By Carey Nieuwhof: When you’re in the middle of a disruption, it’s hard to know exactly what’s changing, let alone how deeply or permanently things are changing.

As 2020 soon draws to a close, there are three numbers that, at least for me, show how quickly, radically and perhaps permanently the church is changing.

As you look through these numbers, you may feel the temptation to explain them, dismiss them or even come up with reasons why the trends don’t apply to you.

I get it. And I empathize.

I’ve heard so many leaders spend 2020 saying things like

People have always gathered in person, and they’ll gather again as soon as possible.

I’m the exception to the rule. I can get people to come back. 

This is the CHURCH…in-person gatherings are here forever. 

These numbers below paint a different story. One that wise church leaders may want to act on now while there’s still time to pivot.

In this post, I shared 5 reasons the church has left the building and where future church attendance is heading.

Even when the truth isn’t what you want to see, the truth is still your friend.

There are so many numbers floating around right now, but these three in many ways clarify the trends we’re seeing right now. And, as shocking as they are, they can help you prepare for a very different, but also very promising, future. At least that’s my hope.

Even when the truth isn’t what you want to see, the truth is still your friend.

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1. 36%: The Average In-Person Attendance For Reopened Churches

In Tony Morgan’s Q3 UnStuck Church Report, he shares that among churches his team surveyed, in-person attendance is 36% of what it was pre-COVID.

No leader entered 2020 saying “I hope we’re at 36% of where we are right now by the end of the year.” But that’s exactly what’s happening.

No leader entered 2020 saying ‘I hope we’re at 36% of where we are right now by the end of the year.’ But that’s exactly what’s happening.

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What makes this more interesting is who was in the survey.  Of the 261 churches Morgan’s team surveyed, 34 churches were under 100 in attendance and 34 were megachurches. The average pre-COVID attendance of the surveyed churches was 961. This means that the report skews to much larger churches than average (961 is more than four times the size of most churches in America), and perhaps churches that were experiencing more momentum than average (being previously at almost 1000 in attendance).

For sure, you can find cases of churches who have seen 50% in-person attendance rates, and I’ve heard of a few that top 70%. But again, no one started the year thinking “losing 30% would be such a win”.

I’ll also give you the fact that at some point, those numbers will rise again after COVID disappears.

But before you pull out the streamers and party hats, read a little further. Other trends from our friends at Barna show more deeply seeded trends that will play out in the future.

The Q3 Unstuck Church Report also revealed that only 21% church leaders agreed that they have a “well-defined digital ministry strategy to engage with people who are outside the church and outside the faith.” In other words, almost 80% don’t.

Only 21% church leaders agreed that they have a well-defined digital ministry strategy to engage with people who are outside the church and outside the faith. In other words, almost 80% don’t.

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There’s a lot of work to do here.

There is evidence a lot of church leaders are stuck right now in the emerging trap of doing nothing well as they straddle both in-person and online ministry. I outline 3 reasons why that’s such a dangerous trap in this post.

So what’s the take away?

Most church leaders have the highest levels of staff and budget going to an area where they are seeing the lowest returns. That’s not a sustainable long-term strategy.

Most church leaders have the highest levels of staff and budget going to an area where they are seeing the lowest returns. That’s not a sustainable long-term strategy.

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2. 41%: The Percentage of Gen Z who primarily prefer physical gatherings post-COVID

So how many people are coming back to in-person gatherings when COVID is over?

Apparently fewer than you think. And fewer than you’d hope.

According to a Barna/Stadia survey, only 41% of Gen Z say that when COVID is over, they want to return to primarily in-person worship. 42% of Millennials say they prefer primarily in-person worship. Which means, of course, that the majority don’t.

41% of Gen Z say that when COVID is over, they want to return to primarily in-person worship. 42% of Millennials say they prefer primarily in-person worship. Which means, of course, that the majority don’t.

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It’s easy to think “Well, this is just an unprecedented year. Things will get back to normal soon.”

Maybe, except it’s hard to go back to normal when normal is disappearing.

It’s hard to go back to normal when normal is disappearing.

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The very low attendance numbers that many church leaders often dismiss as medical (i.e. caused by COVID) may actually be a much deeper cultural and generational shift than we realize.

A further drill down shows that parents are looking at hybrid options (combination of in person and digital) more seriously than non-parents. And that women are more open to digital church than men.

The very low attendance numbers that many church leaders often dismiss as medical (i.e. caused by COVID) may actually be a much deeper cultural and generational shift than we realize.

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Crisis is an accelerator, and so many of the trends we’ve been seeing over the last few decades are now happening faster than ever, in real time.

The digital genie is out of the bottle.

Your church is still around. The church is still around. It’s just  leaving the building.

Here’s the challenge with not changing: vaccines can’t solve cultural and generational shifts. Innovation will, but vaccines won’t.

The digital genie is out of the bottle. Your church is still around. The church is still around. It’s just leaving the building.

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3. 30%. The Percentage Point Gap Between Boomers and Gen Z

Have another look at the chart above in point #2. You know who really desires physical gatherings?

Boomers.

71% of Boomers say they want primarily in-person church attendance after COVID is over. For Gen Z, only 41% prefer primarily physical gatherings in the future. That’s a 30 point gap.

71% of Boomers say they want primarily in-person church attendance after COVID is over. For Gen Z, only 41% prefer primarily physical gatherings in the future. That’s a 30 point gap.

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A 30 point gap is a large gap…and here’s how it might be impacting your leadership.

First, the average senior pastor is a Boomer. According to a Barna survey, the average age of the senior pastors in America in 2017 was 54. That’s an almost four year old statistic, which would now push that average age into the late fifties.

Look at the composition of many church boards, senior leadership teams and key donors (or even volunteers), and you might get some group-think going based around your own personal preferences: doesn’t everybody want to come back to attend in person?  According to this research, that’s exactly how older adults would think.

Except it’s not reflective of anyone under age 55.

If you think Gen Z is an anomaly, again, look at the chart. Only a minority of Millennial, GenZ and even Gen X want to primarily gather in person in the future.

The changes happening right now in church attendance preferences are not just cultural, they’re generational.

The changes happening right now in church attendance preferences are not just cultural, they’re generational.

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So what can you do?

First, get some young leaders around your table. Don’t just get them sharing opinions…get them making decisions.

Second, rethink the allocation of resources you’re spending on in-person gatherings versus online ministry. You’ll make your own choices, but most churches are spending less than 10% of their time and budget on the very thing that will probably give them the greatest potential for the future—a strong online presence.

In many ways, this confirms what you already know. Regular church attendance has been dropping for decades. The crisis appears to have accelerated that.

In person isn’t going away. But it likely won’t play the role it used to even as recently as a year ago.

If your mission is to fill buildings, then keep going with your current strategy. But if your mission is to reach people, it might be time to rethink things.

For the full Barna Report how the generations are processing this moment and the future,  you can go to Barna.com/DigitalChurch and download the “Six Questions About the Future of the Hybrid Church Experience” research report  (Using the code CAREY10 will give you a discount on the report or Barna Access. Thanks to Barna for providing this for our leaders.)

If your mission is to fill buildings, then keep going with your current strategy. But if your mission is to reach people, it might be time to rethink things.

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Flex, grow and thrive moving into 2021

Yes, there’s a ton of change happening right now. And it’s exhausting.

There are 5 different ways a leader can respond to change, and each means a different outcome for their organization. With the free Pivot-Ready Cheat Sheet, you’ll find out: Which kind of leader you areWhat it means for your organization; andThe mindset that will propel you into a new (and better) future

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Flex, grow and thrive moving into 2021

Yes, there’s a ton of change happening right now. And it’s exhausting.

There are 5 different ways a leader can respond to change, and each means a different outcome for their organization. With the free Pivot-Ready Cheat Sheet, you’ll find out: Which kind of leader you areWhat it means for your organization; andThe mindset that will propel you into a new (and better) future

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What Do You See?

I know this is really tough stuff…I get it. And nobody signed up for it.

But here we are together trying to figure it out, so let’s focus on the possibilities and potential of the future.  I’d love to hear from you!

What are you watching right now that’s helping you get ready for the future?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post 3 Shocking Statistics That Show How Quickly, Radically (and Permanently?) Church Is Changing in 2020 appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 3 Shocking Statistics That Show How Quickly, Radically (and Permanently?) Church Is Changing in 2020

The post 3 Shocking Statistics That Show How Quickly, Radically (and Permanently?) Church Is Changing in 2020 appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: College-aged people and young leaders in their twenties and early thirties have a bit of a bad rap.

If you listen to many Baby Boomer and Gen-X leaders talk about younger leaders, the complaints come quickly.

They

Don’t work hard enough.

Seem to want it all, now (like a month’s vacation for starters).

Have a hard time distinguishing between work and play.

Need constant affirmation.

Have no idea how to spell.

I’ve worked with a few young leaders that fit that description for sure, but far more who don’t.  So many of the leaders I’ve worked with over the last decade-plus are under 30, and I have to disagree with the assessment of the emerging generations.

Sure, there are slackers out there. But I know some 50-year-olds who should get it together at some point. And besides, you can train people to spell. Quickly.

Some young leaders are slackers. But I know 50-year-olds who need to get it together at some point too. Click To Tweet

The real challenge isn’t in working with young leaders. The real challenges comes when you don’t put young leaders on your team and miss out on the immense contribution they make.

And when I say young, I mean young.

As in starting at 18 or 19, in college or right out of college.

If you don’t have young leaders on your team, both you and your organization lose.

Here’s are eight things young leaders get right, and eight things you miss out on if you stick to older leaders.

The real challenge isn’t in working with young leaders. The real challenges come when you don’t put young leaders on your team and miss out on the immense contribution they make. Click To Tweet

1. Enthusiasm and optimism abound

Remember how optimistic you were when you were young?

Optimism is something every workplace needs, and it can be harder to find in leaders over 40. As a Gen Xer myself, I have worked hard to reclaim and fuel my optimism (it is a skill), but most young leaders have a natural optimism that is frankly refreshing.

Parents told the next generation they could change the world. Not only do they believe it, they’re also doing it.

The kind of enthusiasm you have when you’re young really helps make up for the lack of wisdom you might not yet have. Young and motivated easily beats smart and lazy.

Young and motivated easily beats smart and lazy. Click To Tweet

2. They get their generation

I try to stay current, for a guy my age, I think I do all right. But I’m not 22.

Younger leaders see things differently because they grew up in a culture older leaders didn’t. There’s a difference between what you think a generation is about and what that generation thinks they’re about.

Having the voice of young leaders around the table gives me a much better sense of what resonates and what doesn’t.

If you want to connect with the emerging generation, having the emerging generation around your table is irreplaceable.

If you want to connect with the next generation, put them around your leadership table.Click To Tweet

3. They’ll challenge all assumptions

Because they are trying to figure out how the world works, they ask great questions and challenge assumptions—assumptions that so often you’re blind to because you’ve lived with them so long.

When you’re in your teens, twenties and even early thirties, you haven’t made peace with the status quo because you haven’t created the status quo (in contrast to older leaders, who by this point, did).

If you don’t like having your assumptions challenged, you’ll like irrelevance even less.

If you don’t like having your assumptions challenged, you’ll like irrelevance even less. Click To Tweet

4. Quick studies

A 21-year-old can go from good to great in a few years.

And many are motivated to do it.

And don’t underestimate what a young leader can do. You can look at a bevy of 20-something founders/CEOs who are leading organizations or companies that have changed their industries, created new industries and in other ways changed the world.

So many older leaders look down on young leaders and think they don’t have much to offer.

Be careful who you ignore.

Thomas Edison was paid $40,000 for his first invention at age 22, Mozart was composing at age 5 and died at age 35, and Braille type for the blind was invented by 15-year-old Louis Braille.

5. They’re digital natives

My friends think I’m tech-savvy, even a bit a tech-obsessed.

But put me around an 18-year-old or 25-year-old and I feel like the person who can’t figure out why their microwave keeps blinking 12:00.

Having young leaders who are both digital natives and cultural natives on your team is a distinct advantage if you’re trying to impact the next generation.

At least it beats a lot of fifty-year-olds trying to figure out what the next generation needs.

6. They are your succession plan

If you are not stacking your team with leaders 10, 20 and in some cases 30 years younger than you, you are not positioning your organization for future relevance or success.

Succession is a crisis in the corporate world and in the church.

Ultimately, though, there’s no success without succession, unless as a founder or long-term leader you want what started with you to end with you.

There’s no success without succession, unless as a founder or long-term leader you want what started with you to end with you.Click To Tweet

7. It’s all about the mission

As you’ve heard more than a few times, Gen Z and Millennials don’t want their job to just be a job. They want meaning and purpose in their work.

For organizations in maintenance mode, that will challenge you to shake off your cobwebs.

For organizations that are driven by the bottom line, you’ll have to find a bigger mission that just a sharper P&L.

But if mission drives you (as it does me), then you’ll find an amazing aligment with young leaders. Chances are your young leaders will own your mission, vision and values deeply and push it forward. It can be a win win.

They want to make a difference in the world, and they are passionate promoters of causes they believe in.

Many will choose mission over money, which doesn’t mean you should be cheap (smart employers pay a living wage), but it does tell you this matters more than it did to Boomers and many Gen X.

8. Culture has become non-negotiationable

Let’s face it, most work place cultures (including churches and non-profits) leave a ton to be desired. Way too many are toxic.

Because young leaders see themselves as free agents, they’ll demand a healthy culture, and if they don’t find it with you, they won’t hesitate to move on.

Toxic culture never keep healthy people.

Getting rid of toxic culture (not just abuse and harrassment, but boredeom, bureaucracy and dysfunction) is something that should have happened years ago.

But as you add more and more young leaders to your team, you’ll be able to accelerate the improvement of your culture more quickly.

It’s about time.

Toxic culture never keep healthy people.Click To Tweet

Too Overwhelmed to Know What To Do With This? I Get It.

Sometimes you read article like this and all you can think is “I know our culture is bad. We don’t have nearly enough young leaders, but I barely have time to breathe, let alone fix problems like this.”

I get it.

I spent my thirties pedaling harder than a fish on a bicycle, and while we were growing fast, I could never find enough time to fix the major issues I know we needed to address or I wanted to tackle.

Then I burned out.

Since then, I found a new normal that radically boosted my productivity and helped me beat overwhelm and get my life and leadership back.

I’ve published four books (and written my fifth), started blogging, podcasting and speaking around the world, all while leading a growing company, and I did it through years of experimenting with how to get time, energy and priorities working in my favour.

And in the last few years, I’ve helped thousands of leaders do the same thing.

I’ve put all my learnings so far into my High Impact Leader course.

The High Impact Leader is an online, on-demand course designed to help you get time, energy and priorities working in your favor.

Many leaders who have taken it are recovering 3 productive hours a day.  That’s about 1000 hours of found time each year. That’s a lot of time for what matters most.

Here are what some alumni are saying about The High Impact Leader Course”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing the course again. It has absolutely made an impact in my life and family already that I can’t even describe.” – Joel Rowland,  Clayton County, North Carolina

“Carey’s course was the perfect way for our team to prepare for the new year. Our team, both collectively and individually, took a fresh look at maximizing our time and leadership gifts for the year ahead. I highly recommend this leadership development resource for you and your team.” Jeff Henderson, Atlanta Georgia

“A lot of books and programs make big promises and cannot deliver but this is not one of them. I have read so many books and watched videos on productivity but the way you approach it and teach is helpful and has changed my work week in ministry in amazing ways.” Chris Sloan, Kingston, North Carolina

“Just wow.  Thank you, thank you.” Dave Campbell, Sioux Falls South Dakota

“A game changer.” Pam Perkins, Colorado Springs,  Colorado

Curious? Want to beat overwhelm and have the time to reinvent yourself?

Click here to learn more or get instant access.

What are you seeing?

That’s what I see in the young leaders I work with. And how have you made young leaders an essential part of your organization?

Leave a comment!

The post 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders

The post 8 Things That Are Right (Not Wrong) About Young Leaders appeared first on Passion for Planting.