Step 3: Activate

You’ve gained an understanding of what it means to be future-focused and discovered how other church leaders practice this. Now it’s time for you to chart next steps and prioritize this dimension in your own church.

In the first session, David Kinnaman introduced the future-focused dimension as defined by Barna Group’s research: This dimension assesses a church’s clarity of vision and the priority placed on the next generation.

In the second session, Sharon and Ike Miller—lead pastors of Bright City Church in Durham, NC—shared what being future-focused looks like in their congregation. The Millers explained how cultural awareness, spiritual discernment, and courageous leadership have helped their church pursue a clear, intentional vision—while actively investing in younger leaders and building the church they hope to become.