However, I do think we are in challenging times. The last ten years have brought us to that reality. There have been a few distractions along the way. The emerging church came promising answers to evangelicals for a “third way,” but now is largely the avant-garde wing of (declining) mainline Protestantism. Some tried to withdraw from culture, but culture just kept coming. Some slowly replaced regular gospel proclamation with moralistic therapeutic deism– being good makes you a better person, and that makes “the man upstairs” happy. Still others were so driven by pragmatism that they eventually began to look like a collection of programs and strategies, devoid of the message of Jesus.

 
Many say it’s been a tough decade for us evangelical Christians. The media says that Christianity is in great decline. Jon Meacham wrote a 2009 Newsweek story declaring the “End of Christian America” (and, unrelated I am sure, Newsweek ceased being a print publication in 2012). Michael Spencer (now with the Lord) wrote an article called, “The Coming Evangelical Collapse” that same year, published in the Christian Science Monitor. We heard that most young adults dropped out of evangelical churches and that everyone hated us.

Yet, the actual numbers tell a different story for evangelical Christians– and, if you are reading a magazine about evangelistic outreach, that probably includes you. The American Religious Identification Survey, which led Meacham to make his proclamation in Newsweek, pointed to an overall decline of self-identified Christians. But when those numbers are categorized into groups we see a steep decline among those who identify as Mainline Christian, but actually a growth pattern for evangelicals.

This shift is very telling, and there may be several factors that contribute to it. The recent rise of the Nones (those who do not affiliate with any religion) has definitely made a difference in the overall spiritual make-up of America. But the fact that so many groups may see their members defect in favor of checking “none” only shines light on just how remarkable any rise at all in evangelicalism really is.

However, I do think we are in challenging times. The last ten years have brought us to that reality. There have been a few distractions along the way. The emerging church came promising answers to evangelicals for a “third way,” but now is largely the avant-garde wing of (declining) mainline Protestantism. Some tried to withdraw from culture, but culture just kept coming. Some slowly replaced regular gospel proclamation with moralistic therapeutic deism– being good makes you a better person, and that makes “the man upstairs” happy. Still others were so driven by pragmatism that they eventually began to look like a collection of programs and strategies, devoid of the message of Jesus.

So here are five things we need to face the next ten years:

1. A clear understanding of the gospel.

Too many have assumed it, but we need to teach it. The gospel is not you do, it’s Jesus did. People don’t need to be taught to turn over a new leaf– they need to receive and live out a new life. That new life is from Jesus’ death on the cross, for our sin and in our place. Don’t build a message that would still be true if Jesus had not died on the cross.

2. A stronger focus on discipleship.

God shapes congregations through the shaping of individual members’ lives. But this doesn’t just happen by accident or as a by-product– God grows us as we are in a position to receive that growth. This can only happen through intentional awareness and leadership on the part of both leaders and church members. In our Transformational Discipleship project, the largest statistical study of its kind, we found that discipleship was both lacking and simple– we just needed to remind people to live out who God has made us in Christ.

3. A greater passion for mission.

We need to stand up against the clergification in the modern-day church– the tendency to look at those who are professional ministers and say that they are the ones who are called to the mission, while the people in the pews are merely consumers of religious goods and services. We need to see all of God’s people engaged in God’s mission, from their respective neighborhoods all the way to the nations. We stand at a key moment, and part of the answer is to engage more of God’s people in mission.

4. Evangelism in the age of the Nones.

We are now increasingly facing what I have called a post-seeker context. This does not mean that seekers no longer exist. The Spirit is always at work in the hearts of people. But churches that once focused their energies and efforts toward targeting seekers are finding it more difficult to appeal to a constituency with little to no religious memory. Churches will have to find new ways to lead their people to reach out to their neighbors– not just attractional evangelism, but incarnational evangelism as well– being, doing, and telling good news where we live and work.

5. New thinking in developing best practices.

God often uses tools for his ends– think of bus ministry in the 70s or radio ministry in the 50s. That’s still true today. As believers, we can and must be good stewards of our ministry and utilize tools wisely–like multisite churches, viral church planting, and finding new ways to serve those who are hurting and in need.

The sky isn’t falling for evangelicals, but we do have reason to look in the mirror. As the church continues to navigate an increasingly post-Christian culture, we have to ask ourselves if we are willing to face some truths and change some behaviors to reach the world with the message of the gospel. I’ve read the end of the book and I know what you know– Jesus wins. I just want to be a part of what His team is doing before he returns.

Ed Stetzer is a seasoned Southern Baptist pastor, church planter and trainer. He is currently the Vice President of Research and Ministry Development for Lifeway Christian Resources. This article appeared at the Lifeway Research Blog and is used with his permission.