Sean Morgan
Church Trends and Why They Matter
About The Episode
“There are more people open to the Gospel than ever before.” Meet Sean Morgan, host of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast and Founder of The Ascent Leader. Today’s episode offers eight church trends all pastors should be aware of as we enter 2024. Sean’s insight not only points to these specific trends but also to what they mean for your church and your leadership. How do we lead with courage as we see fertile soil trend upward?
Welcome to Episode 097 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.
Insights From Sean Morgan
TREND #7
- We are taking steps back toward unity in the local church.
- People are:
- Sacrificing and letting go of personal preferences
- Talking about hard conversations
- Sick of being at odds all the time
- Think big when it comes to future vision–talk about it and preach about it consistently.
- People are:
TREND #6
- Community outreach is on the rise (and it’s tied to giving).
- What does it look like to meet people where they are in giving?
- Tie giving directly to the impact on the community.
- What does it look like to meet people where they are in giving?
TREND #5
- Growing churches are doing more than Sunday services alone to disciple people.
- Relational community
- Group life
- Fun + fun!
- This often leads to giving, serving, and more participation.
TREND #4
- Online is finally paying off.
- People are showing up after being online for a couple of years.
- The front door of your church is your online presence.
TREND #3
- There is a continued decrease in attendance frequency.
- Churches are seeing an influx of newcomers, but the decrease in frequency puts the responsibility back on the church to engage and disciple.
- Key: Better communication on multiple fronts
TREND #2
- Church hurt is causing people to evaluate churches differently.
- Advice for those coming with this baggage
- A plurality of leadership (locking arms, delegating)
- Advice for those coming with this baggage
TREND #1
- There are more people open to the Gospel than ever before.
- Why is this happening?
- Post-Christian is often jaded and closed off. But eventually, this turns into post-post-Christian. This leads to pre-Christian (fertile soil).
- Why is this happening?
BONUS TREND
- People are realizing that how they spend their time “on” is more important to the feeling of burnout than how they spend their time “off.”
- Leaders are addressing work rhythms, and making intentional choices for their work lives.
Episode Links
sean@theascentleader.org
If you’re a leader approaching a succession or transition. Or maybe you’re a few years in and beginning to see how complex transitions leadership is… go to The Art of Pastoral Succession and check out my brand new course in partnership with Carey Nieuwhof.
Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our 2023 cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/
Who is Sean Morgan?
Sean Morgan joined CDF Capital in 2014 to launch the Leadership Capital Team – focused on elevating local church leaders and their kingdom impact. A nationally known coach and speaker, Sean finds great joy in navigating ministries from obstacles to opportunities. He has developed a national reputation for connecting ministry leaders and being a catalyst of fresh vision; he founded and curates theascentleader.org. Sean served as Executive Pastor and CFO at New Life Church in Northern California. He’s husband to his amazing bride Stacy and a father to Kaylee and Ayden.
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsor: Food For The Hungry.
Combine your church’s heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches.
Quotes From Episode
“The front door of your church is your online presence.”
“There are more people open to the Gospel than ever before.”
“People are realizing that how they spend their time ‘on’ is more important to the feeling of burnout than how they spend their time ‘off.’”
Listen to Recent Episodes
About the Host
Sean Morgan is a coach and speaker with a national reputation as a catalyst of fresh vision. His passion is to help ministries navigate obstacles and turn them into opportunities.
Throughout his career, Sean has pioneered initiatives impacting thousands of leaders across the country. He started out serving as Executive Pastor and CFO at New Life Church in northern California.
As host, Sean gives you access to amazing conversations, hard-won wisdom, and poignant insights from world-class leaders in intimate “living room” settings.
Your Host
Sean Morgan
Leaders in Living Rooms
Craft & Character
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