3 Accelerating Trends in Local Churches Today
- More multi-site and multi-venue churches. It does not seem that long ago that a multi-site church in America was a rare exception. Indeed, many viewed this approach with suspicion because they were uncertain about its efficacy or theological foundations. Today, the multi-site church seems commonplace and normative. The acceleration of the multi-site church is taking place as smaller churches begin to adopt the approach. This strategy was largely adopted by megachurches just a few years ago. Today, churches of 300 in attendance and even smaller have joined the multi-site strategy.
- More multi-preacher/teacher churches. As a multi-site churches have increased in number, so have the number of churches with more than one regular preacher or teacher. But the multi-site movement alone cannot explain the accelerated growth of this phenomenon. Again, its adoption by smaller churches has increased the growth rate more than any one factor. I can think of dozens of congregations under 200 in attendance that have more than one preacher or teacher.
- The rapid increase in large churches functioning as quasi-denominations. The functions of denominations have historically included missions funding; funding of theological education; providing of Bible study and other resources; and guidance in both polity and ethical issues. Today, many large churches carry out, to some degree, all of these functions. The acceleration of this development seems to have three sources. First, many churches are generally dissatisfied with the direction of the denomination of which they are a part. Second, most denominations have fewer funding dollars to carry out their functions. Third, many struggling churches have elected to become acquired by another church, essentially making the acquiring church act as an oversight body of other churches.
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Three of the multi-church ministries that I am familiar with shows signs of burnout. Americans are hard to pastor in that they have excessive expectations and thus they drain their leaders emotionally and spiritually. Also they are usually led by men with excessive expectations and thus a condition is set up that creates a circuit overload for both laymen and clergy.
Jesus Christ didn’t send his disciples to build mega churches.
I knew a pastor who pastored a church for more than 35 years.
His church outgrew it self 3 times. Seating capacity was 250.
He encouraged the members of his to have a home mission church, that they supported till the New church was on its feet..
God blessed all the churches that did this under his leadership
He would go once every 3 months to the mission churches and preach on a Sunday night.
He was a pastor and would not accept revival invitations to preach revivals
He never did use a pastor from another church to have revivals at his church.
He had revivals at his church every 3 months
He always used a full-time evangelist
That was the way the Lord spoke to him when he begin the pastor the churches that he pastor and they all prosper
Reverend C H Miller was the pastor
Jim Price This is good observation. What signs have you noticed other than financial weakness ?
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