The healthy church in 2029

Thom Rainer June 25, 2019

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

In the blink of an eye, 10 years will pass. The pace of change is staggering and there is no reason to believe it will slow. 

Recently, a prescient reader asked me to look forward. 

“What do you think a healthy church will look like in 2029?” he asked.

I am grateful for his question. Although I can’t know with precision the shape of our churches in 10 years, I do see some outliers and trends pointing toward some key directions. 

Let me take those signposts and fast forward 10 years.

Representative churches

Keep in mind, these changes are representative of the healthy churches in 2029. I may deal with the unhealthy churches in another post.

1. There will be a high intentionality of evangelism and gospel presence.  We passed through the phase of programmatic evangelism without much impact. We are presently in the stage of non-intentionality, and our low-conversion churches reflect that reality. Healthy churches will be highly intentional about evangelism without it being program-driven.

2. These churches will be favored in the community.  Someone recently asked me if most churches had a negative reputation in their communities. I told her most churches have no reputation. The healthy church in 2029 will see the community as a place to serve and minister, rather than a pool of prospects to increase attendance. Look for neighborhood churches to increase their impact.

3. The majority of healthy churches will be multi-site, multi-venue, or multi-day.  They will learn the lessons of 19th-century churches, which moved worship services to 11 a.m. to accommodate farmers in an agricultural culture. As long as we don’t compromise biblical truths, we need to reach people where they are. More are working or unavailable on Sunday mornings.

4. The digital church will be clearly defined.  Today, we debate about the digital church. Is the online church really a church? By 2029, healthy churches will have settled that issue. I anticipate the digital church will be viewed as a vital and complementary component to the in-person church.

5. Healthy churches will not have members holding the congregation back for sacred cows and traditions.  Healthy churches will embrace change rather than fight it. They will be more concerned about the gospel in the community than the style of music in the sanctuary. Change-resistant members will move to dying churches, where they will exacerbate the sickness and speed the process of dying.

6. Most worship gatherings will be 200 and under.  Even large churches will have smaller worship gatherings; they will just have more of them. As noted in number three above, one of the biggest changes will be worship services on times and days other than Sunday.

7. Churches will feel more connected within networks rather than denominations.  Churches will not have to choose between the two, but will likely spend more of their energies in networks. Denominations will continue to be many churches’ doctrinal identity, but networks will become the functional identity.  

8. Healthy churches in 2029 will become more innovative in how they utilize their facilities.  Most congregations don’t come close to utilizing their facilities effectively. The lack of usage throughout the week is terrible stewardship. Many healthy churches will figure out ways to partner with community businesses and organizations.

9. Healthy churches will be part of a groups revolution.  Though the name will be different and the functions not identical, we will likely see a growth in the staff position historically called “minister of education.” This staff person, whether full-time, part-time, or volunteer, will become the key leader to seek to move as many members into groups as possible.

10. Corporate prayer will be central to the healthy church in 2029.  Church leaders and members will figure out how to move prayer from the fringes of poorly-attended gatherings reading a list of the sick, to powerful and Spirit-empowered corporate prayer. As culture turns more negative against Christianity and churches, we must have God’s power to respond.

With the obvious exception of biblical truth, churches must change or die. 

Photo source: istock 

my saved content

VIEW AS
A PDF

Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, and online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn More »

• Did you ever use one of these to share your faith? (by Tom Crenshaw)
• When preaching solutions, do these two things first (by Mark MacDonald)
• How smartphones have been used toward a torrent of cyberbullying (by Thom Rainer)
• How to bless before you blame in a conflict at work (by Jordan Raynor)

Free eBook

Steps to Launching Your Personal Workplace Ministry

Have you ever felt the pull to full-time ministry work as a missionary or pastor? If not, you can still make a Kingdom impact without quitting your current job. In this eBook, you will learn the four essentials that can change your perspective of work, your workplace, and most importantly, your heart.

Download Now