8 Trends in American Churches in 2016 - THOM S. RAINER CHARISMA NEWS

Here are eight American church trends you might expect to see in 2016. (Facebook )

8 Trends in American Churches in 2016

 1/11/2016 THOM S. RAINER      charisma news

I have been writing on trends in churches for two decades. I certainly don't have a perfect record with my predictions, but my overall record is pretty good.

My methodology is simple: I observe emerging issues in some churches and extrapolate them into major trends.

This year I take this approach with a higher level of confidence than previous years. I have seen most of the following issues grow month by month in 2015, so I don't have to be the brightest person in the world to project them as major trends in 2016.

Here are the first eight trends. Later, I will write about eight more:

1. Church security as the fastest growing ministry. Shootings in churches and sex abuse of children mandate this unfortunate trend. No church can afford to be without serious security measures, policies and equipment. It will evolve into a major church ministry.

2. Decrease in worship center size and capacity. The large worship gathering is not as popular as it has been. Through multiple services and multiple sites, churches will follow this preference with smaller capacity worship centers.

3. Increase in successfully revitalized churches. More church leaders sense a call to lead revitalized churches. Because of this desire and intentionality, we will see more success stories of churches that have experienced significant revitalization.

4. Rapid growth of coaching ministries for pastors and church staff. The current trend is anecdotal, but it will soon be verified and obvious. Pastors and staff who have the humility to be led, and the willingness to invest resources in coaching are becoming the most effective church leaders.

5. Increase in the numbers of churches in gentrified communities. Thousands of older urban communities are becoming revitalized. Churches are following the increased numbers of residents to these communities.

6. Increased emphasis on practical ministry training. Church leaders in America have seen a much needed two-decade renewal of training in classical disciplines and doctrine. That need remains, but more leaders are crying for training in leadership, relational skills, and other practical ministries.

7. Increasing emphasis on groups in churches. Church leaders are getting it. When church members are a part of some type of group, such as a small group or Sunday school class, they attend more faithfully, evangelize more frequently, and give more abundantly.

8. Fewer segregated churches. For most of American history, 11:00 a.m. on Sunday was the most segregated hour of the week. That is changing. A church that is not racially and ethnically diverse will soon become the exception instead of the norm.

Stay tuned for eight more trends for 2016. 

Thom S. Rainer is the president of LifeWay Christian Resources. For the original article, visit thomrainer.com.

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Don’t Hide the Holy Spirit in a Seeker-Friendly Box - J. Lee Grady

Don't limit the Holy Spirit in your worship service. Let the power flow. (J. Lee Grady)

Don’t Hide the Holy Spirit in a Seeker-Friendly Box

6/4/2014 J. LEE GRADY  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Pentecost Sunday is this weekend. Some pastors may preach a sermon on the Holy Spirit's ministry; others might read Acts 2; others may hang a red and orange banner over the stage to remind people of the Spirit's fire. Some might even allow a livelier-than-usual song to be performed since, after all, it's Pentecost!

The sermons, Bible verses, banners and music are all great. But I'm looking beyond this Sunday. I'd like to know if we're willing to allow the Holy Spirit to get out of the box we've put Him in.

Everywhere I go I hear pastors asking the same question: How can we encourage the freedom of Pentecost in a church culture that has become increasingly scripted, scheduled and controlled right down to the nanosecond. The essence of Pentecost, which came "suddenly" (Acts 2:2), was its unpredictability. But there seems to be no room for God's sudden surprises when we already have our sermons planned out for the next six months.

Here are eight practical things we can do to encourage the freedom of Pentecost in our churches:

1. Teach about the Holy Spirit often. The Holy Spirit was rarely mentioned in the church I grew up in, so we never expected Him to do anything. Yet He is described in the second verse of the Bible as "moving" upon the surface of the newly created world (Gen. 1:2) and He has one of the last messages in the Bible (see Rev. 22:17). He moves and He speaks throughout the Scriptures! But we must invite Him to move and speak in our churches by giving Him the place He deserves.

2. Leave room for altar calls and personal ministry. A church without altar ministry is like a hospital without a maternity ward. New life begins at the altar—whether it is salvation, healing, prophetic ministry or the impartation of a fresh anointing. Today many churches that offer multiple services often skimp on ministry time because they are focused on herding the 10 a.m group out of the sanctuary to get ready for the 11:30 a.m. crowd. Multiple services are fine, but we are crowding the Spirit out of the church if we don't schedule time for people to respond to the message.

3. Have small groups where people can use the Holy Spirit's gifts. It's not practical for everyone to prophesy or exercise other spiritual gifts in a large congregation. But if people are plugged into small groups or Bible classes there will be opportunities for believers to encourage one another in supernatural ways. And people are more comfortable stepping out in faith in front of 10 people than they are in front of 3,000.

4. Train people in prophecy, healing and Spirit-led ministry. Many pastors clamp down on the operation of spiritual gifts because a few fanatics with inflated egos like to pull the church into weirdness with their visions, dreams or strange teachings. But in our effort to protect the sheep from deception let's not pull the pendulum to the other extreme by forbidding the gifts of the Spirit. The genuine power of God will flow if we teach people the difference between authentic anointing and strange fire.

5. Offer "teaching moments" to explain the gifts of the Spirit. I've been in churches where Brother Herschel or Sister Agnes prophesied in such a harsh, condemning tone that everyone in the church let out a collective groan. Their "words from God" had the same effect on the congregation as fingernails on a chalkboard. We cannot just ignore these moments and move on. When the Corinthians mishandled speaking in tongues and prophecy in the first century, the apostle Paul used their mistakes as an opportunity to teach about how to use gifts properly. In the same way, a leader must address spiritual abuse from the pulpit by teaching that prophetic messages should be delivered in love and in God's tone of voice.

6. Expose your church to healthy ministries that flow in the anointing. There are some charlatans selling the Holy Spirit's gifts today—on television and in churches. But not every traveling minister is a fake. God has raised up thousands of prophets who have not bowed their knees to the Baals of exploitation, greed and gimmicks. We need life-giving traveling ministries because God sends them to win new converts, heal the sick, unleash prophetic power, train leaders and impart new vision in congregations. We should not be afraid to expose our churches to men and women of character who are called to minister in the supernatural.

7. Give time for testimonies of God's supernatural power. Nothing raises the faith level of a congregation like someone's raw experience with God. If a man was healed this week in your church, let him shout it from the housetops. If an infertile couple got pregnant, let them tell about the goodness of God. Stories of supernatural intervention trigger a holy expectation in everyone—and God gets the glory for His miracles.

8. Preach about holiness. Let's never forget that the Holy Spirit is holy. When people are filled with the Spirit, the Spirit burns up their sinful habits (see Matt. 3:11-12). The Spirit is quenched by immorality, carnality and pride, and He does not manifest His power when God's people are steeped in sin and compromise. Many churches today have stopped warning God's people about the dangers of sin, so we don't confront anymore. We've figured out that people will pack the house if we give them sugary-sweet motivational pep talks that never step on toes. By avoiding the tough topics, we've essentially told the Holy Ghost to take a hike.

As we celebrate Pentecost, let's fling open the doors and allow the Spirit to have His way. Instead of being afraid of what He might disrupt, or who He might offend, let's rather fear what our churches would be like without Him.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.

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Worth The Price - The Great Commission, Part 12 - Rick Joyner

Worth The Price - The Great Commission, Part 12

Week 12, 2014

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Rick Joyner

       We now understand that having koinonia is essential for the true New Covenant life and for fulfilling The Great Commission. 

In the New Testament when someone believed in Christ, they were made disciples, not just converts, and their discipleship began with being “added to the church.” This was far more than just being added to the membership roll. Every part of the New Testament body of Christ is called to be a functioning part of the body to which they are connected. They have a role to play in the life of the body.

         It is hard for anyone to discover their gifts and callings in the typical church service, much less have a place to function. Again, these larger services can have an important part in the life of the body, but the real building of the church, which is the place where church life really happens, will be the smaller groups.        

         Many Christian leaders are fearful of special “clicks” forming from small groups. This can, and likely will happen. But it is part of the maturing process that they will grow beyond if they have a secure and healthy leadership. Our human bodies are formed this way. All of the cells that are meant to be heart cells need to be connected within the heart, and the heart must be connected to the rest of the body, if it is to live.

         If we are overly fearful of small groups separating themselves, then we are not mature or secure enough in the Lord to be in leadership. Without a leadership that walks in faith instead of fear, koinonia will not happen. Without the freedom present that enables some groups to separate, the control spirit will be too great for authentic koinonia. Therefore, a secure and mature leadership is crucial for church life.

         All relationships go through phases and challenges before becoming mature and stable. Churches do too. If we think that we will wait out the problems and jump in when things settle down, we will not fit in when we try to jump in. The process is essential. The more intense it is, the greater we can expect the purpose and koinonia to be. As we enter more deeply into the time when all of society is falling apart, the koinonia in the church is going to be a strong lifeline to many and become one of the most valuable treasures on earth. It will be well worth whatever price we have paid for it.

Source: Rick Joyner's Word For the Week