Broad Trends In Church Renewal

I never pass up an opportunity to have lunch or coffee with other pastors in town. I love hearing what ministry looks like from their point of view. I love picking their brains about meeting rhythms, org charts, and board structures.

• Why reinvent the wheel? If others have faced and overcome the obstacle that is in front of you, why not learn from them?

I also learn from others by reading reports from various groups. One of the latest is Vanderbloemen Group’s State of the Church: Trends for 2025. It highlights 10 dynamics that I think are highly relevant to the work of church renewal. This week, I will discuss the first five.

Five Trends in Church Renewal

Trend 1: People are more skeptical than ever

• People have largely become immune to facts and figures. Politicians and media channels cherry-pick and massage “data” to support their own narratives, creating deep distrust of statistics.
• The implication? We must lean in to asking good questions rather than only dispensing expert advice. We must be open about our own journey and share “what we’re learning.” And we must thoroughly vet and accurately cite any data we share.

Trend 2: Context is Key

• Your congregants can — and do — listen to their favorite nationally known pastors on TV or YouTube. What can you do to help them also stay engaged with your preaching?
• You have one thing Andy Stanley does not: a deep, intimate knowledge of your people and your community. You know their joys, sorrows, and needs. If you understand and love your local context (following the pattern of Acts 1:8), your ministry will thrive!

Trend 3: Video will dominate

• We all know the communication struggle: How do you keep your congregation in the loop? How do you reach your community? How do you ensure what you write isn’t just white noise?
• Increasingly, the answer is video. Younger generations find video more engaging. Are you posting sermon videos online that you’re proud of? That is just the first step! What other video updates can you create to enrich the lives of people inside and outside your church family?

Trend 4: “Omnichannel” Communicators will thrive

• While the popularity of video will continue to grow, that does not necessarily mean the old-fashioned bulletin is obsolete.
• If your church is multigenerational, you have both a tremendous blessing and a tremendous challenge. How can you ensure information is going out in the bulletin, on TikTok, and everywhere in between? Doing this will likely require a dedicated staff member.

Trend 5: Hiring will be difficult

• Vanderbloemen says, “At the top of your organization the turnover is very low, and people tend to stay a long time. But toward the middle and bottom of the org chart, the larger the church, the higher the turnover… [R]ealize and embrace the fact that you will lose some of your people.”
• As Boomers retire, fewer Gen Xers will be ready to take their place (because of differing birth rates). Millennials and members of Gen Z will likely need training and investment before taking the reins of leadership. All of this calls for proactive planning. What should your staff structure look like in five years? What will have to happen to get there?

Do these trends align with what you’re seeing? We’ll tackle the final five next week!