Guiding Trends
About every ten years, First Fruit researches the top ten world trends that we anticipate will be shaping the context for our future strategies and decisions. We desire to anticipate opportunities as well as pitfalls related to these changes as each of these trends raises issues and suggests implications for the work of Christian missions. The following trends were developed in 1998 and we hope to have the new trends completed by the fall of 2008.
Expanding Need for Leaders
In some parts of the world, the church is growing rapidly through evangelism and church planting. In other areas the church has become institutionalized and fossilized and stands in dire need of revival. In both cases the call is for more rapid multiplication and deeper development of leaders. This need exists at all levels, from cell group leaders, to grass roots pastors, to Bible school teachers to leaders of national and international organizations. Increasingly, the call is heard for non-formal training structures, relevance and practicality, attention to the needs of women and youth and more effective use of limited resources. At all levels of training there is a need for intentionality in preparing pastors, evangelists and church planters for the emerging church. Additionally, attention needs to be given to the 'infrastructure' of people, ideas, skills, organization and funding which will be needed for the continuing development of leaders for the future church.
"... The missing link in church planting is the education of pastors."
Dr. John Bennett // President // Overseas Council for Theological Education
Accelerating Pace of Change
To be sure, change is constant. But the pace of change is increasing in multiple dimensions simultaneously - technological, political, sociological, and economic - with such speed that long-range forecasts are becoming more problematic and less reliable. In such an environment, structures and methods quickly become obsolete while new paradigms and new forms of organizations proliferate. Confidence in established institutions and methods is eroding. With a spirit of humility and much counsel, First Fruit must work to discern whether methodologies and ministries are capable of responding to this ever-quickening pace of change.
"The Church in this decade has gone through more change than any other time since the Reformation. This is also the most productive and creative era in missions since the first century.”
Dr. Paul Pierson // Dean Emeritus // Fuller School of World Mission
Continuing Urbanization
The people of the world continue to flock to the cities in search of jobs and a better way of life. Urbanization at a pace far faster than population growth is leading to the enormous growth of slums accompanied by the breakdown of families, joblessness, pollution, inadequate sanitation and crime. On the one hand, this urban concentration can increase evangelistic access to previously unreached people. On the other hand, strategies must be tailored to the unique opportunities of urban ministry. Good strategies for rural contexts may or may not work well in the vastly different environment of the city.
"The gradual urbanization of much of the world will continue to make the various people groups easier to reach physically. Because of the extreme heterogeneity, however, programs must be developed to reach the people groups individually.”
Dr. Ralph Winter // President // US Center for World Mission
Increasing Collaboration
Increasing numbers of Christian individuals and organizations are coming to realize that strategic partnerships, alignments and cooperative endeavors can be more effective for ministry and may also represent better stewardship of resources. However, while these efforts bring greater unity and focus on a common task, they also bring greater complexity and difficulty in administration. New attitudes and skills must be developed for working in this team and networking oriented environment. More and more often these collaborative efforts are joining Western and non-Western funding sources, developing world agencies, and missionaries in cross-cultural efforts that have never been previously envisioned.
"A key trend I see is partnership between two thirds world missions and western missions in working together to evangelize the two thirds world...we must focus even more on creating genuine working partnerships.”
Dr. Larry Keyes // President // OC International
Intensifying Opposition
Direct challenges to biblical Christianity are becoming increasingly persistent and vehement. Militant Hinduism and Islam are on the march. In some parts of the world, there is a revival of Buddhism and other traditional religions. Continuing attacks come from modern atheism, Marxism and secularism. Governmental and educational establishments often join in the opposition. Both official and informal persecution is on the rise all over the world.
"A key trend in the world today that can no longer be ignored is the organized and apparently spontaneous persecution of the church.”
Dr. William Taylor // Director // World Evangelical Fellowship Missions Commission
Maturing Church in the Developing World
The center of gravity for Christianity worldwide in terms of growth, energy and vision is shifting from the North and West to the South and East. The mission field is becoming the mission force. Increasing numbers of leaders for the worldwide Christian movement are emerging from the rapidly growing churches of the Developing World.
"The history of western missions can now be seen as a move from pioneer to paternalism, from paternalism to partnership, and now from partnership to servant hood.”
Dr. Luis Bush // President // AD2000
Continuing Globalization
The world is growing smaller through advances in international travel and electronic communication, as well as broadening exposure to the media. The youth of the world are linked through MTV, while the economies of the world are interlaced through international trade.
Political, cultural and religious isolationism is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. English is the international language and modern Western values are impacting more and more societies. As in the first-century world, these developments, whether positive or negative, can become bridges to enable the more rapid spread of the gospel.
"The key trends of this decade [impacting mission] have been the rise of technology and the ease of transportation to get to difficult missions fields.”
Phill Butler // President // INTERDEV
Growing Mobilization for Prayer and Spiritual Warfare
In recent years greater attention has been focused on the importance of intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare for the advance of the gospel. Movements of prayer and meetings for prayer continue to multiply at the community, national and international levels. Spiritual strongholds are being identified and targeted for specific prayer prior to new evangelistic initiatives. The emphasis of church growth strategy is shifting from sociological analysis and managerial technique to a focus on spiritual dynamics and mobilization for prayer.
"A greater emphasis on power evangelism and encounters, not more rational analysis, is what the western church needs in dealing with demonic beings."
Dr. Joe Aldrich // President Emeritus // Multnomah School of the Bible
Changing Geo-Political Alignments
The demise of colonialism, the break-up of the former Soviet Union, the movement of some nations toward democracy while others drift toward authoritarian rule, the migration of hundreds of thousands of refugees across national borders and the intensification of tribalism and nationalism are drastically altering the geo-political landscape. New trade blocs and political alliances are emerging, leading to constant redefinition of which countries and people groups are "accessible" to various kinds of ministry. First Fruit needs to work at encouraging and working through national structures to help cope with unexpected eventualities and seize new opportunities more effectively.
"Traditional societies face strong forces of modernity and post-modernity where the background of what you take for granted is being assaulted by the foreground where everything is open to change."
Dr. Vinay Samuel // President // International Fellowship of Evangelical Mission Theologians
Shifting Resources
In the coming years, large numbers of new young donors will be emerging with great wealth either earned or transferred through inheritance. These donors think, respond, act and are motivated in a different manner than previous generations. They need to be mentored and trained in Christian stewardship, while Christian organizations will need to align themselves to the heartbeat of these donors to stay viable. The challenge is to seek how these new resources can be properly harnessed with national churches and organizations for mission tasks.
"Donors are giving up on things that don't make a difference, but there is more money than ever for things that do."
Chuck Colson // Chairman // Prison Fellowship Ministries
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