4 January 2015 A.D. 15 Church Trends in 2015, Part 1
Rainer, Thom S. “Fifteen Trends for
Churches for 2015, Part 1. Thom S. Rainer. 3 Jan 2014. http://thomrainer.com/2015/01/03/fifteen-trends-churches-2015-part-1/. Accessed 3 Jan 2014.
Trend prediction is both an art and a science. It is a
science in the sense that I utilize the good objective research of credible
research organizations like LifeWay Research and others. It is an art in that I
depend on observations, anecdotal information, and ongoing interaction with
church leaders and members.
At the beginning of every year, I attempt to present to
you the major trends for congregations for the coming twelve months. I review
my predictions from previous years to see how accurate I am. I have come to two
conclusions. First, I am far from perfect in my predictions. Second, I do have
a decent track record.
Some of my trends are called “tipping points.” Formally
defined, a tipping point is the critical moment in an evolving situation that
leads to a new and somewhat permanent reality. In simple terms, a tipping point
here means that something has changed in our churches to the point that it
appears to be permanent.
With that in mind, I present to you my 15 trends for 2015.
They are presented in reverse order of their potential magnitude. Today, you
will read trends 9 to 15. On Monday, I will conclude with trends 1 to 8.
15. A rapid increase in bi-vocational church staff. We have noted the growing trend of bi-vocational pastors.
We will see in 2015 an accelerated trend of other church staff becoming
bi-vocational.
14. The tipping point of churches eliminating Sunday
evening worship services. We see the number
of U. S. churches offering a Sunday evening service to dip below 5 percent of
all churches in America. In other words, this service will become almost
extinct.
13. More emphasis on congregational singing. In many of our churches, both traditional and
contemporary, you can hardly hear the congregation sing. There will be an
increased emphasis on intentionally bringing the congregants into worship
through singing.
12. Growth of verbal incarnational evangelism. Incarnational evangelism is simply defined as presenting
the good news through our Christ-like lifestyle to non-believers. There will be
an increased emphasis to share the gospel verbally as well as demonstrating a
gospel witness through our lifestyle.
11. The waning and reconfiguration of denominational
structures. This trend is already taking place,
but it will accelerate in 2015. Denominational structures will continue to get
smaller and more streamlined, and churches will not be able to expect the same
type of resources they have received in the past.
10. Congregations growing in favor in their respective
communities. Churches are transitioning from being
an island in the midst of their communities to being a real and positive presence.
As church members seek to serve their communities in a plethora of ways, the
communities will see these churches more as valued partners.
9. Continued flow of people from smaller churches to
larger churches. There will be a continued increase in
the number of attendees in churches with an average worship attendance of 1,000
and larger. Churches with an attendance of 400 to 999 will be collectively
stable in attendance. And the number of people attending church in
congregations with an attendance under 400 will decline.
Let me hear your thoughts on these trends. And return on
Monday as I present the top eight trends in churches in America for 2015.
