8 Global Trends That Will Transform the Future Church

By Joseph Mattera 

THE STREAM

November 22, 2025

As we cross the threshold of a rapidly shifting global landscape, the Church must prepare itself for tectonic changes that will redefine its mission, methods, and missiology. We are living in a kairos moment—a window of divine opportunity—where crises and breakthroughs collide, giving birth to movements that will reshape how the body of Christ engages culture, makes disciples, and stewards the kingdom.

The following are eight emerging global trends that I believe will transform the Church of the future:

1. Persecuted Churches Are Reimagining Missions Through the Workplace

In regions marked by severe religious persecution, traditional forms of evangelism and church planting are no longer viable. In response, many believers are turning to the marketplace as their new missional frontier. The workplace has become both pulpit and parish.

Instead of planting churches in hostile environments, believers are establishing businesses, launching startups, and taking jobs in strategic sectors where they can quietly model Christ and disciple others within relational networks. We are seeing a return to the early Church’s incarnational model, where faith was embedded in daily life rather than confined to religious spaces.

This trend will accelerate as more nations adopt anti-conversion laws, and it will force the global church to equip people not only for Sunday worship but for Monday mission.

2. The Global Pentecostal Movement Will Outpace All Others

According to leading missiologists, the Pentecostal-charismatic stream continues to experience the fastest growth rate among Christian movements worldwide. What is even more significant is the evolution within this stream—especially in the Global South—toward apostolic structures that emphasize kingdom influence, city-reaching strategies, and fivefold ministry models.

This grassroots momentum cannot be dismissed. It is no longer confined to revival meetings or tent crusades. Today’s Pentecostal movement leaders are engaging government, education, media, and economics with a vision to transform society.

3. The “McDonaldized” Franchise Church Model Will Be Rejected by the Next Generation

We are witnessing the decline of the franchise-faith model—where churches are built more like corporate chains than spiritual families. Next-gen seekers are disillusioned with plastic pulpits, formulaic worship, and celebrity leadership. They want authenticity, not algorithms. They’re not looking for another event—they’re longing for embodied community.

Mega-churches that function more like consumer service centers than missional movements will continue to be challenged by a rising generation that values transparency over trendiness and formation over performance.

4. Pentecostal Evangelicals Are Recovering the Historic Traditions of the Church

A growing number of Spirit-filled churches are realizing that spiritual power without theological grounding leads to imbalance and error. As a result, Pentecostal evangelicals are recovering the riches of historic Christian tradition—creeds, liturgies, weekly communion, church calendars, and theological depth—without compromising their charismatic fervor.

This convergence of Spirit and structure, power and orthodoxy, will birth a more balanced expression of Christianity. We will see a generation that dances in the Spirit and reads the Church Fathers. We will see pastors who pray in tongues and also quote Augustine. This hunger for rootedness is a signpost pointing us away from shallow sensationalism and back to substantive spirituality.

5. Stability and Strong Governance Will Become the New Gold Standard

In an age of rapid deconstruction, instability, and moral failure, people are no longer impressed by flashy services or influencer preachers. They are searching for churches with integrity, consistency, and strong governance.

The era of the one-man show is ending. Teams, shared leadership, accountability structures, and financial transparency will mark the future church. Leaders who fail to embrace best practices in governance and ethical standards will lose credibility—and ultimately, their flocks.

Lead pastors of independent network churches will be required to have a presbytery in addition to local church elder boards to ensure exemplary protection in the event of a scandal or crisis.

Healthy government produces healthy discipleship. Churches that operate with strong multi-elder governance, in sync with the lead pastors rather than orbiting solely around the personality of the lead pastor, will be the ones that endure the storms ahead.

6. The Urban Monastic Movement Will Emerge as Society Fractures

As cities become more chaotic and culture grows increasingly disoriented, we will see the rise of a new kind of monasticism—not retreating to the desert, but reclaiming spiritual rhythm within the heart of the city. This urban monastic movement will emphasize simplicity, spiritual disciplines, intentional community, and mission to the margins.

Young leaders—burned out on hype, hungry for holiness—will create “rule of life” communities rooted in prayer, hospitality, fasting, and service. They will not escape from society but seek to redeem it through rhythms of daily obedience.

This will be especially critical in urban centers where the spiritual and psychological pressures of modern life are eroding identity and faith. The Church must provide more than a Sunday service—it must become a sanctuary for weary souls.

7. Technology Will Accelerate Collaboration and Global Kingdom Alliances

One of the great gifts of the post-pandemic era has been the widespread adoption of virtual platforms that have enabled unprecedented global connection. Through tools like Zoom and digital communication networks, the body of Christ is collaborating across continents with ease and regularity.

What was once reserved for conferences and airfare is now happening digitally.

This trend will continue to expand, resulting in more global alliances, unified prayer movements, and joint mission initiatives.

8. The Church Will Be Confronted by the Rise of Artificial Intelligence

Perhaps the most unpredictable and unsettling trend is the exponential rise of AI technologies. Artificial Intelligence will challenge the Church’s understanding of consciousness, creativity, ethics, and even the definition of humanity itself.

The church must prepare its members to adapt to AI, or they will experience massive unemployment, which will negatively impact the Church’s budget,

We are entering a time when sermons can be generated by AI, worship music can be algorithmically produced, and chatbots can simulate pastoral counseling. The convenience may be tempting—but it comes at the cost of incarnational presence and spiritual authority.

Moreover, AI-driven ideologies may soon clash with biblical anthropology. We will have to contend with questions like: Can machines be spiritual? What happens when AI rewrites Scripture through a secular lens? Will the Church resist or accommodate? What about humanoids that seem to have consciousness? What about AI-enhanced humans with synthetic body parts or chips in the brain?

We cannot afford to be passive or naive. We must cultivate discernment and theological depth to shepherd God’s people through this technological wilderness.

We Must Shape the Future

The Church is called to shape the future, not merely to respond to it. These eight trends are not simply cultural observations—they are invitations to recalibrate our ecclesiology, missiology, and strategy for the days ahead. The world is changing. But Christ is still building His Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Joseph Mattera is an internationally known author, futurist, interpreter of culture and activist/theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence nations. To order one of his books or to subscribe to his weekly newsletter go to www.josephmattera.org.