Here are six critical ideas foundational to ministry in the 2020s, especially as the public continues to sour in its perception of organized religion:
1. Discipleship is the point, not attending (and mostly watching) a ceremony. Average in-person worship attendance tells us little about how well we are doing in helping people tangibly follow Jesus. Small group participation may tell us more. Engagement of people in work beyond the church organization may tell us more still. Sacraments can be shared in all sorts of settings - worship services in sanctuaries may not be the best venue for sharing sacrament.
2. Digital culture changes our start up strategies. Video content can be offered in short easy-to-digest bites long before we have enough people to launch worship gatherings in rented space. A devotional thought related to a scripture idea or a quick conversation with someone interesting (and local) - these can be produced for 6-10 minutes of content. This helps brand the new church. It also offers tangible, viable, minimal product for folks a planter is seeking to draw in.
3. Most small groups need some physical gathering. (But even then, they may be hybrid.). A picnic, a dinner party, a camping trip - these experiences quickly develop relationships. Once relationship starts, online connections are more engaging.
4. Church buildings and grounds offer a valuable resource for neighborhood-building. Co-working, recovery ministry, kids stuff, community arts initiatives, exercise and meditation groups, coffee shops, food truck villages, dog parks! On we could go. Most of our buildings were designed from a Sunday-centric model, but they can be adapted to 7–days-a-week.
5. Multiple income streams are the new normal. With tighter pocketbooks among youngish adults and less developed habits of giving to charity, churches must think beyond relying on member donations to pay for everything. Permanent funds, donor income, building use fees and rent, and ministry participation (user)fees all add up. Growing a church’s income streams is critical so as to ween the church off from dependence upon denominational subsidy.
6. Children’s ministry is no longer religious entertainment while Mom and Dad are in “big church.” Children's programming remains a huge draw: a significant motivator for adults considering church participation. But the focus is shifting to (a) equipping parents and families for discipleship work and (b) giving children age-level peers on their spiritual journey. Programming can happen any day of the week.
Put these together and you can see that church is changing faster this decade than ever before in our lifetimes.
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