Pastoring in 2024 is not like it was pre-pandemic. Last week in Episode 244 we explored four trends we are noticing right now: The gravitational pull toward the tactical at the expense of the strategic; the way church health is measured; the loneliness of the people we lead; and the need your team has for face time with you. In today’s episode we explore four additional trends we are noticing in the Church post-pandemic.

Trend 5: Pastoring still carries a unique feeling of weight/pressure

• Nobody knows the pressure of being a lead pastor unless they have been a lead pastor.
• If you as a leader care at all, pastoral pressure is inescapable.

Trend 6: The way people find Jesus now is different than it was 30 years ago

• Reaching people in a post Christian culture is measured in years, not months.
• The old pattern: Exposure to the gospel. Acceptance of the gospel. Assimilation into the church. Engagement on a team.
• The new pattern: Engagement on a team. Assimilation into the church. Exposure to the gospel. And finally, acceptance of the gospel.

Trend 7: Irrelevance remains a pesky threat

• The best leaders have a knack for knowing what is ahead and positioning their church accordingly.
• One quality of an effective leader is the ability to anticipate the future.
• Failing to adapt threatens to leave our churches in the dust.
• We don’t change our message. We package it differently.

Trend 8: People still respond to loving leadership.

• People still respond to leaders who genuinely care about them and who express love and appreciation to them regularly.