positive connotation in some political circles, and many churches list as one of their core values 'strengthening the family' or 'undergirding family life.' But to folks who don't have a traditional family structure, ...
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