What will fundamentalist and conservative evangelical church services look like in 25 years (typically)?

This is a tough poll to answer, but an important one. Where are we heading? This is a bit different from asking “Where SHOULD we head?”

Of course this is difficult because we don’t know exactly where “we” are, as a whole. In the 70’s and 80’s, we did know where we are. But things have changed and are changing rapidly.

So what do you think? :p

Let me react to my friend Jim Peet’s comments, because they are pretty comprehensive:

KJVO movement will die

Agreed. Some will go to the grave with it, but they won’t be replaced.

Churches will generally be larger … woe to the small church in urban / suburban areas.

This one I think could go either way. It could easily be the reverse. We may end up with many smaller “specialized” churches. I personally think that RELATIONSHIP (particularly intergenerational) will be the draw. I base this on hurting fragmented families and individuals from these families looking for a true church family.

An even greater emphasis on “professional” staff. Greater division between clergy / laity

This is certainly the way it is heading. Since people no longer want to think, they want professional clergy to do the thinking for them. Still, this is unpredictable; sometimes people view highly trained professionals as all head and no heart.

ESV will be the prevalent translation

Very likely indeed. I am personally changing over next week Sunday from NIV to ESV. I think that in itself will become a line of demarcation.

There will be be a split between extreme fundamentalism and Bauder-style fundamentalism.

Use of the term “fundamentalist” will decline. Not sure if a new term will emerge but in 25 years when the general populace thinks about the term “fundamentalist” it will mean to them “wacho / backward” (like Westwood Baptist)

The Christian day school movement will largely be dead (like the bus ministry today is gone)

Bible colleges (offering limited degrees) will decline …

Probably so, although I don’t know how united the various Fundamentalist schools of thought are to begin with.

Christian colleges that are real universities will grow

I think you are right here

In society the gay agenda will have largely succeeded. There will be widespread compromise in the evangelical community re gays

I think this will be another line of demarcation. We will be labelled homophobic or, worse yet, gay haters.

The government will no longer be friendly towards churches

Housing allowance … thing of the past

Limited property taxes on church

Taking a stand on homosexuality may be regarded as a hate crime

I agree with you on all these points.

There may be a rise of an underground church movement … like a house church movement that is: Under the government radar Non-professional / small group

Yes, and this is why I think that perhaps smaller churches could prosper. They could meet in rented facilities if necessary with trained pastors, in many instances. Smaller churches are better postured for this. Many of them occupy older buildings that are not desirable real estate for non-religious use, and thus less tempting to tax. I think governments will tax the large facilities and continue to exempt the smaller. Of the larger facilities, the public will think, “they can afford it.”

My friend Aaron Blumer said:

Voted “other” because I really think we’re at a kind of turning point where trends could go either way.

But it’s also hard to answer the question because “conservative evangelicals” (and really “fundamentalists” too) is a pretty vague term. The case could be made that how they do worship is part of that definition… or will increasingly be part of that definition.

Trends could go in a variety of directions, so all we can do is take our best guesses and try to strategize accordingly. The terms “fundamentalist” and “conservative evangelicals” are vague; they rule out people way over the line, but they do not tell you where the line is.

As far as how they do worship (church), I disagree that this will be a dividing line between them. It may be a sub-dividing line among these groups. The issues that will separate Fundamentalists and Conservative Evangelicals from mainstream evangelicalism and liberalism will be these, IMO: The gay agenda, gender roles, The New Perspective, (relating both to subjective and objective soteriology) Inerrancy, Creationism (not necessarily the young earth version, but as opposed to evolution or theistic evolution), the lost condition of those not born-again by faith in Jesus, and a literal, eternal hell. These, I believe, will be the major dividing lines. I would add I think we all need to shore up our churches particularly in these areas.

The division between CE and Fundamentalism will probably be over relationships with Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Liberal Protestants, and possibly Mormons. The whole secondary separation viewpoint will vanish, IMO.