The Top Ten Disruptions for Ministry #1 – Post Christian and Multi-Faith Society (according to ChatGPT)

I’ve asked ChatGPT to suggest the Top Ten Disruptive Trends for Ministry by 2030, and some strategies to address them. This is an experiment in seeing how we might use ChatGPT in ministry (See more here). Everything in this post is generated by me, 100%, apart from the Chat GPT response which I’ve highlighted in blue.

I asked: I want you to be my research assistant. I am the pastor of an evangelical church in London. From the vantage point of 2030, what will be the ten most disruptive trends for churches and pastors? Bear in mind that the UK, and London in particular, is very different from North America. For each one, give me some actionable strategies.

I also asked it what would change if the context were Manchester rather than London

Here’s the first reply (and I’ve kept the US spelling):

1. Post-Christian and Multi-Faith Society

• Trend: The UK, and particularly London, will continue its trajectory as a post-Christian society, where Christianity is viewed as a cultural relic rather than a living faith. At the same time, London will see continued growth of other religions, particularly Islam, Hinduism, and non-religious spirituality.
• Disruption: Churches will need to shift from assuming cultural familiarity with Christianity to effectively engaging a multi-faith and often skeptical audience.

Challenge: Engaging a society where Christianity is no longer the cultural default and multiple faiths coexist.

1. Focus on Missional Hospitality:
   • Create spaces where people from all faiths (or none) feel genuinely welcome—e.g., community cafés, art exhibitions, and open forums.
   • Prioritize dialogue over debate, listening over preaching in initial interactions.
2. Equip Congregations for Cultural Intelligence:

1. Train church members in cultural sensitivity and multi-faith engagement.
2. Encourage small groups to study how the gospel intersects with other worldviews.
3. Rediscover the Early Church’s Witness:

1. Lean on the example of the early church, which thrived in a pluralistic, often hostile society.
2. Emphasize authentic Christian distinctiveness rather than blending into secular norms.

Manchester Context: While Manchester is also post-Christian, its religious diversity is less pronounced than in London. There’s a stronger sense of community, and relational connections often carry more weight.

Revised Strategies:

1. Emphasize Community Engagement: Build deeper relationships with local community groups and social hubs.
2. Focus on Relational Evangelism: Equip members for one-to-one conversations and friendships rather than large-scale events.
3. Partner with Local Institutions: Collaborate with schools, food banks, and community centers to serve the city holistically.

Well now, I didn’t ask ChatGPT to prioritise or explain the listing, so I can’t just assume that it thinks this is Number 1 in the ranking (don’t ask me how the algorithm works).

Nevertheless, I have to say this really resonates with increasing strength.  If I head into town at the moment, there are visible Christian, Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, Jewish and Mormon presences in central spaces, in a way I don’t recall even a couple of years ago.

At the same time, it has become increasingly difficult to find a functioning Christian bookshop, and the place given to alternatives in the Spirituality section of regulations bookshops (principally a westernised Buddhism, coupled with an updated Stoicism, and Islam) is growing. At the same time, the God Is Dead blockbusters have dried up, again replaced by Stoicism

I think I agree: London is becoming both more Secular and more generically Spiritual at the same time.  The reasons are many: intellectual, cultural, political, demographic, but Chat GPT has correctly identified, or rather, helped me to notice, a subtle change in my city. 

What we need to address is the assumption that Christianity is a failed way of addressing real issues. Both Secularism and the alternatives agree on that failure.

We need to address the assumption that Christianity is a failed way of addressing real issues.

The solutions are broadly right, and probably because the algorithm works by majority answers, unsurprising.  They reflect the live question about other we take the Benedict Option or not.

I thinking the Manchester comment is probably correct as well: from what I can see, all the extremes are less marked.

But what ChatGPT has missed completely, is that it is precisely the reasons for the growth in other religions, London’s growth from immigration, is also the greatest powerhouse in the churches, both new and mainstream.  Global Christianity is overwhelmingly a living, growing and orthodox faith, and the more the population of London reflects that, the more the churches will too.

As someone wondered to me recently, Maybe London is set to become the world’s first post-secular city. And that’s the opposite of Chat GPT’s suggestion

Someone wondered to me recently, Maybe London is set to become the world’s first post-secular city. And that’s the opposite of Chat GPT’s suggestion

So, this is a very good reason for using its suggestions as a prompt for thought and a suggestion to disagree with, rather than the truth.  

More next time! Pile in!