U40 Ministers: How Will the Church Best & Least Shine in 2021?
This article is the second in a two-part series focused on the ministry of the church in 2020 and 2021, as seen through the eyes of U40 ministers (ministers under 40 years of age).
In our previous article, we reported the result of a survey in which we asked U40s to tell us how the church least and best shined in 2020. You can click here to read the results of that survey.
In this article, we present the results of our survey in which we asked ministers under the age of 40 to look ahead and tell us how the Church will least and best shine in 2021 – how the Church will least and best fulfill its New Testament reason for being in the year to come. Note: we have only listed responses that repeated the themes of others; single-mention themes are not listed.
QUESTION: How will the Church (not your church, but THE Church) least shine, i.e., LEAST fulfill its New Testament reason for being in 2021?
1. COMMUNITY WILL BE WEAK
Comments:
Connection in the church will continue to be a hurdle unless there is greater delegation and “equipping of the saints” throughout 2021.
The Church will least shine in 2021 in its inability to engage the lost and previously faith-fringed people in the restart of church gatherings.
Church will not meet the physical needs of the people.
For all of the talk about community, and in spite of all the encouragement to be faith communities, Christians will continue to just attend services and then go back to their lives.
2. THE CHURCH WILL STRUGGLE TO ADOPT NEW APPROACHES
Comments:
We will get caught in stale routines instead of embracing the new thing the spirit of God is doing.
Inability to adapt and tendency to fall back into sameness
The church may continue or go back to merely a Sunday service-focused existence.
3. THE CHURCH WILL CONFORM TO CULTURE BUT NOT UNDERSTAND CULTURE
Comments:
Deeper blurred lines between the Church and culture. It’s getting close to a breaking point, but a lot of the Church will continue to try and reconcile with where culture is going.
Fearing what man thinks over what God commands.
The church seems focused on the here and now while so many people are searching for the answers to big questions: what is life, who am I, why am I here? The church is focused on earthly issues rather than heavenly.
The church is becoming preoccupied with the present age.
The church will continue to struggle not to be pushed around by the culture of this world.
The church will continue to crave being relevant to culture (fitting in, looking like, being considered cool) more than being witnesses of Jesus in culture.
We haven’t fully grasped how unchristian the average American’s world view is. Our preaching is often answering questions people aren’t asking anymore.
4. THE CHURCH WILL BE TOO POLITICAL
Comments:
Churches will choose politics over Jesus.
The church will continue to struggle with staying away from divisive politics.
Many in the church will let our political preferences override our biblical mandate (the Great Commission). Many will surrender to the urge to fight for electoral dominance,
The church will not repent of political support for some very un-Christlike behavior and will either stay silent or keep promoting it. It will continue to not be a leader in racial reconciliation, especially now that the fervor has died down. It will continue to be too tied up in human politics.
Church will continue to allow politics, worldly agenda’s, or fear to distract us.
The church will continue to split. The dividing line will be social and political issues. Awareness of social issues will be emphasized more than awareness of Jesus.
Many churches and church leaders will struggle to reach those on the “other side” of political, social and worldview issues
The church will wade too deeply into political waters and not focus on loving and reaching out to the lost.
We’ll see more division and fracture in the American Church especially over politics–making government more important than Gospel.
5. DISCIPLESHIP WILL BE WEAK
Comments:
The Church lacks commitment to disciple its people. I believe eventually this will change as the Church comes regains its mission, but I don’t think this will happen in 2021.
Discipleship will again be a struggle.
6. THE CHURCH WILL FOCUS ON NUMBERS
Comments:
The church will continue getting caught up in the lure of power of the crowd and forgetting that true change starts in the individual
The church will have the hardest time with numbers. I mean this as in growth and finances. Numbers are important even though not the most important.
By wanting to try to define success in numbers alone. Trying to cheapen the purpose and ministry of Jesus Christ by definitions of worldly success.
7. THE CHURCH WILL STRUGGLE WITH UNITY
Comments:
The church will continue to struggle with being unified.
We will allow the political climate to continue to distract and divide us as the body when we should be even more united.
The church will continue to split. The dividing line will be social and political issues. Awareness of social issues will be emphasized more than awareness of Jesus.
The church will see more division. The cause will be politics and obeying government more than God.
The church will continue to divide.
The church will get caught up in petty arguments.
8. THE CHURCH WILL LACK FOCUS ON THE GOSPEL
Comments:
We’ll emphasize other things over the ministry of the Gospel. Primarily government and politics.
The church uses the word “gospel” a lot, but is not teaching it, at least not the gospel taught in the New Testament. Where people will spend eternity is the focus of the Gospel, but not the church’s.
The church will continue to split over the Gospel. Churches that advocate for focusing first on the Gospel rather than on social issues will be attacked by society and by significant portions of the church.
9. THE CHURCH WILL NOT KNOW ITS IDENTITY AND REASON FOR BEING
Comments:
Rather than experiencing transformation we will be another social group clamoring about and living in fear of the future and changing times.
The church will wade too deeply into political waters and not focus on loving and reaching out to the lost.
By focusing on other good things and not the best thing the great commission, I guess letting what we think is urgent drawn out what God calls necessary.
10. THE CHURCH WILL OPERATE INDEPENDENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Comments:
The church will not operate in the Holy Spirit and be sensitive to His leadership.
The church will close itself off to the work of the Spirit by being unwilling to honestly examine ourselves and to admit where we have gone wrong and repent. More and more people don’t want to look inward, but blame their issues, spiritual or not, on the world and the people around them.
QUESTION: How will the Evangelical church best shine, i.e., BEST fulfill its New Testament reason for being in 2021?
1. THE CHURCH WILL BE STRONG IN COMMUNITY AND RELATIONSHIPS
Comments:
The true church will make personal connection a priority and find a way to come together. It will become a place to fulfill the need for true, deep relationships.
We will build relationships.
The church will continue to focus on relationships that lead to real discipleship.
There will be deeper connection in our community.
We will care for others.
The church will grow more focused on authentic Christian community and through this example of peace and love amidst crisis win others over to the Jesus way.
There will be a revival of the Acts 2:42 Church instead of the flashy, Western model we’ve elevated as par for the course that makes us feel good but doesn’t make us followers of Jesus.
The church will give people a sense of hope and peace, and a place to belong, despite all of the darkness and isolation that is in our world.
The Church is going to find more of its stride, connecting with God together—and with each other—both virtually and in-person.
2. THE CHURCH WILL BE STRONG IN WORSHIP AND PRAYER
The church will be a place where all different kinds of people can come and worship together
The church will shine in its focus on worship and prayer.
We will get back to prayer.
Worshipping God is going to take on a whole new deeper intimacy by the church that has been lacking for many years.
3. THE CHURCH WILL HAVE A PASSION FOR THE GOSPEL
Comments:
The church will choose Jesus and the Gospel over politics.
The church will get back to the Gospel.
The church will continue to spread the gospel message on massive scale.
The luxury of numbers (crowds, money, time) is disappearing, so churches will come back to the historic Gospel, wanting to know it deeply so they can experience it deeply and give it to others boldly.
The church will give people the Gospel in love, grace, and truth.
4. THE CHURCH WILL BE STRONG IN DISCIPLESHIP
Comments:
Discipleship will shine in 2021.
Discipleship will come back toward the center of church ministries
The church will focus on real discipleship.
There will be a revival of the Acts 2:42 Church instead of the flashy, Western model we’ve elevated as par for the course that makes us feel good but doesn’t make us followers of Jesus.
The church will prioritize discipleship and become a resource to those who want to make disciples.
Personal discipleship, influence and love will be evident.
5. THE CHURCH WILL BE STRONG IN ITS MISSION
Comments:
The Church will continue to be forced to confront its identity as a body that witnesses to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This will not be an easy process for the Church, but it will ultimately come out stronger in this regard.
The church will have a greater urgency for reaching into their community in 2021.
Evangelism in a group context/family will thrive.
The church will continue to spread the gospel message on massive scale.
The church will navigate unknown territory while continuing to make Jesus known.
We will be more purposeful in our mission.
We will better serve our communities.
6. THE CHURCH WILL BE STRONG IN ITS LOVE FOR GOD
Comments:
The Church will become more committed than ever before, to loving God and loving people!
The church will make Jesus the center.
7. THE CHURCH WILL HAVE A GREATER KNOWLEDGE OF ITS REASON FOR BEING
Comments:
The church will clearly define who we are and what our purpose is.
We will grow from the lessons we learned in 2020 (globally and locally) about what the church is/isn’t.
8. THE CHURCH WILL ADAPT ITS MINISTRIES TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Comments:
The church in 2021 will best shine as it embraces new ways of doing ministry.
In 2021 the church will shine by embracing new methods to share the gospel with more people.
The church will navigate unknown territory while continuing to make Jesus known.
9. THE CHURCH WILL DISTANCE ITSELF FROM POLITICS
Comments:
There will be some repentance and turning away from such deep ties to human politics. It will continue to grow in effectiveness to those worshipping online.
The Church will choose Jesus over politics. Speak the gospel.
The Church will demonstrate its love for those who are against it and would shut it down.
10. THE CHURCH WILL HAVE AN ACTIVE DEPENDENCE ON GOD
Comments:
We will depend on the wisdom and direction from the Lord more than ever because of the uncertainty.
Most Christians in the church in 2021 will be Spirit-led believers who are ready to persevere through adversity and oppression.
The church will demonstrate dependency on God for faith and healing.
REVIVAL, PERSECUTION, AND COVID
We also asked U40s to tell us what they anticipate in 2021 on the subjects of revival in the church, persecution of the church and the continuing of a COVID lockdown mentality in the church.
We asked them three questions:
1. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how much revival will the Church see in 2021?”
An answer of 1 means No Revival;
An answer of 10 means Acts 2 Revival
The average of all respondents: 6.03
2. “On a scale from 1 to 10, how much persecution will the Church see in 2021?”
An answer of 1 means Absolutely No Persecution;
An answer of 10 means Acts 7 Martyrdom.
The average of all respondents: 4.09
3. “On a scale from 1 to 10, how much of the lockdown mentality of 2020 (in church life, community, and mission) will the Church see in 2021?”
An answer of 1 means the church will have completely moved out of COVID mode thinking;
An answer of 10 means the church will continue in a complete shutdown mentality.
The average of all respondents: 5.63
FINAL WORD
Journey’s four surveys on the church demonstrate that there is little consensus among the U40 ministers we surveyed on the health and ministry of the church in 2020 and 2021. But respondents’ answers give us much to reflect on, most noticeably, how will the church of 2020 and 2021 fit into church history:
- How will our chapter fit in the One Story of Jesus and His Church?
- Will we be healthy as the body of Christ?
- Will we be a temple of living stones, worshipping in Spirit and in truth?
- Will we be a pure bride?
- Will we step up and take our place in the great cloud of witnesses, 21 centuries strong?
- Will we truly know Him as our living Lord?
- Will He find us faithful?
- Will we whom God birthed for such a time as this, rise to the moment given us, and, as Jesus admonished the seven churches of The Revelation, will we conquer?
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