10 Major Trends Coming Your Way in 2013

by: Brad Lomenick

0

Tweet

Here are a few trends that seem to be capturing major attention as we start 2013. I am not proposing that all of these are positive trends, but simply stating them as a picture of reality as move into 2013 and beyond.

1. Content on demand– everywhere, often and most of the time free.

2. Tech in everything– cars, kitchen, refrigerators, watches, wallets, and other devices.

3. Smart Phone as the center of your world– it is where you consume content, get info, make calls, update my status, and remote control my tv and appliances, along with basically running your life.

4. Integrated social media– social media is no longer a phenomenon. It’s here to stay. And now integrated into everything we do.

5. We are all leaders– because of social media, technology, and the digital space, anyone can create a platform and gain influence quickly. Everyone has access. Small competes with large, and there is an equal playing field for most involved.

6. Authenticity matters– more than ever, we have to be real and genuine and honest.

7. Comfortable Multi-tasking is in– Cars are now being created that drive themselves. For real. We are more than ever creatures of comfort. Comfort so I can do multiple things at once.

8. Touchscreens– experience is now about everything being a touchscreen and swipe technology.

9. Collaboration– working together is more and more becoming the norm. Shared office spaces between companies, shared staff, partnerships, etc.

10. Mergers and streamlining within industries– similar to #9, but specifically as it relates to a formal merger between companies, organizations and churches. This continues to happen with more regularity, and is now happening consistently with churches and non-profit organizations.

Read more from Brad here.

Tags: Brad Lomenick, Kingdom Concept, Recapturing Vision, Vision

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Vision >

The Cost of Church Revitalization

by: Darryl Dash

0

Tweet

I’m amazed by these words by researcher Ed Stetzer in his book Planting Missional Churches: “Church revitalization does not happen much, but it does happen sometimes. I have been struck by how infrequently it actually occurs.”

Talk about sobering! Church revitalization is possible, but it’s rare. According to statistics, most existing churches are in a state of plateau or decline. The good news is that these churches can be turned around, at least in theory. The bad news is that most of them will never pull out of their decline.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it takes to turn a church around. I can think of a lot of churches that are in decline, but I can only think of a few that have turned around. Here’s what they have in common.

First, they got uncomfortable. I’m amazed how easy it is to drift into a comfortable life and ministry. Sadly, comfort and decline go together. Churches that become stable and comfortable have chosen safety, but it’s a safety that leads to death. Churches that die are churches that have forgotten how to take risks and live dangerously in their mission.

In each church turnaround, the church made a decision to begin living on the edge again. This meant taking new, very real risks. Leaders are the first to go here. Leaders put a lot on the line when they choose to lead a church into risk and discomfort.

Second, they confronted dysfunction. Churches have a way of slipping into dysfunction over time. Because it’s scary to confront dysfunction, a lot of it goes unchecked and eventually it becomes unnoticed. The dysfunction eventually begins to choke the church and its ministry. Until the dysfunction is confronted, there’s little hope for a turnaround.

The cost of confronting dysfunction is high. In each church turnaround, people got angry, and many people left. In some cases, the church was almost stripped to its core. It took courage and a willingness to suffer. The payoff was substantial, but there’s no denying that it cost a lot to those who were willing to confront the dysfunction.

Third, they refocused on the gospel and on mission. It’s not enough to get uncomfortable and to confront dysfunction. Churches need a positive focus. In the faith communities I know that have turned around, the churches became focused on two things: the core of the Christian faith, centered on the person and work of Jesus; and the mission to take that news to others.

It’s no wonder that church revitalization is rare. In each case, the turnaround took years, and the pain was significant. Both church planting and church revitalization are necessary, and both are costly and risky. But churches can be revitalized, and the cost, though significant, is more than worth it.

Read more from Darryl here.

Tags: Change, Darryl Dash, Recapturing Vision

| What is MyVisionRoom? > | Back to Vision >