Future Trends
accurately
forcasting the future so we can plan our way
2 Popular Demands
- today's values: affluence, self, speed
- term commitments, and quality;
tomorrow's: skepticism
about people, institutions, and traditions
Challenge for the Church:
- must become
relational
-must move in God's power
3 Ways of Sharing
- fast, efficient, and relevant info
- new apps for computers, satellites, and telecommunications
Challenge for the Church:
- must become adept at using these technologies
4 Family and friends
-new forms:single parent, blended, cohabiting,
and gangs
-divorce increases.. almost expected
-loneliness and isolation, decay of social skills
and creating and maintaining friendships
Challenge for the Church:
- safe center for making friends
- source of insight into people
- healing center for relationally damaged individuals
- building communication & relational skills
- a place to celebrate working families, marriages,
friends
5 At Play
- Leisure will become the most treasured resource
- Leisure will be our focus as a source of meaning
of life
Challenge for the Church:
- churches must provide an outlet for these motivating
factors of people's lives
6 Jobs Spending and Trade
- labour market will increase with immigrants
and women
- Home based work will be 3 times as common
- boomers will change occupations
Challenge for the Church:
- churches need to provide for certain niches
7 Religious belief and Involvement
-momentum against integrating beliefs and life
practices
-syncretism:blanding appealing aspects of all
religions
Challenge for the Church:
- Christians challenged to show that christianity
WORKS
8 Body Life
-Synthesis of religions will continue to increase
-people will attend several churches to meet their
needs
-membership and attendance will decrease in non-functioning
churches
-Christian small groups will grow
-number of women in the clergy will double
Christians Equipping Christians
