Is your church’s days numbered? Many churches will not last into the next generation. At least not looking the way they look today.

There’s a cultural and financial storm underway. Unless the church anticipates, acknowledges, and responds well to it, churches will be about as rare as printed newspapers, land-line phones, and brick and mortar bookstores.

There are several reasons why many churches are in endangered. Many of which no one has really figured out yet. But, for today I’ll outline three changes we need to acknowledge.

People’s financial realities have changed.

We’re heading into an era in which at least one, sometimes both of the adults in the household will need more than one source of income each.

What people are willing to give has changed.

People no longer want to give their increasingly-hard-to-earned money to pay for salaries or church mortgages. They will however give to cause they care about.

How people relate to God and the church has changed.

They used to trust God and the church until given a reason not to. Now they don’t trust or the church until they prove that they’re worthy of it.

So…What Might Save Our Churches?

Pay the mortgage – Churches with debt will not last.

Proactive change – Churches that wait too long to react, will die. Churches that thoughtfully and prayerfully anticipate, adapt, and lead a changing culture will be healthier and more valuable to people and to the Kingdom of God than ever.

Partnering with Other Churches – The go-it-alone church won’t make it any more.

Don’t Panic, But Start Acting NOW!

It’s not all bad news. It’s not time to panic…yet.

First, whether-or-not our churches survive in their current form or a new one, the church will always be alive.

Second, churches that see the handwriting on the wall and make necessary adaptations, will not only survive but will thrive. No, they won’t look the same in twenty years. But the way we look today isn’t how we looked twenty years ago, either. It’s not a matter of whether-or-not we change. It’s a matter of how we change and who’s in charge of the change.

Third, the coming trends may actually force the church back towards a more sustainable, possibly even more biblical model. One where there’s less dependence on buildings, structures, and professional clergy – and more dependence on genuine community, discipleship, and direct reliance on God.