Sermons, Small Groups, Nurseries

Gazing into my not-so-accurate crystal ball, I have dared to predict three things for the future of USA churches: 1. Contemporary Music; 2. Drums, guitars, and keyboards; 3. No Sunday evening services. This blog will look at three more possibilities.

4. Preaching. Almost every contemporary worship service includes a sermon. Yay! This is good news. USA churches will stay focused on the Word. Amen. I like this one.

5. Small groups. Essentially all new churches encourage people to connect in small groups. Many new churches do not have facilities to house groups; thus they have to use homes. I feel any church that has the space should still offer classes on Sunday morning. I am not antil-home, but am pro-church building. I may do a separate blog about this one item soon.

6. Nursery. Excellent child care will have to be provided for babies and toddlers. I personally feel this will become the case for all children ages birth through kindergarten. The families of the future may even expect it for older children. We'll see.

I covet your thoughts. What do you foresee for USA churches? Comment on my Facebook post about this blog.

Popular posts from this blog

The Parable of the Lost Puzzle Piece

Jesus lived in an agrarian society. Thus His parables often played off themes familiar to people in that kind of culture. Had our Master lived today, in a group that loved to do puzzles, He may have used the following parable at Luke 15:4-7. "What puzzlers, having 999 pieces safely on the table, do not leave them to find the one? When they find it, they bear it joyfully to the table, rejoicing. And when the puzzle is done, the puzzlers tell their families the glad tidings, and then post on Facebook a Huzzah! Likewise, there is joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents, more than over 999 just persons, who need no repentance." This idea came to me while I was flat on my belly, crawling from one piece of furniture to another, looking for piece 1000. I've done this twice in recent days. One time I found it; one time I failed to locate it. There is a huge difference between finding and losing the one piece. Our Master cares about the one. May we follow His lead. www.john316ma...
Read more

The Three Wise Men Followed the Bible

From the first, Christmas has been hard to envisions without thinking of the Magi. In early catacomb art about Jesus' birth, the most frequent painting-motif was the Magi. The star in their story is the star of their story, but the essential fact we often overlook is that they also followed the Bible. First, they had to have read in the ancient scrolls the predictions about the coming King of the Jews. Without Holy Writ, they would not have known what the star pointed to. Second, once they arrived in Israel, the star disappeared. They had to ask for help from Herod, who consulted the religious leaders. They  pointed Herod to a passage the prophet Micah (5:2) had written 700 years earlier. He predicted that Bethlehem, the small-town birthplace of King David, would also be the birthplace of the Messiah. The star did re-appear, but d on't miss the honor God placed on His Word. God gave the Magi a star to help them start their way to Christ, but made sure even they could not comple...
Read more

Play It Again, Sam.

I would again not know how much money individuals gave to the church in offerings. This is controversial among Pastors. Many think they should know, and almost have to know, in order to wisely perceive whether people's hearts are with the church or not. I always feared it would lead me to show favoritism or anger. By the way, I would also again never touch church money, and I would also again keep precise receipts on all church money I used. I would again continue my practice of trying to give fallen ministers another chance at the ministry. After I went through my difficult departure from a church, I decided to contact any minister I know that leaves under unpleasant circumstances. When I hear the news, I have regularly called them immediately. Several times I have been told I was the only Pastor that contacted them. A wounded preacher is fragile. Handle with care. I would again try to stay up to date enough with technology to be able to use it as a Pastoral tool. I've never b...
Read more