What Are the Most Urgent Questions Tomorrow’s Church Must Face?

At Leadership Network we get a steady stream of media inquiries. Many come to me. Some are national publications, some are local. They include newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, online-only and more.

Sometimes we’re quoted – I was in LA Times last week and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution just before that  – but more often we’re not, serving more as a background resource.

I think I give better replies by email than phone, so I ask reporters and editors if we can go that way. Sometimes I’ll post my comments as a blog, as I’m doing here. That way others get to answer the question. This helps the media group that’s interviewing me, giving them more answers, and it helps serve a wider audience beyond the specific magazine, newspaper, or other media.

Here’s a great question I was asked this week. I bounced the idea off several colleagues at Leadership Network, and here are my resulting answers. The assignment is:

10 Questions That Will Decide the Future of the Church

1. What is the church? (for most Americans the word “church” means a lot of things that aren’t actually a Biblical requirement, starting with having a building)

2. The church has largely accommodated our culture’s attitude toward consumerism. Where will that lead if we don't find a better way to push back?

3. Every church has a scorecard for assessing its progress in following God’s commandments. For most it’s attendance and finances. How will we shift that scorecard to reflect a more missional sense of activity?

4. With the browning of America, how will current mono-cultural churches learn to minister effectively in a multi-ethnic world?

5. Will new churches target one generation or multiple generations?

6. How will churches respond to the growing percentage of Americans who will never look to the institutional church as their connection to God?

7. What will churches’ “architecture” be for future network to fulfill the challenge of world evangelization? Will it be through their denomination? seminary? fellow churches in their city, regardless of denomination? partnerships with local businesses that want to do good to those in need? etc.

8. What is God blessing now, that churches are doing well now, and that we’re certain to take into the future?

9. Will churches that build facilities construct them in ways designed to serve the community, as well as for the church to meet there?

10. What else? Please add YOUR comments below.

Warren Bird, Ph.D., is Research Director at Leadership Network, and co-author of 21 books on various aspects of church health and innovation.

Comments

[Jake Johnson]

Some great thoughts here. I've just finished a small series on my belief that technology will be one of the biggest challenges the church will face in the near future, which ties into points 1 & 2 you've brought up.

http://www.thejakers.com/tag/digitalists

Thanks for your post!

[David Pickett]

Great post Warren, thanks for stimulating thoughts in this area. In addition to those you've mentioned, I'm thinking that our attitude and response toward people impacted by poverty and injustice will more and more define who we are- whether we are about ourselves or others- whether we are here to be served or to serve.

[lmb]

What about stewardship of the environment and caring for what God has given us? What about the persistent and even promoted chauvinism in the church?