John Saddington: Hyperniche Gatherings
Co-Founder and Chief Researcher, Action & Influence, Atlanta, Ga.
The world will continue to move more mobile and more connected as the Internet will continue to be more easily accessed. Most ministries will have to overcome the fact that culture and technology will always evolve more rapidly than what the church can adapt to. What is in vogue now will be out by the time the church has responded and reacted. This is both a good and bad thing, as we’ll want to wisely engage with the community and culture as well as keep our strong history intact. Our legacy and our story is one of our strongest points of contact and sources of evangelism.
We’re also seeing a rise of hyperniche and curated communities that are finding it much more valuable to be in close proximity rather than technological distance. I think this falls strongly into the way the church has operated historically and that we can take advantage of that in the short and long term.
Bryson Vogeltanz: Justice as Lifestyle
Pastor of Global Engagement, Passion City Church, Atlanta, Ga.
The church is alive around the world. Even in closed countries, the church is always thriving and alive. In the North American church—for students and young people who are going to be the ones leading in 10 years—faith and action go together; they don’t divorce the two.
We’re trying to raise up and awaken a generation to justice, mercy, grace and goodness. When you live out Micah 6:8, it applies to your whole life. In this generation, we’ve seen a shift: Justice is not a fad or a cause, it’s a lifestyle. When we put ourselves in a place where we’re serving others, God blows our hearts up. At the end of the day, you look at God and think, “I’m so thankful.” We never count this generation out. People think this generation is full of slacktivists who only care about retweets—I disagree with that. I see a generation of Jesus-followers who are dying to themselves and thinking of what more they can do to serve others. We want to give people as many entry points as possible for living a lifestyle of justice.
Young people might have an experience with Jesus in a large gathering, but they need to connect with a small group of people who are passionately following Jesus as well. When we see someone’s personal faith in combination with what a collective group of people are doing together for the last and the least of these, it’s very attractive to non-Christians. Together, we’re a force for good. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. And there’s nothing bigger or greater than Jesus.
Steven Furtick: Crossing Denominational and Theological Barriers
Founder and Lead Pastor, Elevation Church, Charlotte, N.C.
More and more, I’m seeing people whom I never would have thought have conversations with one another—denominationally, theologically, methodologically—coming together and borrowing from one another’s strengths. The tension over some of our disagreements seems to be melting in pursuit of who we’re trying to reach and what God’s called us to do. Unity for the sake of mission—it’s more than a trend. It’s a new reality. We don’t know the rules of what you can’t do or whom you can’t get along with. That becomes an advantage as we launch out into new things.
The obstacles we’re facing are only wearing different clothes. They’ve been the same since Jesus established the church. The opposition to our message is not flesh and blood. We have to watch out for the expression of the kingdom of God becoming self-centered or based around strategy rather than God’s vision. The vision is written in blood; the strategy is written in pencil. You marry the vision, but you hire the strategy.
