3. Christians are seen as irrelevant.
A few years ago I connected with a news anchor who has worked for the major TV networks in the U.S. and Canada.
He was shocked that anyone under 50 attended church. He had no idea that there were still churches that were actually growing.
That attitude shouldn’t shock Christians, but it does.
I’ve been introducing myself as a pastor for two decades now. At first people seemed either impressed or dismissive. Some people were glad to see a younger leader in ministry. And many were open to checking out a church that was making changes.
There were always a few who showed disdain when I mentioned I was a pastor, often, I suspect, because they had had a negative experience with church.
Today when I introduce myself, I’m more often greeted by bewilderment or confusion than anything.
People just don’t seem to have a category for people who work at churches. It’s like people feel sorry for us.
Irrelevance is more difficult than relevance because there is no common ground. You have to establish it from scratch.
But it also provides opportunity. Imagine becoming known as the most radically loving group of people anyone has ever met.
4. Fewer gifted people are entering ministry.
This one bothers me.
I talk to leaders every week who talk about how hard it is to find great leaders to staff their ministry.
Naturally, you should raise up leaders from within, and we do that.
But the truth is, fewer and fewer bright, capable young adults are considering full-time church ministry as an option.
That’s heartbreaking.
I’ve written a few posts on the subject.
Some people might say, “Well, people just don’t feel called into ministry.” I get that, but I think it might be time to rethink what it means to be called into ministry.
Similarly, I think many leaders who could make a huge contribution to ministry are in the business and start up space instead. I’d love to see more entrepreneurs enter ministry.
5. Contemporary churches are less rare than they used to be.
In the ’90s and early 2000s, churches that switched to better music, more relevant teaching and generally became more effective at what they did were few and far between.
Many early adopters who made changes like this would find themselves as the only church in their town/region/denomination that had adapted to a more contemporary form of church.
That’s not the case anymore.
Many churches that have adapted a contemporary form of worship or even a particular sub-style of church now find themselves in cities with other churches doing exactly the same thing.
When it comes to contemporary churches, what was once unique is now commonplace. What was innovative is now normal.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a thing. And it helps explain that what got you far a decade ago doesn’t take you as far today.
Cool church itself might even be dying, as I argue here. But again, that’s not a bad thing. Something far greater and more effective will emerge.
