Mark Brown had an interesting post over at Facebook and on his blog, Ministry in the not too distant future.
Here is what he says:
Seeing this visitor diversity reminded me of the huge shift presently happening in society: moving from relating geographically to relating through networks or interests. This is being driven by the massive growth of the internet. In the not too distant future where you live will mean very little to whom you relate to and the context of your work.
Your workplace may well be wherever you want it to be, your ministry field perhaps on the other side of the world. The most obvious positive is that we potentially can reach huge numbers of people for a fraction of the cost (no travel expenses, venue set up costs etc..) And the negative is that we won’t have as much face to face contact. And for most of us this is the biggest struggle : the idea that we relate without meeting face to face. To quote Hugh Mackay, no longer do we need to be physically present to be in community.
The massive challenge facing us in the church and church organisations is that we are all deeply invested in the geographic model. Parishes are located in suburbs, with autonomous Christian organisations, one to each country. So as this shift away from geography builds momentum we are in for quite a shock.
It is essential that leaders start to wrestle with this otherwise we may well be left wondering where all the people went.. wait isn’t that happening already?
I agree with Mark regarding the essence of his comments here. I think we are seeing a shift away from a geographical based model of church. That is not to say that people will stop gathering at church, but how that looks I think will be very different than the model we see now. I think more and more people will be connected through online networks and gather more locally then drive to church.
I think we will see more and more people connected physically to various networks of ministry, instead of attendance at one church where they participate in everything such as worship, small groups, prayer, etc. It will be more of a modular model that Andrew Jones talked about at GodblogCon.
Two things I think pastors, church leaders need to start wrestling with if they haven’t already:
1) Shift from geographical based ministry to online community/networking based. This does not mean people still won’t gather, but how, where and when they gather will change.
2) Technology is allowing the people/congregants to self-organize, collaborate and participate without having to go through traditional means and hierarchies of the church. I think this will change the role of the pastor drastically from the top-down leader, to more of a facilitator. I think that means we will see less and less traditional roles of pastors, and maybe even less full-time positions, etc.
Thinking out loud. What do you think? Where do you see this already happening?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
i think the thing that will scare the ‘powers that be’ is the ‘self organize’ aspect.
which i think is the strongest thing behind the best movements
there is something to be said of those that are paying attention to “next” things.
good stuff.
I think blogging is an example of this. You get to choose what you want to read and what not to read. Most likely you are going to read stuff you enjoy (at least I hope you would). With online church communities, you will get to choose from the soon to be thousands of different online churches to find one that fits you. It is church shopping at a whole new level.
I don’t know that it is an all positive thing. We are already too consumeristic.
Nice post. I think the large/mega church phenomenon has quietly transitioned most pastors into facilitators already. I see very little shepherding in churches I am familiar with. I would suggest calling most church staff “directors” or “ministers”, and those actually working directly with people in the church (not just the staff), pastors. This is one reason why small groups are so effective. It may be hyperbole, but small group leaders are really doing the pastoring (aka shepherding) these days… not the “pastors”. All due respect to pastors.
I believe this trend will only increase as believers can find better facilitators online. There are currently better systems, organizational technology, better teaching, etc. online.
I don’t see any of this inherently “bad”, but it calls for wisdom and foresight.
Vince, Chad, Tyler and Sean:
Thanks for commenting. You have made me think about some stuff in your comments. Probably going to post on it here.
rhett
Rhett – I don’t have time to read this whole thing, I REALLY need to get back to work, but I couldn’t help thinking “Facilitate/or” is my new fav word! It’s especially important for me to make this obvious when I’m leading something way out of my depth (parenting, marriage, etc). And while I think it’s a good move, it’s also indicative of our generation’s general angst and fear of inadequacy. with the increase of information, we can’t help but feel unable to call ourselves “experts” and therefore shy away from “teaching” – we just got to make sure that we don’t shy away so much that we cut our legs out from under ourselves. I’ll get back to read the full post soon.
Sadly I see this shift though it may be the trend that many will follow I can’t help but think this will only be a deepening rift between the local church and the congregation. People need interaction on a face to face level which also brings accountability and responsibility, if everyone follows this trend we could lose future leaders of God’s calling to care for the flock. which is the primary reason the Church exists, I could be ridiculed for this, but I truly believe we are becoming a very self centerd society and lack depth for the work of the ministry. One of the 10 commandments is not to forsake the sabbath day, a gathering of God’s people under one roof to give praise and honour to our God and the Apostle Paul states we are not to stop gathering together as has become the manner of some. online communities is ok if it does not take the place of our responsiblities and our commitment to God’s Word and Statues, God Bless you all Pastor Franco
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