“We have seen this building for several decades, where a series of moral and political failures, including failures of religious leaders, has created a pronounced level of institutional mistrust,” Benac said. “People are reluctant to engage in their local communities. They don’t know if the spaces they inhabit are trustworthy.

Benac said the United States finds itself in what can be considered a “post-Christian” era, which means that it is more important for religious leaders to be connected to their congregations and to more communities. large, but they often also struggle against isolation.

“For many religious leaders I have spoken with over the past decade, partnership is actually a major challenge,” he said. “They need other people, they need other partners, but they don’t always know how to pursue this partnership in a meaningful way.”

He said that’s where Mission Waco comes in, a well-connected local Christian nonprofit organization that has worked to reduce poverty in Waco since 1991.

“We want to continue to support them and provide them with resources, and also learn from the work they do and learn from the different people who are in the communities they serve,” said Benac.

Benac said other challenges facing Christian institutions include the changing role of denominations and changing trends among seminary graduates, who are much less likely to hold full-time pastoral positions. Instead, they’re more likely to take up social work, counseling, nonprofit work, or only preaching part-time while working another full-time job. Some have become what he calls “ecclesial entrepreneurs” who attempt non-traditional congregations.