"Revangelical"

Brandon Robertson is one of the spokesmen for the “Revangelical” movement, the prefix meaning, in his words, the effort to “rethink, reform, and renew my evangelical faith.”

He has posted the results of an informal survey he conducted that goes against the grain of conventional “church growth” assumptions. For example, 51% prefer a “liturgical/contemplative” service, with only 4% preferring a “contemporary/seeker” service; 80% prefer a small-medium size church (60-300), with 19% preferring a “large/mega” church (300-2000).

These findings, he says, support his Revangelical emphases, which I post after the jump (after the statistics). We Confessional Lutherans might applaud some of these, though the thrust of the movement is “progressive.” I offer them for your reflection and feedback. One tenet in particular I would like to scrutinize tomorrow.

From Brandon Robertson, The Future of Christian Churches- Revangelical Survey Results:

Racial Diversity:

45% of all surveyed said that the church they attend is moderately to extremely racially diverse. (significant diversity in the church they attend- more than one “dominant” race)

30% of all surveyed said that the church they attend is partially racially diverse. (one dominant race but a mix of others represented in minority)

25% of all surveyed said that the church they attend is not racially diverse. (unicultural church)

Theological Diversity:

29% of all surveyed said that the church they attend has a lot of theological/denominational diversity.

48% of all surveyed said that the church they attend has a moderate amount of theological/denominational diversity.

19% of all surveyed said that the church they attend has no theological/denominational diversity.

Preferred Style of Worship/Service:

51% of all surveyed said that they desired a contemporary liturgical/contemplative church service. (Catholic/New Liturgy style)

45% of all surveyed said that they desired a contemporary/traditional church service. (Baptistic Hymns and Modern CCM)

4% of all surveyed said that they desired a contemporary/seeker church service. (Mega-Church Style Services)

Preferred Church Size:

80% of all surveyed said that they preferred a church between 60-300 people. (Small-Medium Church)

19% of all surveyed said that they preferred a church between 300-2000+ people.(Large/Mega Church)

1% of all surveyed said that they preferred a church between 5-15 people. (Organic/House Church)

Church Outreach:

54% of all surveyed said that the most important outreach of their home church is Evangelism/Teaching.

45% of all surveyed said that the most important outreach of their home church is Social Justice.

1% of all surveyed said they most important outreach of their home church is Media/Music.

What we hope for the future of Christianity:

25% said that they desired to see more theological and doctrinal emphasis in churches.

68% said that they desired to see more social justice and living faith in churches.

70% said that they desired to see unity among all Christians with different theological backgrounds and worship styles. . . .

The Revangelical Generation Churches Will Be:

Diverse in theology and ethnicity.

Liturgical/Emerging in worship style and building feel.

Small-Medium Size communities with a “family feel”.

Inclusive of all people (race, sexuality, religion)

Focused on doing justice and loving mercy.

Increasingly historical/theological in conversation/teaching.