Ed Stetzer is an interesting missiologist based in Nashville, Tenn. Brash, opinionated, and fiercely research-driven, he met with a group of Spence Network pastors recently for a “what’s trending” conversation. Here are a handful of his many descriptions/predictions:
1. “The ‘nones’ ascending are mostly ‘nominals’ declaring their decoupling from cultural Christianity. Those moving from ‘congregational’ to ‘convictional’ Christianity are actually rising.”
2. “Atheism is a publishing phenomenon, not a cultural one. It has held steady at 4 percent to 5 percent for decades.”
John Chandler
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3. “The future of the U.S. isn’t forecasted by Western Europe (too many religious wars) but seen in the Pacific Northwest. This culture holds tolerance and pluralism as chief values. They also have a robust evangelical minority, including strong congregations and church planting.”
4. “Increased attendance at mega-churches is a phenomenon of migration from small and medium-sized communities. Most growth is more consolidation rather than evangelization.”
5. “Perry Noble’s congregation in South Carolina may be the first in the U.S. to surpass 50,000 reporting ‘behinds in seats’ attendance.”
6. “In church construction, there will be fewer big buildings that become ‘BBs in a boxcar,’ and more small venues that can be repurposed.”
7. “Denominations are in a time of self-loathing, but if you put Baptists and Pentecostals together, they are doing the vast majority of the work of churches in the U.S.” Non-denominational church work is growing but still a small minority, Stetzer added.
8. “Churches which advertise that they have ‘open hearts and open minds’ will have mostly empty churches.”
9. “True community will require feet and faces, not just electrons and avatars; don’t confuse tools with goals.”
10. “Asian immigration will be more influential in the U.S.; because you can’t walk across the Pacific, Asian immigrants are more likely to import high-skill traits (engineering, medical, academic).”
11. “One-third of U.S. churches don’t answer the phone. So let’s address that before we work on a decent website.”
12. “Effective evangelism to come will be much more than speeding up the music, spicing up the sermon and sprucing up the building.”
13. “In years to come, more people are going to become Christian outside the church building than inside it.”
14. “Though it is shifting, the most effective path to evangelism is still ‘bring your friends to church,’ while still teaching people how to share the gospel with their friends. Just as bad chess players over-rely on the queen to capture pieces, bad evangelism means counting only on the pastor to win people to faith.”
I’m guessing Ed’s going to be more right than wrong on this list. What do you think?
John Chandler (john.chandler@vbmb.org) is leader of the Spence Network, www.spencenetwork.org. Follow the Spence Network on Facebook and Twitter.