For a further exploration of this topic, check out Jack Wilkie’s latest book Church Reset: God’s Design for So Much More.

I’ve said for a while now that I feel that we’re on the brink of a new restoration movement. I’m seeing a restorationist mindset rise up in the denominational world, and I’m seeing a revival of that restorationist passion among ministers in the churches of Christ. Like any good movement, this will be a back to the Bible movement.

Many are looking at the Word and studying the New Testament church, then looking at modern Christendom and saying “Shouldn’t church be more? Are we really like they were? Is God’s power being shown through us like it was through them?”

Having read a number of authors, listened to a number of speakers, and spoken with quite a few Christians about this growing shift in the church, I feel these 5 principles will be at the core of this next wave of the church.

Mission will return to the forefront

At the center of everything we do should be an aim to help people see the glory of Jesus Christ. We do that by carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). As we gather week after week, though, it’s easy to lose our sense of purpose. We must keep in mind that our purpose is not to achieve perfect doctrine (though we want to be right with God), to tell people how great they are, or to get numbers in the door.

Unfortunately, for too long the numbers-based, business-esque view of church has led us to make two mistakes:

First, we view this mission as one function of our larger organization. We put some of our budget toward having missionaries, evangelists, and outreach ministers. We put some events on the calendar to try to accomplish outreach. And then we have other parts of our budget and church calendar. But if that mission isn’t the driving force behind everything we do, then we’re missing the point.

Second, we interpret “Go into all the world” as “Get them to come to us.” From there, we hope they like what they see and decide to come back. When we do that, we rely on the talents of a few who can hopefully preach or sing well enough that they like what they see and agree to return. But that professionalism detracts from the mission as well. So, in this next wave of church…

The clergy-laity split will be rejected

The idea of a professional rank of Christians that is separate from the rank-and-file membership was one of the very first departures from the New Testament. A hierarchical leadership structure began to take place, which eventually gave way to the Roman Catholic system of church government. Ironically, the Reformers aimed to restore the priesthood of all believers in parting from the Roman Catholic priest system, but they established a rather similar system. And, whether we want to admit it or not, we in the churches of Christ aren’t a whole lot better at narrowing this divide, as seen by what we often expect of our preachers versus what we expect of each member.

Biblically, there will always be leaders in the church (just read Paul’s words on elders and preachers in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). But it’s also biblically true that every member has a role to play. Sections like Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and others outline the concept that a church is not functioning properly if every member isn’t trained to contribute. Yes, preachers and elders are necessary, but our efforts to go back to the Bible will remind us that the church thrives when we stop putting too much emphasis on the more visible gifts (1 Cor. 12:22-24) and start figuring out ways to feature those from whom we rarely expect any spiritual contribution. So, as the clergy-laity split begins to be rejected…

The customer-business setup will be abandoned

An alarming number of church members approach their Christianity as customers, choosing to attend the church that best caters to them and often holding their membership over the church’s heads to get what they want from the preaching or programs. And if the church leadership doesn’t comply, they head to the next church down the road.

Of course, they act as customers because an alarming number of churches behave like businesses. We try to determine what people want or what will attract them to our events and Sunday gatherings. We try to offer the kind of programs people are looking for. In the midst of all of this, we forget to put God first. The mission of making Jesus known gets put on the back burner while we try to keep people happy with our congregations. And, truth be told, the mission gets put on the back burner because we try to keep people happy with our congregations, people who should be buying in to the same purpose. Francis Chan said it well:

“For decades church leaders like myself have lost sight of the powerful mystery inherent in the Church and have instead run to other methods to keep people interested. In all honesty, we have trained you to become addicted to lesser things. We have cheapened something sacred, and we must repent.”[1]

As we return to a central emphasis on the mission of Christ and help every member see how God has equipped and empowered them to play a part in this mission, this customer/business mindset will be pushed aside. As that happens, we will begin to see how much we truly need each other. When that happens…

The church will behave like less like an organization and more like a family

Jesus considered the church family a blessing worth 100 times whatever His disciples had given up to follow Him (Mark 10:28-30). He said that outsiders would know that we are His disciples by our love for each other (John 13:34-35). He said that the church’s unity would be what convinces the world that He was sent from the Father (John 17:20-23).

I’m sorry, but the version of church where we see each other at the church building, ask each other in passing how we’re doing, offer an opportunity to confess or ask for help in front of a room full of people just isn’t congruent with what Jesus seemed to have in mind. We must aim to truly be a family, the kind that intentionally sacrifices in order to make time for each other, invest in each other’s lives, and build relationships with each other that won’t be shaken by petty disagreements.

What brings us together as a family? A common Father, who has given us a common purpose. With that purpose binding the family together…

Everything but the essentials will be up for constant reevaluation

Some things we do are set in stone by the Bible and aren’t up for debate. Everything beyond that list, however, should constantly be on the table as we evaluate what helps us carry out the mission. Why do we meet when we meet? Why do we have the services that we do? Why does our order of worship look the way it does? What does a week look like for our church? Who is serving and in what role? There are plenty of items in each congregation’s particular situation that can be questioned, reevaluated, and changed if necessary.

The point isn’t change for change’s sake. The point isn’t to be cutting edge. The point is to be consistent with our purpose, to figure out what helps people grow to be more like Jesus through intimate interaction with their church family. When the church is in agreement on that critical matter, then our traditions and preferences stop being points of contention. We stop doing things just to do them or because “we’ve always done it that way” or because that’s the way everybody else is doing it.

All of these issues are interconnected. They all stem from the idea that we should de-emphasize man’s role in church success and make ourselves fully dependent on God’s wisdom and power. We will determine to prioritize what God prioritizes, correcting ourselves where we’ve drifted and found other priorities. We will trust God’s outlined plans for how the church should operate and not our own strategies from the mind of man – or our long-standing traditions. When we aim to please God by carrying out His mission, we can stop worrying about numbers, about our own comfort, or anything else. We will instead spend our time constantly correcting our course to be consistent with His will and let Him handle the rest.

In practical terms, the changes coming in many places might look more like a minor reformation, simply shifting around that which is in existence in some ways, but that matters little. What truly matters is that we all have the heart of restorationists, ready to go wherever God’s Word guides as we strive to carry out Jesus’ mission. In that sense, I believe there are many people ready to see what church can become when we hit the reset button and build from the ground up once again based on God and His purposes. I don’t know what the future holds, but I truly feel we are on the brink of an exciting shift in the church.


[1] – Francis Chan, Letters to the Church, Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2018. p. 44