Ep 043: The Next Cultural Trend of the American Church

Welcome to Episode 43 of the Joshua Gagnon Leadership Podcast!Activate 2016 was hosted at Next Level Church in Somersworth, NH on Wednesday, September 21, and included powerful worship, educational breakout sessions, and inspiring words from Mark Batterson, Levi Lusko, and Larry Osborne. Over 400 church leaders were in attendance with over 100 churches represented from 8 different states. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this awesome leadership conference! Early Bird tickets are now on sale for Activate 2017. Visit www.activateleaders.com for more information and to sign your team up.This episode focuses on several trends which Pastor Josh Gagnon predicts we will see in American churches. If you are interested in this topic or would like more information, email info@joshuagagnon.com 3 Takeaways For Leaders:1. If you want to reach more people at your church, you have to create more options for families to fit their schedule. Cultural trends are constantly changing, and because of this churches need to be adaptable. We cannot expect families to fit within our schedules if we are not willing to fit within theirs first. 2. The next trend for the American church will be mid-week worship services. Pastor Josh shares that he noticed how little time families have together, and we as church leaders have to understand that most families would rather not spend the time they do have together in church on the weekends. Holding a church service on a weeknight has proven effective for NLC because they recognized this. 3. Find ways to relate to your church as much as possible. The location pastors of NLC are required to work a full work week at another business or workplace once a year. Doing this accomplishes two things: 1) experiencing what their church members experience on a day-to-day basis and understanding their needs a little better, and 2) gaining a new appreciation for the work they have the privilege of doing to advance God’s Kingdom.Quotes From This Episode:“What can we do to meet them where they’re at rather than having them come meet us where we’re at?” - Josh Gagnon“We don’t think church should get in the way of family, we think church should build family.” - Josh Gagnon“Whatever you do is going to cost you something, just make sure what you’re doing is paying off in the way that is valuable to take away the cost.” - Josh Gagnon“How do we keep it from being a career and keep it being a calling?” - Roman Archer“Different jobs come with different difficulties.” - Josh Gagnon“When you lead through the ‘why’ and not the ‘what’, people will respond.” - Josh Gagnon