The Future of the Church is Bright
by Canon Mike Orr
What will Church look like in 20 years? Will we continue seeing church attendance decline? How will engagement and discipleship continue to move beyond Sunday mornings in both digital and physical spaces? Will churches be liberated from the maintenance of their buildings, letting them go to pursue different missional opportunities that don’t require a consistent physical space? How will online gatherings continue to evolve and be a place of worship, engagement, and discipleship?
Depending on your own experience and context, our predictions will vary widely in answering these questions. As you think about the future of the Church, do you start from a place of fear or curiosity?
In our church circles and denominations, we tend to ask these important questions in our holy huddles and, therefore, in our echo chambers. We need to learn from other institutions, organizations, and business models to see how they’ve either sunk or swam, pivoted and changed, and embraced death to celebrate new life.
Imagine if Blockbuster Video had shifted towards digital streaming. Instead, they failed to see the changing landscape of the world around them and refused to adapt, ultimately leading to their downfall. On the other hand, companies like Netflix and Amazon have successfully pivoted and adapted their business models in response to changing consumer demands and technological advancements. They embraced innovation, took risks, and constantly evolved to stay relevant and competitive.
After the internet was born and began to take root in our daily lives, libraries began to embrace the possibilities of how computing and a vast network of information could support their overall mission: to provide for the intellectual, educational, and cultural needs of its community, and to empower individuals to explore and discover new ideas and perspectives.
Libraries provided Wi-Fi and workstations to visitors as well as integrated technology into their services, offering e-books, online databases, and other digital resources. They shifted their focus to community engagement by offering programs and events, such as author talks, book clubs, and workshops on a variety of topics. Libraries expanded their services to include job search assistance, language classes, and access to specialized equipment such as 3D printers. They focused on being a learning hub, offering online courses, tutoring, and educational materials to all ages.
Libraries could have spent their energy bemoaning the tsunami of change that the internet brought to our information landscape and been in a state of paralysis as the world changed around them. Instead, they adapted and evolved to continue to fulfill their mission of providing access to information and resources.
Rather than resisting change, libraries transformed and innovated, creating new ways to serve their communities and fulfill their mission. In doing so, they have continued to be an essential and valuable resource for access to information and knowledge, even in the digital age.
Have we, as the Church, resisted change in the past 20 years? Have we been reticent in embracing social media as a tool for communication or, dare I say, the e-word, evangelism? Have we been late adopters of technology like websites and apps, waiting to see how new tools were going to pan out and be accepted more widely? Have we focused too much or too little, rightly or wrongly, on privacy and security? Have we clung too tightly to traditional methods of communication and outreach? Have we been ambitious in trying new things, taking risks, and embracing new trends and tools?
Regardless of our technology journeys over the past 20 years, we were all forced by COVID to adapt and change. If we hadn’t been doing it before COVID, we would have been quick to offer online worship and digital resources, utilize social media and other online platforms to share life together, and collaborate in new ways across geographic distances.
How will AI impact the future of the Church? AI can look to the past and recognize patterns that we may not be able to grasp that can help inform our future. It can identify trends and correlations in large datasets that may not be immediately apparent to human observers. This can be particularly useful in fields like medicine, finance, and climate science, where large amounts of data can be difficult to analyze using traditional methods.
In our context in the church, it can help inform how we approach certain issues and challenges. AI can be used to analyze data patterns in attendance and giving data, which can help churches understand the needs and wants of their members, as well as inform more effective outreach and engagement strategies. AI can provide insights and perspectives on scripture that can inform theological discussions and debates. Some researchers have used natural language processing to analyze the language and themes in different translations of the Bible, helping to shed light on the ways in which language and translation shape our understanding of scripture. AI can also help automate administrative tasks in the church, such as managing databases and tracking finances.
AI is a tool for our use. AI can help us address the what and how of our ministry contexts… what information we need to make informed leadership decisions, and how we can better serve and care for one another. The why, however, is the heart, gut, and soul of ministry, which requires Spirit-inspired human intuition, creativity, empathy, and discernment. The why of being Church involves our individual human experiences and transformation in Christ, to be a connected community in a shared mission to repair and reconcile a broken world to God.
To face the future boldly, we must strike a balance between preserving our church traditions and embracing innovation. We must be open to new ideas and lean on the Holy Spirit to challenge and guide us. In prayerful consideration, we must take risks while honoring our shared core values and principles. I believe the Church can continue to evolve and thrive in our rapidly changing world. The future is bright.
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Mike Orr is the Canon for Communications & Evangelism for the Episcopal Church in Colorado. He may be reached at mike@episcopalcolorado.org.