“The church of the future will be a bungalow on Maple Street, not a megastructure in a sea of parking spaces. It’s intimacy of experience people long for, not production values.” — The Way We’ll Be, p. 215.
"Zogby quotes one house church enthusiast, 'What is so exciting about doing small-group house church is just the chance to be real.' Authenticity, not high production values, is what First Globals are seeking."
Chuck Warnock posted these quotes from John Zogby's latest book.
In a culture innundated with false advertising, that's disillusioned with "religion" and easy answers, some say there's a higher and higher value being placed on humility, authenticity and "reality" - which seems to be found in deep community.
Do you see this trend happening? Why or why not?
I think it is always worth a conversation about this - b/c the more we discuss the possibilities and options for the future, the more we will be stuck in the “way” we do things now.
Also, I think it is important to remember that Jesus never really gave us the specific “what’s this whole deal EXACTLY going to look like?” - b/c He knew the “how” would shift and change - depending on variables such as generations, culture, context.
I love the conversation, and we can just resolve to accomplishing the bottom line.
Comment by pete hixson - Aug 21, 2008 @ 08:00 AM
I meant “the more we will NOT be stuck.....”
Comment by pete Hixson - Aug 21, 2008 @ 08:03 AM
This has been happening for years in all areas of business. It’s just now getting to the church, but if you watch society and societal trends it’s been obvious that this would happen. This is the LongTail on the church.
Comment by Michael - Aug 21, 2008 @ 10:21 AM
I expect there is some validity in this prediction, but how far into the future will this trend be evidenced--10 years, 50 years? I see generational differences expressed in Facebook, et al, where those who are younger (teens, 20 somethings) seem to live out their lives through their profile/space; this is much more evident than in those who are in their 40s and above. Is that genuine “authenticity” and “reality”? If so, they don’t need a building (whether a single family house or institutional structure) to “know and be known.”
Some of these seem much more open/vulnerable (authentic?) on Facebook than they seem in their peer group. Is that likely to continue? If so, we may see more “online” churches (or church gatherings) rather than the churches we have today, whether larger groups or smaller house churches.
Comment by Greg Miller - Aug 21, 2008 @ 10:30 AM
I like this post. This is so worth conversing. I currently attend a small house fellowship. It gives me the opportunity to be held more accountable and the fellowship seems to more sincere. This isn’t to say that I couldn’t find this in a “megachurch” but it doesn’t seem as likely.
The plus about “megachurches” is that the opportunity to get the gospel out on a greater level is available. I enjoy seeing the billboards and the television exposure the megachurches invest in our city.
Comment by Heady - Aug 21, 2008 @ 10:52 AM
It will always be both/and.
Look at the cathedrals of Europe--the first megachurches. The church is too complex a creature to have all its needs met by megachurches or house-churches.
House-churches provide intimacy and spiritual discipleship. But cathedrals and megachurches provide a level of intellectual ferment and artistic capacity at a regional or national level.
The university itself grew out of education divisions in cathedral schools, as did a lot of the impetus for change during the Reformation. And some of our greatest artistic achievements, from Handel’s Messiah to the frescoes of the renaissance, were paid for by “megachurches”.
Comment by Paul Grant - Aug 21, 2008 @ 12:19 PM
Here is just one take I see on these predictions and the multi-site trend.
Multi-site is the realization of Mega-churches that contextualization and smaller venues are valueable, and are still church even though the physical presence of the preacher is removed. But a site is still a church, it just has cloned elements and contextual ones. The logical extent that I think we will see in as short as 2 and as long as 7 years is where Mega-churches start treating their small groups like multi-sites.
The important thing to notice is that the production value of the teaching and worship experience will continue to be very high, and there will be attendance at those venues. But the Mega-church will turn into the “many methods” structure where people are experiencing church in their comfort zone and faith needs. This ranges from the large group mega church weekend experience, to the small group church with 6 good friends.
All are church, and actually similar methods.
Comment by Tony Steward - Aug 22, 2008 @ 02:44 AM