7. Valuing online relationships as real relationships. Churches that aren't online beyond a website are going to miss the boat. Real interaction with real people online is...well...real. Sure, face to face is deeper, but people will tell you things online they can't muster the courage to tell you face to face. Whether you get them to a 'real' church is increasingly debatable. I would love that. But we'll have to see. As much as you might hate it, virtual relationships are becoming real relationships.
8. An openness to questions. Most unchurched people today come in with questions that seem weird to those of us who spent a life time in church. Don't try to answer them right away. Churches that understand that embracing questions is as important as providing immediate answers will make an impact in the future. We're discovering that if you embrace questions, the answers eventually find their way into people's lives. The Holy Spirit actually does move in people's lives.
9. A high value on experimentation. The more traditional you are, the less you will value experimentation. The more successful you are, the less you will value experimentation. If you start to raise the value of experimentation, you will accelerate change and flexibility. The churches that connect with their community will be the churches willing enough to try a variety of things, and who also have the courage to kill them as soon as they stop producing results.
10. Prioritizing a for you not from you culture. Andy Stanley often talks about what he wants for people, not just what he wants from them. Churches in decline often think in terms of what they can get from people – money, time, growth etc. Churches that will make an impact on the future will be passionate about what they want forpeople – financial balance, generosity, the joy of serving, better families, and of course, Christ at the center of everyone's life.
11. A tailored experience, not a tailored message. You don't have to tailor the message to unchurched people (see what Andy Stanley says about that here), but churches that have an impact will tailor the experience. There were presents under my tree last Christmas. But I'm not a shopping mall fan. 90% of my gift buying happened online. The content was the same – the experience changed. Churches that decide they will hold the message sacred but tailor the experience to an ever shifting culture will be more effective (here, by the way, are 15 characteristics of today's unchurched people).
That's what I see. What else do you see?
I'd love to hear about what you're noticing.
Carey is the lead and founding pastor of Connexus Community Church and has been serving in ministry since 1995.
Connexus Community Church
connexus: www.connexuscommunity.com
personal: www.careynieuwhof.com
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