En Plus: 3 Ways Attractional Churches Need to Change to Reach the Next Generation

In an era in which everything is changing so fast, it can be really difficult to discern what’s next.

That’s doubly true in church world. While the mission stays the same, the expression or model keeps changing.

The dominant model for growing churches over the last two decades is what many people call attractional church.

Often (but not always) attractional church takes the form of a little less worship (3-4 songs), hosting that explicitly welcomes unchurched people into the room, running everything through a filter with the guest in mind and often (but not always) includes topical preaching. Over the last few decades, that approach has helped thousands of churches reach hundreds of thousands—or millions—of previously unreached people.

But as culture changes, the church needs to adjust. When what used to connect doesn’t connect anymore, you either change or you settle for reaching fewer people.

So what exactly is changing? Read More

I believe that it would be helpful to draw attention to the different kinds of charismatic worship. Yes, there are different kinds of charismatic worship. Some charismatic churches give more attention to Paul's teaching concerning edification and orderliness and to discerning the spirits than do others. In charismatic Anglican churches like Holy Trinity Brompton one is likely to find not only the use of the more recent worship songs and enthusiastic congregational singing but also an attitude of expectancy that God will be present and that he will answer prayer. One may witness manifestation of the sign gifts. However, one will not find the rawness that one may encounter in Pentecostal churches or the kinds of manifestations that are attributed to the Holy Spirit but which other charismatic have concluded many be manifestations of the flesh.