By Mary Lackie

The institutional church is on its death bed and can be saved only if it becomes relevant to the needs of the community, said Dr. Fulton O. Bradley.

“It is believed by many of us that where there has been an opportunity to speak to people in great need, the church has not done so,” the minister said. “As a result, the church is passing through the period of reexamination, reformation—and there may be a revolution.”

Dr. Bradley, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Detroit, Mich., was a guest speaker at the Charles D. Hurbert Ministers’ Conference last week. “The Church and Contemporary Social Concerns” was the theme of the twenty-third annual conference held at the International Theological Center and sponsored by Morehouse School of Religion and the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Purpose of the four-day meetings was to provide intellectual and spiritual guidance to ministers and churches through study, discussions, and dialogues. This year, the aim of the conference was to “take a hard look at the institutional church and its ministry.”

“Too often, our leadership has reacted to crisis rather than giving than giving the creative leadership necessary to avoid crisis and chart the landscape,” Dr. Bradley said. The minister said, “Social consciousness is an outgrowth of the civil rights thrust. It has brought about a new awareness and reexamination of the traditional role of the minister as spiritual leader.”

“The institutional church has immobilized the work we could do,” Dr. Bradley said. “Fine carpeting and a comfortable atmosphere result in a comfortable congregation immune to the needs of the community.”

In an effort to revitalized the role of the church, there will be reforms in the area of the church service itself. Dr. Bradley said, “Too often the service has emphasized the ‘other-worldly’—revival services in its worship. We must cut out the non-essentials and seek a more substantial form of worship; one that motivates people, and is not content to just make them feel good”.

Asked what changes he believed were necessary, Dr. Bradley said, “We should make use of social programs that are available to us to aid people in the area of education, jobs, and housing. As these situations improve, the stability of the family improves.”

In a talk concluding the conference, Dr. Bradley said, “Do not conform to the world—transform it. We are troubled as we face life, and as we live it, we are faced with questions. Shall I make a decision to go along with prevailing situations—capitulation to mediocrites? Or shall I go alone, as a Christian working with the responsible community? For myself,” the minister said, “I have made my decision.”