STEEPLE Environmental Scan of the Trends Driving the Church

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Introduction

Changes in the socio-political environment could reflect in every sphere of life, including religion, which plays a central role in mediating the impacts of such shifts. Recently, the church has taken an almost forward-ever trajectory catapulted by the political, economic, environmental, social, and technological transformations that threaten to change the perception of the biblical doctrine and stand on most cultural practices. The articles by Railey (2018), Seven Trends Impacting the Church, and Morgans (2020) 3 Glaring Church Growth Trends provide a robust discussion of trends shaping the progress of churches across the globe. The churchs future is characterized by reduced outreach, adoption of the parental model of growth, increased political indulgence, and role in integration cases.

Technological Transformation-The Shift in Apologetics

One reason for the decline in church evangelism is the fear of members sharing their faith due to advancements in technology that make people covenant with every issue. Congregants fear that people could ask them tough questions because of the preparedness of the world to criticize Christians due to the exposure to the media. This problem leads to the concept of apologetics and the increasing adoption of this tool among congregants to stand against the attacks of atheists.

Social Transformations-The Impact on the Outreach Model

In contrast to the declining church outreach, the ministry connection among the members is increasing by day while the connection with external members is declining. One of the justifications is that many churches have adopted the parent church model. Railey (2018) explains that 60% of most Assemblies of God denominations have adopted the parent-church model in the past few years. People consider parent-affiliated churches to have the required safety net for new leaders embarking on their tasks.

Legal Transformations-The Lean Management Approach

The parent model proposed by Railey (2018) also applies in leadership styles that seek to eschew the bureaucratic problems of many membership committees. Legal bottlenecks associated with congregations are also huge, which compel most ministers to favor manageable teams over large boards. Morgan (2020) discusses the economies of embracing the lean governance structure, intimating that churches with many committees and huge decision-making boards struggle due to long chains of leadership coordination.

Economic Impact- Growing towards Budget Consciousness

The economic environment has also changed the perception of churches, making people more cautious about debts. Many youths now prefer maintaining a personal budget that makes them sustainable rather than accumulating more money with debt implications. For such reasons, church colleges have witnessed a decline in enrolment as more people shun huge student debts that hurt their economic livelihoods. Due to the above-stated problems, the church will continue to suffer from effective and trained leadership. Hence, denominations should rise to equip and multiply many leaders to fill the ever-growing gap in leadership.

Environmental Impacts-Changing Cities and Impact on Diversity

With many cities experiencing gentrification and diversity becoming integrated into almost every sector of life, accommodation is one of the strategies that churches have embraced in readiness to fit in and draw the world. Many churches seek ways to integrate diversity into their programs and ensure that they resonate with the present unfolding and overcome stigmatization associated with race, social class, and gender issues. Besides diversity accommodation, city gentrification has attracted new challenges associated with isolation, criticism, and high living costs that present churches with new opportunities to be a beacon of change. The rapid relocations to metropolitan areas imply that people will carry the concepts of urban places to suburbs, including diversity, isolation, and independent living. For such reasons, churches must carry the message of hope and unity for the bewildered society.

Political Factors

While controversy has been a norm for churches throughout history, the contemporary climate is witnessing an increasing temperature of political sentiments in the church. The world may expect churches to be apolitical; however, traditionally, churches have had a solid political voice. In the modern climate, leaders in many denominations have risen to be the voice of reason for political unfolding. Church leaders must be conversant with the political climate because the government progressively debates issues of churches and could rationalize policies without their involvement.

Conclusion

The churchs future is characterized by reduced outreach, adoption of the parental model of growth, increased political indulgence, and role in integration cases. Social-cultural roles have had the overriding effect in transforming the church, with a noticeable decline in church attendance due to the favor for the parent-model of leadership that eschews the legal bottlenecks of management. The church is becoming overly political due to its imagined role in shaping policies and involvement in legal battles such as diversity debate. Debt-consciousness has also led to a decrease in trained leadership for the ministry. Environmental issues have shifted the urban form of consciousness to the rural communities, reigniting new battles for churches and placing them at the central points of unity in a disintegrating world.

References

Morgan, T. (2020). 3 Glaring Church Growth Trends. Outreach Magazine, Web.

Railey, C. (2018). Seven Trends Impacting the Church. Influence Magazine, Web.

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