The economy, negative thinking, age 25 then and now - the July 411
I call it the 4-1-1 this month because I have 4 story links, 1 quote, and 1 free resource.
700 words - 2 1/2 minutes
Story Link 1 – The economy – not bad
From Axios – “Americans are not happy with the economy. Which is weird, given that it is doing just fine.”
That says it all. The story link here – shows that individuals feel good about their personal position, but feel the nation is terrible. 73% say – “my finances are fine”, but only 18% say the same for the economy.
Takeaway for church leaders – Yes, prices for some goods are up, but most folks are doing well in your church. Continue to move forward.
Long-time readers will know this is part of the continuing K-shape phenomenon I harp on.
Additionally – “ Driving the news: Nonprofit think tank The Conference Board yesterday said its consumer confidence index surged to 109.7 in June, up from 102.5 in May, to its highest level since January 2022.
The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index showed a similarly strong surge earlier in June.”
(from Axios Markets 6/28/2023 edition)
(I note that July’s report is up 20 points from the prior year as well)
My experience is that consumer confidence tends to be reflected in church giving.
Story Link 2 – Related – Your brain has tricked you into negative thinking.
From the NYT – (gift article)
Two quick thoughts.
First – we are biased to negative information. Second – “The negativity of negative information fades faster than the positivity of positive information.”
Read the article for how people feel about their friends vs. “the country” or “the world.”
It is very similar to Story Link 1 – my people are fine, but everything else is crap.
I see this sometimes in church leaders when they focus on the negatives, not the strengths.
As we used to say at Leadership Network – “Build on health and strength, not disease and dysfunction.”
Story Link 3 – Age 25 – Then and Now
This won’t surprise you – Young Adults hitting key milestones later in life – from Pew
I used to do an innovation briefing for large churches talking about how everything has changed since 1980. I picked 1980 because that was the era of many boomer churches launching to prominence.
But check the chart here from Axios charts:
Big differences on marriage and children, and that has to impact how we think about churches.
Also – note in that report – Women are in a much better position than 1980 in most factors.
When people tell me – “we seem to have a lot fewer young couples in our church than when we started attending here…” Well, there’s a reason for that.
How we reach into those single segments is a whole other discussion.
Story Link 4– How 50 Atheists Found Christ
I admit I haven’t bought the book yet to read, but I will. The article in the July/August Christianity Today – found here if you have a subscription – is very intriguing.
I will listen to the researcher’s podcasts interviews to get a more in-depth perspective.
From the article: “So what breached their walls of resistance? In general, people are not comfortable questioning their own views until something disrupts the status quo. And in these cases, there was some catalyst, some form of dissatisfaction that caused them to question their own atheism or begin looking more closely at Christianity.”
1 Quote
"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." - Oprah Winfrey
(H/T – Sahil Bloom)
Real friends are hard to find. Hang onto them.
1 FREE RESOURCE - FREE 20-minute teaching
The Most Missed Items in Pastor Succession
Thursday, August 10, Noon ET - Zoom Webinar
With over 50 churches served under contract and conversations and coaching with over 400 leaders and churches that have gone through pastor succession (or tried), I now have a coherent, holistic way to describe the entire process.
There are two items in the process that most churches miss, especially when trying to do it themselves.
I will share those in a FREE Zoom Webinar. It is a no-registration; click this link on that day and time and join in.
Join Zoom Meeting - https://generis.zoom.us/j/4657745222
Meeting ID: 465 774 5222
Add event to calendar
Apple Google Office 365 Outlook Outlook.com Yahoo
Even those that don’t hire me say: “Your presentation saved us thousands of dollars.”
It is worth the half hour if you are within five years of this at your church.
And when you get ready to talk through your own succession plan – reach out directly for a free, discreet conversation about how to get ready. Dave.Travis@generis.com.
Let us not grow weary,
Dave