Podcast Episode #252
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Healthy churches of tomorrow will likely reflect these characteristics.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Pastoral longevity doesn’t guarantee health in a church, but a series of short pastorates almost guarantees an unhealthy church.
- Most churches that have consistent health have consistent leadership.
- Many Millennial pastors don’t see church hopping or ladder climbing as part of their future.
- As culture becomes more hostile to churches, you church’s community presence becomes more important.
- New members’ classes allow you to instill an outward focus into new members in the church.
- Setting expectations and providing information are essential to assimilation into the life of the church.
- The more adversity a church has, the more opportunities for gospel witness it has.
- The assimilation rate for someone connected to a group is five times higher than someone attending worship alone.
- When people are excited about their church, they naturally invite others to come.
The 10 signs of healthy churches 10 years from now are:
- They have the same pastor they did ten years ago.
- The pastor, staff, and church members have a decade of calling to the local community.
- The church will be as diverse as the community.
- The church will have responded to its international mission field in its own backyard for ten years.
- The church will have had a consistent and strategic outward focus for a decade.
- All new members the past ten years will have attended a new members’ class.
- The church will have seen the cultural changes of the decade as opportunities rather than threats.
- At least 80 percent of the worship attendance will have moved to a small group over the decade.
- At least 50 percent of the attendance will have invited at least four people to church each year.
- Every year for ten years these churches will have become more joyous and fun.
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Feedback
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Excellent points, very optimistic. Having been through this 10 year change in diversity, I just love that word, I can tell what really happens. 20% who are truly evangelical will reach out and set up worship for the diverse ethnic groups while 80% stick their head in the sand or grumble about change to ‘their’ church. The ethnic outreach will flourish except those groups have no money so the main congregation must carry them financially. Over this time as people retire they move further away from the now diverse community until a congregation of 900 becomes 200 or so. God raised up a great nation and gave us every blessing to complete the great commission. When that didn’t work He brought the nations to our doorstep. The 20% rose to it and 80% moved to the Lake. This has played out at two of what were 30- 40 yr ago, the big name go to churches in this metro area. God help us.
Thanks, Russ.
Ten years from now (I’ll be in my early 60s), I would hope my local church is:
1) ethnically diverse
2) Generationally diverse and integrated
3) DEEPLY loving each other, as the local expression of the Body of Christ
4) Living out the GREAT COMMANDMENT as well as the Great Commission
5) Supporting missions at home and abroad
I would hope ten years from now my church will be faithfully preaching the gospel.
That brings salvation, peace, joy, so many good things, but preaching sin and salvation probably will never actually be “fun”.
The more adversity a church has, the more opportunities for gospel witness it has. ????
Is this a typo? I’m guessing it should say diversity not adversity.
The Book of Acts clearly shows the Gospel was advanced in the midst of adversity. The catalyst for Gospel witness was persecution and adversity. It’s the true measure of a church.
* And at least 80% of members will be actively doing something to serve within their local church congregation… rather than the 20% doing everything and the 80% doing nothing.
It seems that perseverance pays off. Long pastorates, consistent leadership, low staff turnover and intentional inreach and outreach have always produced church health.
I’ve been privileged to plant a church that mushroomed into a movement. What you’ve written built that movement.
With everyone putting the knock on Millenials it is comforting to an old Baby Boomer to read that those elements that made for church health are not in much danger of changing. Actually, it seems that the Millenials in my world are more stable thinkers than we are led to think.
Thanks for a positive and uplifting article. We have yet to see the good God has in store for his church, whatever happens to our country.
This is a fantastic piece of writing. I just borrowed a quote, “When people are excited about their church, they naturally invite others to come”, from this piece and posted it on my church group.
Thanks for this.