What challenges will your church face in the next 10 years?

 

Is Your Church Ready for Ministry in the Coming Decade? is the title of my latest book. In it I explore some of the challenges the church will face in the next few years. Some of these are not new, but they are issues the church has often ignored or not understood. Others are newer and reflect the culture changes we see happening around us. Just because your church has not faced these challenges yet does not mean that it won't in the future, and it's entirely possible that some of these challenges are before you today in your congregation, and you are not aware of them. This Kindle book can be ordered through Amazon and only costs $6.95.

I've now been involved in pastoral and denominational ministry for 41 years. Currently, I serve as a Transitional Pastor for a church seeking pastoral leadership. I continue to be amazed at the changes that have occurred in ministry over the past four decades. Many of the challenges I discuss in the book were not issues when I began my pastoral ministry. At least, they did not present themselves as they do today.

How can a church minister to a family dealing with chronic poverty issues? Is there a way to help them without making them dependent upon others? How well does the church understand gender dysphoria, and how will you minister to the person and/or the family struggling with this situation? What can the church say to the ongoing racial divisions that exist in this country and within the church as well? Are there people in your congregation dealing with mental illnesses? Are you sure? What about their family members? The same question can be asked about persons suffering from addictions, and these addictions do not have to be to controlled substances. Perhaps they are dealing with addictions to social media or technology. Suicide is a growing problem in many communities. Is your church ready to minister to persons seeking to end their lives or the family members of those who already have?

These are just some of the issues I address in the book. These are the types of challenges that make ministry today so difficult, but they are the challenges people today are facing. If we are to be true to our calling we cannot ignore them.

If this book sounds like it might be helpful to your ministry, I invite you to check it out at Amazon.com. There is a sample preview available to help you decide if it might be a wise investment in your ministry.