Listening to the Current Reality
Despite excellent missional initiatives, by 2030, there will be 4.8 billion people in the middle classes, most of whom will not have had the opportunity to hear the gospel and be discipled. This is partly because the Church is structure-oriented rather than people-oriented.
There are different definitions of the middle class. The general agreement is that the middle class consists of people who earn enough to live comfortably (although this depends on the context of the amount people earn). The middle classes are the main drivers of economic development. By 2030, middle-class households are expected to spend an estimated $62 trillion. Characteristics of this demographic include interest in spirituality, though many are from other religions, especially Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. This diagram from Ruby Payne’s book, ‘A Framework for Understanding Poverty’, indicates their values in comparison to other classes:
Due to their fluidity, the middle classes in developing countries are heterogeneous, multilayered, and ‘class-in-the-making’. Their worldviews differ from other classes and are rapidly changing—though tensions and continuity exist with old traditions, beliefs, and lifestyles. The middle class is profoundly impacted by Western, scientific, secular, “enlightenment” ideologies and worldviews. This has a far-reaching influence on political consciousness, religious beliefs, gender relationships, and other socio-cultural perspectives. Segments are primarily concerned with the matters of this world as they strive to bypass religion. It is a process that brings gradual changes in thinking and practices. Missional touch points, therefore, include the interests of the middle classes, such as technology and felt needs—especially for financial, spiritual, job, community, and other forms of security.
The middle classes always had a significant missional impact as missionaries (eg Paul, Christian business people, Christian professionals, and middle-class migrants) but also as mission supporters and givers. However, there is a danger of spreading middle-class cultural values and not biblical values.
The middle classes present churches with a missional opportunity that the following examples show:
- Diaspora middle classes and expat middle classes
- Initiative, eg Alpha Course
- Workplace, eg CBMC International
- Churches, eg Every Nation and Victory Churches
The middle classes live compartmentalised lives as they manage finances, family, jobs, daily chores, and faith. They can become very easily isolated. To reach the middle classes, churches must become more people-oriented and contextualise the gospel. A focus on relationship building can address the loneliness amongst the middle classes. This will allow middle-class Christians to transition from consumers to missional agents, living out God’s Word through love and service.
The church can significantly impact the middle classes by mobilising ordinary people to be missionaries within their communities and workplaces. A key aspect of this vision is the transformation of worldly values of success into Kingdom values, enabling Christians to prioritise God’s purpose over material gains. This could address the identity crisis in the middle classes and bridge the sacred/secular divide that makes it difficult to reach the middle classes.
Imagining a Preferred Reality
The preferred reality or vision is that by 2050, every middle-class person and community will have heard the gospel. Through the church and marketplace initiatives, they will be disciplined in a relational, contextualised, integral, whole-person, and transformational way. As a result, they will find their place in the Kingdom of God while living lifestyles and values that glorify God. These middle-class Christians will also influence and transform workplace and community environments.
This vision is reflected in the vision statements of various what might be seen as middle-class focused ministries, networks, and churches:
- Christian Stewardship Association Philippines—By 2030, we want to see 92,000 faithful stewards who are rich toward God so that the Philippine Church flourishes in every way.
- Nairobi Chapel—To see that each and every person that God brings through our doors has a life-changing encounter and begins to live a life of purpose
- Alpha—By 2033, we want to give everyone, everywhere, the opportunity to discover Jesus in a respectful, relevant, and rooted-in-community way.
- Global Leadership Network—One million people leading like Jesus globally to impact 100 million more.
- Hillsong—A healthy church changing lives through Christ.
- Generosity Path—the world healed through generosity.
- Compass—To see everyone, everywhere, faithfully living by God’s financial principles in every area of their lives.
Our vision outlines a powerful and inspiring future for middle classes that flourish in Christ—where they become influential agents of transformation. The core principles of such a vision include:
- Integral Discipleship: This emphasises a holistic approach to faith, encompassing all aspects of life, from personal relationships to societal engagement.
- Missionality: A focus on sharing the gospel and serving others within and outside the church.
- Stewardship: Responsible management of resources, recognising that they are gifts from God.
- Community: Living in intentional Christian communities that support and encourage one another.
To achieve this vision, the following have to be essential:
- Contextualised Evangelism: Tailoring the gospel message to the specific needs and cultures of the middle class.
- Leadership Development: Nurturing a network of middle-class leaders equipped to influence their communities.
- Inspiring and equipping Christian Professionals to be Witnesses in the Public Square: Christians in the middle classes and their professional counterparts have excellent skills, education, and communication capabilities and have access to secular middle-class groups. They are natural anchors to present the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and the unconditional love of God.
- Social Engagement: Actively participating in public policy issues and addressing societal challenges.
- Economic Stewardship: Promoting ethical business practices and using wealth for Kingdom purposes.
- Church Reimagining, Revitalization and Restructuring: Supporting churches focused on reaching the middle class and empowering them for mission.
- Balancing Work and Faith: Helping middle-class individuals integrate their faith into their professional lives.
- Navigating Cultural Shifts: Responding to changes in societal values and beliefs.
- Leveraging Technology: Utilizing digital tools to connect with the middle class and facilitate discipleship.
Creating a Way to Close the Gap
Individual leaders, churches, workplace associations, ministries, networks, and other stakeholders would have to work together in an ecosystem through local, national, and global action groups to understand, engage with, and discipling people and communities in the middle classes. The Philippine Generosity Ecosystem is an example of a middle-class-focused ecosystem to achieve specific objectives.
By understanding and collaborating in an ecosystem, churches and other stakeholders can reach the vision for the middle classes by 2050.
Collaborative activities and priorities to consider are:
- Build a network of middle-class leaders through leadership development, mentorship, and networking events and initiatives.
- Create a supportive ecosystem that includes a database of churches and resources that serve the middle classes; research to better understand the needs and challenges of the middle class in different contexts; partnerships between churches, businesses, Christian professional associations and workplace fellowships; developing training materials and programs on topics such as workplace evangelism, financial stewardship, and social justice; and marketing strategies and messaging to reach the middle classes.
- Support the church at large in addressing how the Christian life can be lived in the public square, drawing lessons from biblical narratives, history, and characters who lived and served God in similar political, social, and power structures.
- Mobilise the middle classes by cultivating a culture of gratitude, contentment, and rest in God.
- Educate and equip pastors to reach and discipling the middle classes.
- Allocate resources to support outreach efforts targeting the middle class.
- Organise prayer initiatives and prayer groups to seek God’s guidance and direction.
- Emphasise whole-life discipleship that integrates faith into all aspects of life, including work and relationships.
- Use tools and methods that resonate with the middle class, such as social media and online platforms.
- Encourage middle-class individuals to be involved in their communities, workplaces, and public life.
- Collaborate to develop community spaces, systems, and policies that promote the Kingdom of God amongst the middle classes.
- Equip and empower middle-class individuals to be missionaries in their workplaces.
- Help middle-class individuals develop a healthy perspective on wealth, possessions, and rest.
- Focus on discipling not only individuals but also families and future generations.
- Focus on Young Professionals as a strategic group in the middle classes.
By prioritising these collaborative activities, we can create a vibrant and effective movement to reach and disciple the middle classes.
Communicating a Prayerful Proposal
We can only reach the vision of reaching the middle classes if churches, workplace fellowships, and ministries work together. God asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isa 6:8)
Several key themes emerged in the discussions that highlight the potential of reaching the middle classes and involving them in discipleship and mission:
- The Middle Class is a strategic global mission field whose lifestyle, values, and experiences offer unique opportunities for engagement and discipleship.
- Churches, Christian professional associations, and workplace ministries can play a pivotal role in reaching the middle classes with the gospel. We will, therefore, develop workplace ministries within and outside of churches that can provide a practical platform for engagement and discipleship. We will also encourage the formation of Christian professional groups that can share the gospel in their industries, foster community, support, share experiences, and disciple new believers at their places of work.
- Gaining insights into the demographics of the middle classes is essential to close the gap. We will, therefore, encourage further research into the challenges faced by the middle class and provide opportunities to offer support and share the gospel.
- Help middle-class individuals respond to the rat race by finding rest and fulfilment beyond their careers.
- Disciple the middle class to equip them to become effective mission forces within their communities and workplaces. We will develop communities with a discipling vision.
- Explore tentmaking opportunities that enable individuals to integrate their faith into their professional lives.
- Encourage sharing insights, experiences, and best practices among churches and networks that can strengthen the collective impact.
- Foster honest and instrumental collaboration among different stakeholders to achieve the vision.
- Based on these themes, the following commitments were made:
- Create a comprehensive plan that outlines goals, target audiences, and strategies for reaching and discipling the middle class.
- Encourage the formation of professional and workplace Christian groups and support networks in collaboration with existing Christian professional fellowships and workplace ministries.
- Collaborating with theological institutions and Christian leadership initiatives provides training and resources to equip church leaders and professionals to engage the middle class effectively.
- Resources such as curriculum, workshops, and tools (including online tools) should be created to support discipleship and mission efforts among the middle classes in collaboration with middle-class-focused outreach initiatives.
- Learning from successful initiatives, plant reproducible churches amongst the middle classes.
By implementing these commitments, we can harness the potential of the middle class in discipleship and mission, contributing to a more vibrant and Kingdom-focused society. However, in embracing the middle classes as a mission field, there is a need for reimagining, revitalising, and restructuring the theological, ecclesiological, and practical aspects of the local and global Church and its missions to effectively engage with the middle class and their ongoing struggles, issues, and challenges.
The following action plan (based on the above commitments) to mobilise the middle class for discipleship and mission (focusing on workplace engagement and community-based initiatives) is proposed:
- Form a Collaborative Action Team focused on reaching and discipling the middle classes by 2050
- Analyse and map the current missional landscape.
- Identify existing successful initiatives targeting the middle class, including church programs, Christian professional associations, workplace fellowships, discipleship movements, church planting movements, and ministries.
- Form a middle-class outreach and discipleship think-tank.
- Develop a resources and information system for reaching the middle classes with the gospel and discipling them.
- Organise a consultation on reaching and discipling the middle classes, potentially hosted by Lausanne.
- Connect with other relevant Lausanne networks.
- Form Workplace Fellowship Groups.
- Establish Peer-to-Peer and Mentorship Groups.
- Equip Christians for ministry in the workplace.
- Mobilise local churches through vision casting and providing resources and support to equip churches for effective engagement in reaching the middle classes.
- Engage Gen Z by developing strategies that resonate with Gen Z’s values and interests.
- Disciple-makers could consider using opportunities such as cooking as an avenue for discipleship. Activities like these could build relationships, foster community, and integrate spiritual discussions into cooking activities.
- Open homes and open hearts to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for Bible studies and interaction at homes.
- Collecting and sharing testimonies.
- Collaborate with Christian professionals to create statements about God’s heart for their roles.
- Additional considerations include:
-Encourage pastors to engage with workplace Christians and identify their gifts.
-Develop resources and support for singles, widowed, and divorced individuals.
-Promote financial stewardship, encourage individuals to live within their means, and develop rest as a practice.
-Engage with professionals and business people in local contexts.
-Connect with other initiatives and stakeholders on a local and global level.
-Communicate the importance of the gap to networks and mobilise initiatives.
By implementing these steps, we can significantly contribute to reaching the middle class and equipping them for discipleship and mission.
The 31 leaders who committed themselves on 27 September to reach every person in the middle classes by 2050.
Authors
Rev. Dr. Sas Conradie
Sas is the Tearfund International Partnerships Manager and the Coordinator of the World Evangelical Alliance Global Generosity Network. A South African living in the UK, his career includes academic, missionary, and network leadership positions. A minister in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, he has a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of Pretoria. He can be reached at sas.conradie@tearfund.org and ggncoord@gmail.com
Rev. James Patole
Rev James Patole has a PhD in theology from the University of Mysore (SAIACS-Bangalore). He is an ordained Christian and Missionary Alliance minister and is currently engaged in discipleship ministry and spearheading the Christian Professionals Fellowship in Pune, India. He has authored two books, co-edited one, and contributed to various peer-reviewed articles in secular and Christian journals. He can be reached at jamespatole@gmail.com.