Barna has come out with his “Top Trends of 2011.” Trend No. 1 is the “Changing role of Christianity.”
Four points to this trend, and their implications for missions:
1. The relative unknown nature of Christian leaders. Christianity in America no longer has a few single identifiable individuals who are “leaders.” This really isn’t surprising to me given the superempowerment of individuals, and the increasing ability of “niche leaders” to impact more and more people. Probably the average person is more aware of someone who is very influential in their personal life without being a “national leader.” For missions, this means that it’s really no longer about getting “brand name endorsements” from big leaders. Mobilizing people is going to be more about communicating a vision, a message, which is sticky enough to permeate lots of regional, state and city-level influencers, disciplers and mentors.
2. Universal and religious pluralism discovered in the debate about hell (and other debates) will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the size of the missionary recruitment pool. There is a significant polarization going on, with 43% of Americans saying it doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow and 54% disagreeing. If you don’t think your religion matters, or you think that everyone will be saved eventually, then there isn’t much draw to missions. (This is a far more ambivalent approach than my own struggles with hell, for example). For mission mobilization, we will need to get better at “fishing” in smaller pools.
3. More Americans are overtly supporting Christian brands, which is a good thing for missions, especially those which build a recognizable “brand” based on a solid Christian foundation. Mission agencies that set their vision, operate on clearly Christian values, live out their lives with integrity, and stand unashamedly for their calling will attract a steadfast group of loyal supporters. It might not be in the millions—but Kevin Kelly’s seminal article “1,000 True Fans” (how many times have I referenced that?) demonstrates you don’t need millions of fans to have a sustainable work, business, art or ministry.
4. Three-quarters of Americans believe churches are a positive factor in their communities. This is really good for Christian missions, because you can demonstrate exactly how you are a positive blessing: microenterprise, development, relief aid, education, literacy, translation, medical work, social justice, human trafficking issues, etc.
And, most important, how a life of purpose, a life that matters, can impact the pluralist crowd: Of particular interest is the fact that trend #4 overlaps trend #2. In other words, if half of Americans don’t think it matters what religion you follow, but three quarters of Americans think churches are a positive factor—then half of those who don’t think it matters, do think the church matters in some way. This an area in which to build and influence the pluralist crowd.
