Future Trends of Church Planting

I am spending the week at a Stadia and the Church Coaching Solutions network presenting at their Church Planter Bootcamp in Nashville.

Today, special guest presenter Ed Stezer shared his thoughts regarding the future trends of church planting in America.

1. Market share of people willing to come is shrinking. As a result of the success of the Purpose Driven and Seeker Sensitive attractional models, many communities have been saturated by church plants and it is becoming increasingly difficult to launch new churches with over 200 people on the first day.

2. Incarnational models are becoming more important. Church planting movements such as Acts 29 and David Mills' "Compassion by Design" are helping church plants meet the actual needs of the community. New church plants are finding great success by "being Jesus"in the community, i.e. serving the community.

3. Attractional models beginning to wane. Seeker sensitive movements and the whole "come and see" plants are not connecting well with this culture. The "big show" is out. Serving the community is in.

4. An increased interest in house churches and a move to emerging church models and to engage the “Bohemian mix” in metropolitan areas is growing. See Tim Keller and Redeemer church in NYC.

5. A new emphasis to be more theologically driven is growing, especially within the Reformed tradition.