In this piece which I have very ambitiously titled “A New Model for the Western Church,” I want to speculate about the future of the church in light of our present cultural momentum. This writing is not intended to be reactionary or inflammatory, rather prescient, and for the benefit of those who enjoy gathering as the body of Christ. I am not alone in my concern for the future, either. Many church leaders, sociologists, and journalists have already written extensively on the matter, and my own writing is strongly influenced by their observations. There is a unanimity of concern that the current church model is riddled with vulnerabilities and poorly positioned to stand up against social or political pressure. That pressure increases daily as our culture subtly moves en masse from religious to secular sensibilities. But there is a model that can stand up to even the most intense persecution; not only can it survive, but it has the power to advance the Kingdom of Heaven against all odds.

Part I: On Moral Decay and the Cost of Compromise

With the term “cultural shift,” I refer to the increasing secularization of the American people and decreasing appetite for traditional Christian values such as objective truth, sexual purity, a binary male-female gender model, self-discipline and personal holiness, and the nuclear family structure, among other things. It began decades ago, and though scholars and journalists will argue about the date of its conception, whatever had been seething and writhing underneath our cultural waters is now breaking the surface.

I confess that I am not well-researched enough to fully explain and document every aspect of this cultural shift. Authors such as Eric Metaxas, Carl Trueman, Rod Dreher, Greg Lukainoff and Jonathan Haidt have thoroughly documented the shift, and their works deserve attention. I assume that you, the reader, and everyone of the non-ostrich species has recognized this cultural upheaval within some aspect of daily life. Anxiety, depression, and suicide are approaching endemic levels, social isolation has only intensified since the COVID lockdowns, the nuclear family structure has come under attack, race relations violently deteriorate and, most importantly, a desperate aversion to confrontation and disagreement urges us to either keep silent or disavow our personal convictions in public.

Perhaps all of this discussion is tiresome. Who cares about the shift or what political agenda is currently in vogue? Why worry about something that is largely out of our ability to control? With the increasing social cost of holding dogmatically to Christian values, isn’t it far better to ignore the small stuff and only get involved when the big issues are under attack? Unfortunately, this mindset is pervasive in the western church. Inaction and inattention constitute the greatest threats to the bride of Christ, even above persecution. Why? If we learned anything in the 20th century, it is that the progress of a great evil takes many small steps. The unprecedented atrocities of the former century were committed by people much like you and I who had slowly grown desensitized by a steady series of tiny moral compromises.

There is a steep social price to be paid if we hold unyielding to traditional Christian values, and conversely, compromise seductively promises to indefinitely defer the debt we owe our consciences. This rationale is the same that entraps many in cash advance schemes. We seem to believe (by action, if not by words) that the debt we draw upon our conscience will never be called to account. Why pay the high cost upfront? This mindset has become our zeitgeist, and for verification look no further than our national debt or the advent of Klarna, Affirm, and other “buy now, pay later” companies. Why not finance a pair of sweatpants over the next six months? Why ought we do anything different with our moral convictions?

These are the waters in which the modern church finds itself. There are many small compromises to be made in order to maintain popular appeal, which we prize so highly. This, in light of the current model of church organization, presents an alarming picture of the future that deserves consideration, prayer, and action.

Part II: On Glass Churches and Rocks

Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina in the early 2000’s, my family had front row seats to the birth of a church that would become one of the foremost influences on the western church in recent years. Elevation Church started meeting in 2006 in a high school building not ten minutes down the road from where my family lived. Little did we know that by the end of 2023 they would report over $305 million in assets, top Christian music charts, tour internationally, and employ hundreds.

This unprecedented growth, in my mind, can be attributed to nothing other than the favor of the Lord. Elevation’s model of seeker-friendly messages, dynamic live performances, high accessibility through social media, and compelling art has encouraged many toward faith who were lost. It seems like almost every church I have attended since I left home for college has taken note and followed suit. Financial priorities are often directed toward breaking ground on ever bigger buildings, cutting-edge audio tech, stadium seating, live streaming infrastructure, LED panels and stage lighting, in-ear monitors, professional musicians, and even studio time. This emphasis on highly produced church services has made solid teaching and worship more accessible than ever before in history. And the Lord has used this model to reach millions with the truth of the Gospel.

However, we must not take our finger off the political and cultural pulse. As quoted at the beginning of this essay, Christ cautioned his disciples to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” We are to be tacticians: ever evaluating, ever adapting, ever preparing; all this to be done in love, not fear. Thus far, this model has served us well, but there is a growing awareness among church leaders of its vulnerabilities, and many are already taking steps to prepare. 

At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon, I have summarized some of the vulnerabilities below. These are certainly not all present in every church, nor do they individually substantiate insurmountable issues.

In summary, the current church model will exist only as long as it retains its protected position under the law, which in turn is subject to the will of the people. But our cultural trajectory increasingly departs from Christian moral values. Churches will have to respond by either firmly holding their ground, or making compromises in a cultural war of attrition. This does not bode well for a church model founded not on intimate community but on marketability, federal recognition, emotionally driven experiences, profitability, and social appeal.

Part III: On the New Model

I use the word “new” somewhat ironically. This is the first model of ecclesia as detailed in Acts 2:42-47:

And they [the church] devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

In this passage, Luke places an emphasis upon the togetherness of the church - not merely in the same space at the same time, but as a unified community who “had all things in common.” This passage paints a picture of a church that lived, prayed, ate, studied, and worshiped together. The strength of this church was not in their formal operational structure, though they did receive guidance from and had accountability to the Apostles. Nor was it in their wide appeal and social acceptability. Their strength was their intimate involvement in one another’s lives. This is what I'll refer to as "house church" going forward.

Upon its conception, the church enjoyed a period of peace where public assembly in temples was permitted. But, as we read later in Acts, persecution erupted across the Roman empire and the believers were scattered. Had their existence been reliant upon that which supports the current expression of the western church, do you think they would have survived? Would they have continued to meet?

Imagine for a moment that the western church came under intense persecution overnight. Churches would be forced to stop meeting in public, and they would immediately lose all their assets and donations. What would be the result? Inevitably, those who knew each other within the church and shared a devotion to the faith would continue to meet, but - as we saw during the COVID lockdowns - many would disappear without the anchor of strong relationships in the community. In all reality, it is unlikely that the western church will see a sudden, overnight onset of persecution. Rather than a sudden frontal attack, the cultural shift is turning us against one another within the church, an act catalyzed by our disintegration and lack of community. The hypothetical situation above is not irrelevant, though - it is merely occurring in slow motion.

The house church model of Acts notably avoids all of the vulnerabilities present in the western church. It was impossible for individuals to partake in gatherings without being known; gatherings were small enough to take place around meals in people’s homes. Nor did they seek to be served by the church; they sold their belongings to care for those in need. They were not dependent upon or tempted by formal organizational structure; they were a community, not a business. Their existence did not depend upon government recognition, it persisted even when the government prohibited Christianity. And they did not primarily seek emotional release, they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”

Moreover, this passage affirms the effectiveness of the house church model: “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” This church had not only the ability to survive when persecution arrived, but the incredible power to continue the work of Christ.

If we are to be “more than conquerors” in the coming days, I believe that it would be prudent to begin re-evaluating the way we do church together. Church leaders must begin to emphasize the importance of relationships within the congregation, and even restructure their organization primarily around the house church model. Already, an increasing number of churches are beginning to encourage their congregations to join individual house churches that operate in collaboration with the formal organization. Central teaching and worship occur on Sundays, but the life and breath of the church occurs throughout many homes during the week.

Still, this model is underrepresented and many churches persist in tradition without heed of the future. What then shall we do? I believe the burden lies on individual believers to encourage their local churches and form small communities themselves. Below, I have listed a number of actions that you (yes, you!) can take: 

1. Pray, Repent, and Fast: A widespread shift in the model of the western church cannot be accomplished apart from devoted prayer, personal repentance, and fasting.
2. Meet with your Church Leaders: Take your pastor or priest out for coffee, and ask them directly what steps the church is taking to respond to the cultural shift.
3. Join a Group: Your church may already have some form of “small group.” It is highly important to get connected, or host one yourself. If your church does not have small groups, or if they aren’t a priority, you have the ability (and perhaps the calling) to begin one yourself. Some may say: "I meet with a bible study in my home, but I don't have a house church." Whatever form or name it takes is irrelevant: the point is organic community, not formal structure or name.
4. Get Informed: If you are still skeptical about the cultural shift, or if this whole piece sounds like some uncomfortable doomsday propaganda, then I highly encourage you to begin reading. Or better yet, download Tik Tok and see what’s going on there. I have included a book list below with links for purchase.
5. Join your Local Government: Part of the reason our culture has taken such a dramatic turn is because Christians do not want to get involved in politics. Yet the Lord’s indictment of Israel and Judah in Isaiah primarily concerned their decayed justice and political systems. His injunction still rings clear today: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.” (Is 1:16-17) Consider joining your local school board, attending city council meetings, or even running for an elected position if you feel called to do so.

***

A Word of Closing

Not all will be convinced of the cultural shift, the importance of avoiding compromise, the vulnerabilities within the modern western church, or the possibility of adopting a house church model. The most difficult opposition to the church, it seems, often comes from within. It is easy for believers to become discouraged by other believers. I would exhort them to remember Paul’s words to the Roman church: “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” [Rom 14:4]

Let us remember that each of us is solely responsible for our own actions. What we individually have to offer our respective churches - and the entire world - is no more than a few loaves of bread and a few fishes. Yet, given willingly and in faith, the Lord is able to multiply the work of our hands beyond what we can fathom.