(Adapted from: https://careynieuwhof.com/5-reasons-charismatic-churches-are-growing-and-attractional-churches-are-past-peak/)
1. The Foyer Moved
Now, almost everyone who attends your church for the first time has already been to your church…online.
Which means…the foyer moved. The implication? When someone shows up at your church now, they’re likely to want more than they did when their first visit was their first exposure to your church. They’re ready to go a little further, somewhat faster, because they’ve already taken their first step. They're more likely to sample something real, want to experience something different, and are likely to engage faster.
2. People Want Transformation, Not Information
We tend to share information about Jesus or Christianity. That’s not entirely bad. Who, after all, wants to lose people completely? But now the internet is completely intertwined with daily life. We are drowning in a sea of information. People aren’t looking for information. They’re looking for transformation. When people come to church, fewer are looking for information about God; they’re looking for an experience with God. Information is everywhere. Transformation is scarce. Too many people who have been to church know about God—not enough know God.
3. Transcendent is Connecting More than Immanent Right Now
People are hungry for true community, deeper experiences, and authentic transcendence. Growing churches are focusing more on creating experiences that engage more than just the head, but also engage the heart and relationships. People don’t just want to know what’s true; they want to know what’s real. And what’s real is deeper than just an idea—it’s an experience. They come looking for something bigger than themselves, and something, frankly, bigger than us. They come looking for God. The best option will have content that leans toward the immanent—practical, helpful, and digestible—and also offer experiences that feel transcendent: a sense that “you had to be there” to experience what happened.
4. Downloadable Experiences Have Become Resistible Experiences
Online provides a HUGE front door. Everyone you’re trying to reach with the love of Christ is online. The consumption of content is also leaving people hungry for greater community, greater experience, and greater transcendence. Growing churches design their in-person experience to:
Move people quickly from anonymity to a sense of belonging
Focus on the engagement of the heart, not just the head, both in the message and the music
Offer more variety of services than three songs and a message
Facilitate more passionate expressions of worship
Create moments and additional space during the service for prayer
Put more thought into engaging a variety of emotions and personalities
5. Passion Is Beating Polish
If you’re sitting there thinking that you need a better soundboard, new LEDs, and a better band, think again. Passion is free. And passion beats polish. Effective churches by no means had the best lights, stage, or production. What did they all have in common? Passion. It’s not that polish is bad, but I think polish falls flat unless accompanied by a raw passion that exudes from leaders who love connecting people with God. One caveat: Don’t fake passion—people can smell fake from a mile away. And don’t exaggerate it. Different people have different levels of passion. But if yours has faded, rekindle it. Pray about it. Evoke what’s in there, and bring it to church. In an age where nothing seems real anymore, people are looking for authenticity. Church, we have it.