About 15,000 churches will close. Many of these churches held on tenaciously, but the number of congregations facing imminent closure has grown. For the first time in modern church history, 15,000 of the churches will cease to exist in a period of one year.

Dad told me they were tornado clouds. I was a kid in the 1960s when he uttered those words. I was too young to realize that we might be facing a potential threat. The technology that could confirm his prediction did not exist. I have vague memories of the clouds having a different tint than typical clouds, but nothing else pointed toward the possibility that a tornado was on the way.

Dad was right. The clouds produced more than one tornado. We were fortunate that the tornadoes did not get too close to my hometown. But I will not forget his warning that a major storm was on the way.

Storm clouds or new opportunities?

There seems to be a convergence of issues that could have a profound effect on churches in 2025. Frankly, I could name at least a dozen issues, but these five seem to be the most likely. Their magnitude could be significant as well.

As I will note, these developments are not necessarily storm clouds. On the contrary, there are some potential God-given opportunities for wise church leaders to embrace.

#1 Greater receptivity to the gospel by Gen Z.Those young adults and teenagers born between 1997 and 2012 comprise the group commonly known as Gen Z. Our research at Church Answers, as well as work done by Ryan Burge and others, at least implies that Gen Z is more receptive to the gospel. I cannot overstate how great this opportunity is. Over a year ago, we introduced The Hope Initiative to help churches move from being inwardly focused to being outwardly focused. Over 1,500 congregations thus far embraced the 30-day challenge. Many of the churches reached young adults and older teens for the first time in years. The words of Jesus in Matthew 9:37-38 are still powerfully relevant today. 

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