Maybe they are tired of self-help sermons, celebrity pastors, smoke machines, rock music, and the show and entertainment that has become the modern church service. They are hungry for Jesus and something real, which is why they are leaving the church.
I would tend to agree, but if the message is not immediately useful in their lives, it becomes academic. Great for people like me, but not great for younger folks.
How about these 5: pray hard, preach the gospel, make disciples, Holy Spirit inspired worship, love your people. Works for all ages, and if you are obedient, God does the heavy lifting.
I think I have became allergic to these types of conversations...Carey shares lots of great insights, but this is better suited for long form discussion with others, not a top 5 list. Just a loving suggestion. Yes, discipleship is fuzzy, but so is evangelism. We have to discuss both. U can't do one without the other. I have found that our modern interpretation of evangelism is too church centric. Covid exposed that the fruit of such a faith doesn't last. Sign me up for a smaller church/group that allows people live out their faith together AND bring the Kingdom to all the other parts of their lives...instead of sacrificing one's whole existence around the Sunday/ministry experience + building a bigger church...
Its strange that my small to medium size church attracts a decent number of young adults but within 7 years, they go to grad school, get married, have kids, move away and never come back. Young people are very very mobile and its rough to minister those people, see them become leaders and then there they go.
What a powerful impact your church is having! If young people are coming in and becoming leaders before they leave there's no telling how far reaching your church's impact is through those young people wherever God calls them to. Perhaps instead of seeing their moving on as a loss, maybe start commissioning them as they go to continue to be salt and light in the world around them. You'll never know the impact you've had on them because their impact on the world multiplies as they move out from your church. Maybe your church is an epicenter to the spread of the gospel for the next generation and beyond
Seeing the graph of Pastors under 45 made me think of the idea found in Titus about assigning pastors when they’re actually “presbyteros” (elders as in literally older men) that have had a chance to raise their family and lead them to Christ. I think it would allow men to focus on raising their young family and shepherding his house without the demands of a congregation until his children are grown and he can now properly shepherd the body of Christ. Not a realistic idea in our current culture because it would be seen as not being “sold-out for Jesus” if you postpone “ministry” for raising your family (which to me is a ministry. Maybe stretching 1 Tim 3:5?). But maybe theres something to it. Older people tend to have more wisdom and a more experienced view of life, especially if they’ve spent years with the Lord.
Thanks for some these good birds eye view considerations of the lay of the land culturally. Love your heart and great prep work in engaging these timely dynamics. Its up to us as believers and ministers to contextualize and lead in our respective kingdom outposts. The comment section indicates that there are a pocket of critics who may not have familiarized themselves with your years long track record of nuanced dialogue with Jesus-centered leaders. Love your heart for the next gen and unchurched alongside ministers who are struggling. Grateful for ya
Is there an alternative other than “doubling down” on what’s not working with Gen Z? Feels like an odd response. Do more of the same and hope for different results? Maybe deeper systemic change is needed?
Hey Carey. Love your work and your podcasts. I have a question regarding the church plants/church closings conversation. As a pastor whose congregation recently sold our property due to the struggle to maintain it, now have millions in proceeds, but still are an aging group, I wonder why we aren't looking to invest into the churches that are still alive rather than starting from scratch. Before ordination in a large protestant denomination at the age of 44, I was in business management, sales, and marketing. One business constant was that it is easier to build on an already established business than it is to start from scratch. Could that 'seed' money for new church plants have greater results within an established congregation (even if struggling)? Looking forward to your thoughts.
The correlation of in Gen Z Revival or Retreat seems tied to gender. More guys getting serious while more gals are peeling off from the Faith. That's a flip from the old stereotype.
“The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” is a Bible verse from Romans 1:16: If the true gospel of Jesus is not being proclaimed then there is no power of God leading unto salvation for the believer!
Go back to the example of the Acts church.. House to House.. no overhead costs.. just church, fellowship, disciplining, reaching out to your neighbors!! Check out Francis Chan
Where are these "leaders" in the NT? Jesus said "make disciples". Pastors are to feed the sheep. Elders are to watch over and care for and protect the flock, Deacons are servants, so where are these "leaders"?
You must factor in the COVID effect in the timeframe you referenced. Church attendance for every age group went down. Pastors must become church planters with a serious advantage. Pastors had people coming before COVID. They need to go knock on doors and invite former attendees back to church.
This is good and all, but it is almost exclusively geared towards suburban churches or maybe even urban churches. I would like to see this same stuff focused on rural churches. I would be willing to bet that the majority of those 4,000 to 10,000 church closures in a year occur in rural small towns.
This is helpful. Maybe won’t answer every question that pastors are facing, but I believe that it helps us think strategically and insightfully for those that we are called to serve. I realize that the church is ultimately God’s. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain. I want to steward whatever the Lord puts before me for His glory.
It’s ok to go to a home group and meet with a mentor or accountability partner one-on-one. I’ve seen massive fruit when focused on quality over quantity. Also, Jesus had a group of 72, don’t tell me you need 300. Read the gospels, do the gospels.
Thanks Carey. How transmissible are these trends? You're speaking into the American context? Is the same thing happening in South Africa? I don't think there is a great revival on university campuses in South Africa, but there does seem to be some sort of renewed interest in spiritual things.
I can't really speak into the context of SA because much of my experience and research is based on on the North American context, but I'm always open to hearing what's going on around the world.
Carey... ONE big gap in all your 'predictions'... you assume the system-framework-construct that has dominated Church for the last 100 years will be the system-framework-construct going forward... THAT WILL NOT BE SO....
I really liked the insights presented here. Really got me thinking. Near the 14:40 mark it makes the point that money is a very important factor in the success of starting a new church. Here is what popped into my mind, what if I told you there is something more compelling then money? Something so powerful that it can actually give you a brand new life, just like if you were born again, but in this new life, you would have the power of Gods Spirit living inside you giving you things no money could ever buy: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. As much as I'd like to share this with people, given I don't have 300k, should I just forget about it? If I rented out the local grange hall once a week for $300 and simply preached Gods word and I did that for 3 months for a total cost of $3,600 would people come? Or, seeing the lack of money, and only hearing Gods word, would there be no interest? I've got the money, the biblical knoweldge, and the willingness to speak directly from God's word to do that very thing. Wow, what a step of faith that would be! Thoughts?
That would be a very interesting test of the people's motivation for going to a church. Are they attracted to a nice building or to the message, no matter where it's preached? It's a way of separating the sheep from the goats.
Hi Carey. Just became a subscriber. I found you through a podcast with Chuch DeGroat and latched onto your comment about your own life: working married to an NPD. I got myself involved with one, God is working it out for the good, my good; but I need help/answers. Do you do personal sessions or chat one on one? Thanks if you ever have time to read this :)
The two verses that most directly address solving this issue - 🙏 “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5 “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2 People are tired of “trendy” man-centered “churches”. Give them the Word. Give them something solid upon which they can stand.
To those of us who exist outside of any church structure, and there are many multitudes of us, all of these things are completely irrelevant. Wayne Jacobsen has written multiple books about these things. So have others.
Stop being politically partisan, stop church as entertainment, stop pop psychology from the pulpit. No more skinny jeans, muscle shirts, grifting off of God. Read the bible
Topical and Life Coaching sermons MUST BE TOSSED OUT OF CHURCHES. The most powerful and successful churches are where the leaders teach on solid theology, Christology, pneumatology, cosmology, theological anthropology, ecclesiology, soteriology, angelology (good and bad fallen Angels), scriptural eschatology, ouranology, demonology, harmatiology, and all the minor and major foundational doctrines of the Bible behind the pulpits. Therefore believers are gradually purified through a process of Divine truth and become spiritually discerning and strong and are able to continue to study the Bible by themselves during the week. They can then move on from purification to visions of God until deification. The whole Laity would be fit to teach anyone they come across, especially those who are searching for life answers.
Could it be that the higher the funding, the more likely the plant is originating from a bigger church with more funds and more people to seed? In other words I am wondering if the size of funding and the initial attendance is truly a cause and effect relationship. Could it be that the size of the sending church with all its resources is really the cause of both the funding and initial attendance?
What did Jesus have to say about giving to the church, style of music, attending church? What did Jesus have to say about what a person needed to do if he wanted to follow Jesus? He said that you needed to sell your possessions and give that money to the poor, not to the church. How often is this mentioned in church? The poor are invited to church and then a plate is passed for them to put money in. The modern corporate model of the church where the Lead Pastor (CEO) is paid a handsome salary, often with free housing, seems foreign to the teachings of Jesus.
My goodness. This is why the church is dying. I’ve been in so many of these types of meetings, think tank discussions. Everything you have said has no life in it. All those statistics are muted by the fact that church as a whole is dying. We have to change what has been done not double down on stupid. But all pastors think the way you do. Invest more money, evangelize, mimic other successful churches, focus on the youth, revival, etc. All these are programs of religion. The people are waking up and not being fooled by these schemes. Bate and switch. None of this scares me though, God is doing a great work that has been completed through Jesus. The religious system needs to die so that life in Christ can be realized. Im excited to see what God does in the lives of his children. Once the shackles of the religious system come off. The system that says you must go hear a message once a week to be saved. Then tithe 10% to be blessed. Then believe the correct doctrine. Then maintain your own faith. On and on it goes. Until people say enough is enough I’m out. There is no hope it that! The future will embarrass a new life in relationships with Jesus that we be seen in our love for all. It wont be based on who has the correct doctrines, or works, or religion. It will be based on jesus’s revelation of Gods love for us. Future is bright In Jesus not in the systems we get entangled in.
You make sense. To believe that God is in charge, because He's All-Powerful, means that the will of God is irresistible. We do our best with the expectation that whatever happens in the world works towards what God wills.
I'm not surprised. Churches based on the Roman Carholic concept of a titled leader ruling over people is largely outdated and irrelevant in 2025. The early believers were a house group movement structured geographicly and held to the apostles doctrine as demonstrated in acts2v43-47 and acts4v32-37. Churches do not live the apostles doctrine nor do they practice the agape meal as seen in 1 1Cor11v20-34. Jesus said a new commandment I give to you that you Agape one another as he agaped us by sacrificing himself on the cross. Tbe very next verse says by this shall all men know you are my disciples if u have agape for one another. Acts2v47 shows that this principle reaps revival.
Respectfully Mark, what are you talking about? Christ appointed the Apostles to lead the Church that He founded. They commissioned successors to help lead and govern His Church. Maybe their meeting location changed throughout the centuries as Christianity became more widely accepted, but the clerical hierarchy that Christ established has been there from the beginning in His Church and will never be 'outdated and irrelevant' because it was our Lord who implemented it. "See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the [priests] as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop... Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the [people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid." - Letter to the Smyrneans (AD 110), St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of the Apostle John
@RangerGrant Hi. First, the apostles of Jesus Christ established the culture that the body of believers lived. The apostles doctrine as demonstrated in acts2v43-47 and acts4v32-37 defines that culture. The early believers were a house church movement structured geographicly and were led by untitled servant leaders called elders and each house group was supported by deacons. Bishops supported the house group movement at a geographic level. The most powerful position in gbe new testament was the functional Royal Priest. Early believers had no understanding of church and were in fact a Christian version of the Greek and Roman Ekklesia system. Most of the traditional structure we call church today is just a leftover of the Roman Catholic structure that leaves God's people as little more than pew warmers and providing the clergy with the resources. Church today is irrelevant and seen as totally useless by most modern unbelievers and a growing number if believers. We are on the verge of another reformation. St Ignatius may have been a disciple of Paul the Christian apostle but it seems he didn't learn a lot. Any believer who has been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit is a Royal Priest and can baptise anyone that needs it and the love feast was instigated by wealthy believers who in some cases understood the apostles doctrine and the commandment given by Jesus to love (agape) one another. Elders need no title as they are repected by those they lead by their wisdom and understanding. This is also seen in symbolism by the way levitical Priest interacted with the furniture in the temple but new testament believers have access to what was in tbe Holy of Holies I.e the ten commandments are written on our minds and written in our hearts etc. The rod of Aaron speaks both of authority and the performing of miracles when used in partnership with the Holy Spirit and is available to any believer who chooses to function as a Royal Priest . If you want Christianity to be relevant then it must be seen and witnessed in a tangible way. If we agape one another then the world will know we are his disciples.
Are they really revivals? These revival events just seem to be everyone is preaching to the choir. No growth. Just one big Preaching to the Choir pep rally.
Asbury was not a "revival" it was based on "so called" worship music not on the Word of God. It is likely that a very small group that actually got saved.
Unpopular opinion. I don’t like the current worship music. It’s so scripted. Dim the lights, sing a long slow song , raise your hands in the air on que.
Maybe they are tired of self-help sermons, celebrity pastors, smoke machines, rock music, and the show and entertainment that has become the modern church service. They are hungry for Jesus and something real, which is why they are leaving the church.
This is exactly the truth. Preach the whole gospel and let it out like a lion.
Exactly. There is a immense hunger for genuine/truthful teaching and community.
@DrgnSlyr Amen! 🙏
I would tend to agree, but if the message is not immediately useful in their lives, it becomes academic. Great for people like me, but not great for younger folks.
Amen and amen 🙌🙌
How about these 5: pray hard, preach the gospel, make disciples, Holy Spirit inspired worship, love your people. Works for all ages, and if you are obedient, God does the heavy lifting.
Carey, the first 4:15 was tooooo long of an introduction. Surprised I made it through it. Love your work.
I think I have became allergic to these types of conversations...Carey shares lots of great insights, but this is better suited for long form discussion with others, not a top 5 list. Just a loving suggestion. Yes, discipleship is fuzzy, but so is evangelism. We have to discuss both. U can't do one without the other. I have found that our modern interpretation of evangelism is too church centric. Covid exposed that the fruit of such a faith doesn't last. Sign me up for a smaller church/group that allows people live out their faith together AND bring the Kingdom to all the other parts of their lives...instead of sacrificing one's whole existence around the Sunday/ministry experience + building a bigger church...
Its strange that my small to medium size church attracts a decent number of young adults but within 7 years, they go to grad school, get married, have kids, move away and never come back. Young people are very very mobile and its rough to minister those people, see them become leaders and then there they go.
What a powerful impact your church is having! If young people are coming in and becoming leaders before they leave there's no telling how far reaching your church's impact is through those young people wherever God calls them to. Perhaps instead of seeing their moving on as a loss, maybe start commissioning them as they go to continue to be salt and light in the world around them. You'll never know the impact you've had on them because their impact on the world multiplies as they move out from your church. Maybe your church is an epicenter to the spread of the gospel for the next generation and beyond
@@gabrielleknapp1809GREAT INSIGHT ! Wonderful , encouraging words and outlook you have communicated. ❤
That is a real effective missional program. Exporting Christian leaders around the world. Cool
Seeing the graph of Pastors under 45 made me think of the idea found in Titus about assigning pastors when they’re actually “presbyteros” (elders as in literally older men) that have had a chance to raise their family and lead them to Christ. I think it would allow men to focus on raising their young family and shepherding his house without the demands of a congregation until his children are grown and he can now properly shepherd the body of Christ.
Not a realistic idea in our current culture because it would be seen as not being “sold-out for Jesus” if you postpone “ministry” for raising your family (which to me is a ministry. Maybe stretching 1 Tim 3:5?). But maybe theres something to it.
Older people tend to have more wisdom and a more experienced view of life, especially if they’ve spent years with the Lord.
Thanks for some these good birds eye view considerations of the lay of the land culturally. Love your heart and great prep work in engaging these timely dynamics. Its up to us as believers and ministers to contextualize and lead in our respective kingdom outposts. The comment section indicates that there are a pocket of critics who may not have familiarized themselves with your years long track record of nuanced dialogue with Jesus-centered leaders. Love your heart for the next gen and unchurched alongside ministers who are struggling. Grateful for ya
Truth
Is there an alternative other than “doubling down” on what’s not working with Gen Z? Feels like an odd response. Do more of the same and hope for different results? Maybe deeper systemic change is needed?
Attractional church model might put butts in seats but it does not save souls.
Loooove this question
Sobering,challenging, informative
Hey Carey. Love your work and your podcasts. I have a question regarding the church plants/church closings conversation. As a pastor whose congregation recently sold our property due to the struggle to maintain it, now have millions in proceeds, but still are an aging group, I wonder why we aren't looking to invest into the churches that are still alive rather than starting from scratch. Before ordination in a large protestant denomination at the age of 44, I was in business management, sales, and marketing. One business constant was that it is easier to build on an already established business than it is to start from scratch. Could that 'seed' money for new church plants have greater results within an established congregation (even if struggling)? Looking forward to your thoughts.
The correlation of in Gen Z Revival or Retreat seems tied to gender. More guys getting serious while more gals are peeling off from the Faith. That's a flip from the old stereotype.
“The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” is a Bible verse from Romans 1:16: If the true gospel of Jesus is not being proclaimed then there is no power of God leading unto salvation for the believer!
Confession and Absolution, a statement of faith i.e. creed, and Communion would be a good start.
Great great info. Carey in his bag with this.
Respectfully you missed the solution to all of this: teach the truth without apology or qualification.
Someone had to say it. Couldn't agree more.
Go back to the example of the Acts church.. House to House.. no overhead costs.. just church, fellowship, disciplining, reaching out to your neighbors!! Check out Francis Chan
Francis has done the complete opposite. The only time you see him is at big conferences
Where are these "leaders" in the NT? Jesus said "make disciples". Pastors are to feed the sheep. Elders are to watch over and care for and protect the flock, Deacons are servants, so where are these "leaders"?
I thought Jesus was the Shepherd and all Christians, including Pastors, are the sheep?
You must factor in the COVID effect in the timeframe you referenced. Church attendance for every age group went down. Pastors must become church planters with a serious advantage. Pastors had people coming before COVID. They need to go knock on doors and invite former attendees back to church.
This is good and all, but it is almost exclusively geared towards suburban churches or maybe even urban churches. I would like to see this same stuff focused on rural churches. I would be willing to bet that the majority of those 4,000 to 10,000 church closures in a year occur in rural small towns.
This is helpful. Maybe won’t answer every question that pastors are facing, but I believe that it helps us think strategically and insightfully for those that we are called to serve.
I realize that the church is ultimately God’s. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain. I want to steward whatever the Lord puts before me for His glory.
It’s ok to go to a home group and meet with a mentor or accountability partner one-on-one. I’ve seen massive fruit when focused on quality over quantity. Also, Jesus had a group of 72, don’t tell me you need 300. Read the gospels, do the gospels.
Thanks Carey. How transmissible are these trends? You're speaking into the American context? Is the same thing happening in South Africa? I don't think there is a great revival on university campuses in South Africa, but there does seem to be some sort of renewed interest in spiritual things.
I can't really speak into the context of SA because much of my experience and research is based on on the North American context, but I'm always open to hearing what's going on around the world.
Carey... ONE big gap in all your 'predictions'... you assume the system-framework-construct that has dominated Church for the last 100 years will be the system-framework-construct going forward... THAT WILL NOT BE SO....
I really liked the insights presented here. Really got me thinking. Near the 14:40 mark it makes the point that money is a very important factor in the success of starting a new church. Here is what popped into my mind, what if I told you there is something more compelling then money? Something so powerful that it can actually give you a brand new life, just like if you were born again, but in this new life, you would have the power of Gods Spirit living inside you giving you things no money could ever buy: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. As much as I'd like to share this with people, given I don't have 300k, should I just forget about it? If I rented out the local grange hall once a week for $300 and simply preached Gods word and I did that for 3 months for a total cost of $3,600 would people come? Or, seeing the lack of money, and only hearing Gods word, would there be no interest? I've got the money, the biblical knoweldge, and the willingness to speak directly from God's word to do that very thing. Wow, what a step of faith that would be! Thoughts?
That would be a very interesting test of the people's motivation for going to a church. Are they attracted to a nice building or to the message, no matter where it's preached? It's a way of separating the sheep from the goats.
Helpful 🙏🏽
Glad you think so!
Hi Carey. Just became a subscriber. I found you through a podcast with Chuch DeGroat and latched onto your comment about your own life: working married to an NPD. I got myself involved with one, God is working it out for the good, my good; but I need help/answers. Do you do personal sessions or chat one on one? Thanks if you ever have time to read this :)
thanks Carey....God bless greg
The two verses that most directly address solving this issue - 🙏
“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.”
2 Corinthians 4:5
“Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
2 Timothy 4:2
People are tired of “trendy” man-centered “churches”. Give them the Word. Give them something solid upon which they can stand.
To those of us who exist outside of any church structure, and there are many multitudes of us, all of these things are completely irrelevant. Wayne Jacobsen has written multiple books about these things. So have others.
"Multitudes of the unchurched!" You have more money to give to the poor rather than to a church, just as Jesus instructed.
Stop being politically partisan, stop church as entertainment, stop pop psychology from the pulpit. No more skinny jeans, muscle shirts, grifting off of God. Read the bible
Topical and Life Coaching sermons MUST BE TOSSED OUT OF CHURCHES. The most powerful and successful churches are where the leaders teach on solid theology, Christology, pneumatology, cosmology, theological anthropology, ecclesiology, soteriology, angelology (good and bad fallen Angels), scriptural eschatology, ouranology, demonology, harmatiology, and all the minor and major foundational doctrines of the Bible behind the pulpits. Therefore believers are gradually purified through a process of Divine truth and become spiritually discerning and strong and are able to continue to study the Bible by themselves during the week. They can then move on from purification to visions of God until deification. The whole Laity would be fit to teach anyone they come across, especially those who are searching for life answers.
Could it be that the higher the funding, the more likely the plant is originating from a bigger church with more funds and more people to seed? In other words I am wondering if the size of funding and the initial attendance is truly a cause and effect relationship. Could it be that the size of the sending church with all its resources is really the cause of both the funding and initial attendance?
This is excellent. Thank you sir. Be blessed. Raj Chetty
Ps. We make disciples of Jesus, not ourselves- where younger disciples go, what they do is between them and God.
What did Jesus have to say about giving to the church, style of music, attending church? What did Jesus have to say about what a person needed to do if he wanted to follow Jesus? He said that you needed to sell your possessions and give that money to the poor, not to the church. How often is this mentioned in church? The poor are invited to church and then a plate is passed for them to put money in. The modern corporate model of the church where the Lead Pastor (CEO) is paid a handsome salary, often with free housing, seems foreign to the teachings of Jesus.
My goodness. This is why the church is dying. I’ve been in so many of these types of meetings, think tank discussions. Everything you have said has no life in it. All those statistics are muted by the fact that church as a whole is dying.
We have to change what has been done not double down on stupid. But all pastors think the way you do. Invest more money, evangelize, mimic other successful churches, focus on the youth, revival, etc. All these are programs of religion. The people are waking up and not being fooled by these schemes. Bate and switch.
None of this scares me though, God is doing a great work that has been completed through Jesus. The religious system needs to die so that life in Christ can be realized.
Im excited to see what God does in the lives of his children. Once the shackles of the religious system come off. The system that says you must go hear a message once a week to be saved. Then tithe 10% to be blessed. Then believe the correct doctrine. Then maintain your own faith. On and on it goes. Until people say enough is enough I’m out. There is no hope it that!
The future will embarrass a new life in relationships with Jesus that we be seen in our love for all. It wont be based on who has the correct doctrines, or works, or religion. It will be based on jesus’s revelation of Gods love for us.
Future is bright In Jesus not in the systems we get entangled in.
You make sense. To believe that God is in charge, because He's All-Powerful, means that the will of God is irresistible. We do our best with the expectation that whatever happens in the world works towards what God wills.
Great content, but adds every 2.5 mins. Barely catching stride than interrupted by adds.
Check out Al Roxburgh "leaving egypt" podcast.
Thank you for not calling the year Two Thousand Twenty-five.
Having another person on your podcast would help. Conversation is more contagious than a unilateral monologue.
I'm not surprised. Churches based on the Roman Carholic concept of a titled leader ruling over people is largely outdated and irrelevant in 2025. The early believers were a house group movement structured geographicly and held to the apostles doctrine as demonstrated in acts2v43-47 and acts4v32-37. Churches do not live the apostles doctrine nor do they practice the agape meal as seen in 1 1Cor11v20-34. Jesus said a new commandment I give to you that you Agape one another as he agaped us by sacrificing himself on the cross. Tbe very next verse says by this shall all men know you are my disciples if u have agape for one another. Acts2v47 shows that this principle reaps revival.
Respectfully Mark, what are you talking about? Christ appointed the Apostles to lead the Church that He founded. They commissioned successors to help lead and govern His Church. Maybe their meeting location changed throughout the centuries as Christianity became more widely accepted, but the clerical hierarchy that Christ established has been there from the beginning in His Church and will never be 'outdated and irrelevant' because it was our Lord who implemented it.
"See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the [priests] as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop... Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the [people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid." - Letter to the Smyrneans (AD 110), St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of the Apostle John
@RangerGrant Hi. First, the apostles of Jesus Christ established the culture that the body of believers lived. The apostles doctrine as demonstrated in acts2v43-47 and acts4v32-37 defines that culture. The early believers were a house church movement structured geographicly and were led by untitled servant leaders called elders and each house group was supported by deacons. Bishops supported the house group movement at a geographic level. The most powerful position in gbe new testament was the functional Royal Priest. Early believers had no understanding of church and were in fact a Christian version of the Greek and Roman Ekklesia system. Most of the traditional structure we call church today is just a leftover of the Roman Catholic structure that leaves God's people as little more than pew warmers and providing the clergy with the resources. Church today is irrelevant and seen as totally useless by most modern unbelievers and a growing number if believers. We are on the verge of another reformation. St Ignatius may have been a disciple of Paul the Christian apostle but it seems he didn't learn a lot. Any believer who has been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit is a Royal Priest and can baptise anyone that needs it and the love feast was instigated by wealthy believers who in some cases understood the apostles doctrine and the commandment given by Jesus to love (agape) one another. Elders need no title as they are repected by those they lead by their wisdom and understanding. This is also seen in symbolism by the way levitical Priest interacted with the furniture in the temple but new testament believers have access to what was in tbe Holy of Holies I.e the ten commandments are written on our minds and written in our hearts etc. The rod of Aaron speaks both of authority and the performing of miracles when used in partnership with the Holy Spirit and is available to any believer who chooses to function as a Royal Priest . If you want Christianity to be relevant then it must be seen and witnessed in a tangible way. If we agape one another then the world will know we are his disciples.
Are they really revivals? These revival events just seem to be everyone is preaching to the choir. No growth. Just one big Preaching to the Choir pep rally.
That was so distracting you staring at off the other side look into the camera please.😊
No worries. The remnant are doing just fine. All that is required now is stop pandering to the culture of the heathen.
Who are the remnant?
Asbury was not a "revival" it was based on "so called" worship music not on the Word of God. It is likely that a very small group that actually got saved.
Unpopular opinion. I don’t like the current worship music. It’s so scripted. Dim the lights, sing a long slow song , raise your hands in the air on que.