Archives For future church

What will the church look like in 100 years?

6 November, 2017 — 5 Comments

This graph shows the last 150 years of New Zealand census religion data and church attendance, plus my prediction for the next 100 years. In October and November last year I was part of a conference with Christian Savings, Laidlaw College, and the Carey Centre for Lifelong Learning, where I talked around the idea that “something is different now” in terms of the relationship between church and society. This blog post is part of that talk. I debunk some of the hype around some census figures, and give two possible future scenarios for the church in New Zealand.

Click to enlarge

Continue Reading…

In church , , , , , ,
 permalink

We might not recognise the future church

18 November, 2016 — 10 Comments

I recently saw an exhibition showing the work of some Auckland University of Technology Communication Design students: what happens when you swap the elements of one product’s label with those of another? I’ll tell you what happens: it messes with your head. Thinking about the future church is a bit like this.

colgate-toblerone-aut-label-swap-2016

Imagine expecting one thing but getting all the messages of something completely different. Imagine years, perhaps decades of familiarity being turned upside-down before your eyes. It was one of those exhibitions that played with my mind at every step. Continue Reading…

In church , , , ,
 permalink