1.13.2009

Five Significant Trends in the American Church


I found this quite fascinating... Five significant trends in the American Church, as seen by influential author and Southern Baptist, Thom Rainer:

1) Accelerated growth of multi-site churches. Nearly 1 in 6 churches is seriously considering going to multiple campuses.

2) The attraction of Biblical depth. Many young people leaving the church are crying for deeper teaching and preaching.

3) Increased means of relational connections. The growing role of email, texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc. in the life of the Church.

4) A growing chasm between attitudes about Christianity and attitudes about the Church. 64% of the general public thinks Christianity is relevant for today. But 84% say the church is not where they would seek to connect to Christianity.

5) Church organizational issues. Churches have become too complex, too busy, too activity driven. Leaders are beginning to understand that church health is not measured by how often the doors are open. How do we simplify?

You can read the article in its entirety here.