#Churchattendance

#Churchattendance

- November 01, 2022

Michael Coren, in his October 30th Toronto Star column, claims that the main reason why people are not attending Church anymore is because for some Christian Religion and conservatism have become synonyms, which is to be reputed as a bad connection. In order to attract more people back to Jesus -- not to the organized Church --, Christians should therefore encompass more of the social justice topics related to Christ's life and ministry.

The article seems to hang from this claim: “To a great many Canadians, Christianity has become another word for conservatism”. Therefore, it doesn’t seem to be as focused on bettering organized religion as it is in pushing a shift from conservatism to a more progressive agenda. That is illustrated by the way Christ’s teachings are referred to. There is no mention to repenting and believing the Gospel, Christ’s His redemptive work, focus on Word and Sacraments, etc, which is the source of action for Faith. Rather, Jesus’ life it is framed in terms of social justice topics, which are the reason for requesting people to “give not churches but Jesus another chance.”

The Church can certainly be and should be more active in serving her neighbour and her community. But in this case, it looks like the push for change in order to attract more people is not theological, but rather political. Or, putting it in another way, the push is for a change in Theology so that Sociology may be given a chance to bring people back to the pews.

Coren, Michael. "Christianity has become another word for Conservatism: Why we should give Jesus - not churches - another chance". Toronto Star, October 30, 2022. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/10/30/christianity-has-become-another-word-for-conservatism-why-we-should-give-jesus-not-churches-another-chance.html

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Bio

I am a Canadian-Brazilian pastor living in Port Coquitlam BC, Canada. Graduating from Concordia Seminary in São Leopoldo, Brazil, in 1998, I was ordained by my father, Rev. Curt Albrecht, in Curitiba, Brazil, in January 1999. My first call was to serve at Peace Lutheran Church in Campo Bom, RS, Brazil, from 1999–2004. Preaching, Divine Worship and Music, Youth, Member Visiting and Missionary Work were some of the highlights of that period. I started my work at Ulbra (The Lutheran University of Brazil) in 2004, where I served in different Calls: Canoas Campus Chaplain and church-planter of the Campus outpost of St. Paul's Lutheran Church(2004 to 2007). By late 2007, the new congregation called a full-time pastor. In 2004, I joined Ulbra (The Lutheran University of Brazil) in various capacities: 2004-2007: Chaplain and church planter for the Canoas campus outpost of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. By late 2007, the congregation appointed a full-time pastor. 2008-2011: Resumed campus ministry with a focus on communications, especially the “Toque de Vida” (Touch of Life) Project. This initiative began with a daily TV program and expanded to email devotionals in Portuguese, Spanish, and English; a blog; a radio program; and, in 2014, Toque de Vida Lutheran Church in Canoas. 2012-2015: Head Chaplain for Ulbra Canoas and nationally. During this time, I continued my roles with Toque de Vida, served as assistant pastor at Celsp (2012-2014), volunteered in ministry (2014-2015), and taught high school religion. 2016: Became a professor at Ulbra’s Theology School and Campus Pastor in Canoas, while serving as a volunteer pastor at Toque de Vida Lutheran Church. I was called to serve as Ulbra's Head Chaplain - Canoas and nationwide(2012-2015 term), leading a team of 30 chaplains and 25 teachers and Professors of the Ulbra System in Brazil. During the period, I accumulated the activities of the Toque de Vida Project, Celsp's assistant pastor (2012-2014), Toque de Vida volunteer ministry (2014-2015) and High School teacher (2014). In the year of 2016 I was called as Professor of Ulbra's Theology School and Campus Pastor in Canoas. while also accepting the Call to be one of the "Toque de Vida" Lutheran Church volunteer Pastors in Canoas. In November, 2016 I accepted the call to be Associate Pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran, in Regina, Canada, being installed in February 2017. Teaching and Preaching, Music, Member Visiting, Youth, and Online Ministry are some of the highlights of this period. In August 2023, I accepted the Call to serve at Hope Lutheran Church in Port Coquitlam, BC, where I am serving since October, 2023, working with both Church(Active in Love, Growing in Christ) and School (Equipping each child to impact the world for Christ's glory). Educationally, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communications-Journalism in 2011, focusing on "The Lutheran Sermon from the Receiver’s Viewpoint." In 2014, I completed a Specialist degree in Human Resources, with a dissertation on "Institutional Values in Hiring in a Confessional Lutheran Institution." My second diploma in Theology from Ulbra came in 2015, alongside a Master’s in Theology from Concordia Seminary, São Leopoldo, with a dissertation titled, “Preaching for Everyone and for No One,” which explored the history and production of the Toque de Vida TV program. In the same year I finished the Masters in Theology at The Concordia Seminary, Sao Leopoldo. The dissertation, "Preaching for everyone and for no one" researched History and production process of the TV Program Toque de Vida. I am currently a student of the Doctor of Ministry Program of the Concordia Seminary St. Louis, USA. I was born in 1975 in Naviraí, MS, Brazil, to Rev. Curt and Ligia Madalena Albrecht, the fourth of nine siblings. I have been married to Djenane Hans since 1997, and we have two children, Charles and Rachel Sophie. My interests include family time, music, leadership, communication, digital ministry, and cooking.