If, in the latter case, these followers begin to become
a more traditional congregation, then there is a «routinization» and the prophet becomes more like a priest or gives way to a priest.
Churches embracing millennial - friendly marketing are attracting and maintaining audiences better than
more traditional congregations, but their retention rates are still suffering in comparison to 10 and 20 years ago.
Not exact matches
However, many of those were older,
more traditional churches led by entrenched, autocratic pastors well into their 60s and composed of a
congregation and worship style that was far from contemporary.
Healthy
congregations in the 21st century will undoubtedly be
more «seeker friendly,» but they will balance marketing efforts with a
more judicious use of
traditional understandings of the church and its ministries.
I see grace and love
more and
more with people who are outside
traditional congregations.
Catholic bishops around the world have been told to make mass
more «solemn» by stopping the
congregation kissing during the
traditional handshake and sign of peace.
Jack Marcum, head of research services for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), sees «little evidence of a literal shortage of ministers... We are training
more than sufficient numbers of ministers of word and sacrament in the PCUSA to pastor mid-sized and larger
congregations and fill other
traditional ministries.»
The closest thing to this today are the remaining «
traditional» denomination
congregations that are losing all of their young members to mega-churches that offer services with
more pizzazz.
I see myself
more as a
traditional preacher in the Reformed mode who tries to interpret Scripture to the needs of the
congregation.
While no such
congregation exists in the RCA, a growing number of churches have forsaken the
traditional pattern of a quarterly and very penitential observance for a
more frequent and joyous form of celebration.
Worship had been almost uniformly stiff and formal and largely dominated by the domine (the
traditional Dutch term for minister) to the extent that in many
congregations he read the Apostles» Creed and the Lord's Prayer as a solo; in recent years the liturgy has become
more varied and relaxed, with a great deal
more participation by the people.