4 Ways Trendy Church Culture Is Making You Spiritually Weak
July 8, 2026
During the past several decades of serving in pastoral ministry, I have observed a variety of trends in church ministry come and go. Admittedly, it can be easy for a local church to become stubbornly set in its ways, never adapting its approach to ministry and never stepping out of its comfort zone. That is certainly an issue I have observed in multiple church contexts, but at present, there's a concern that I think is possibly even more prevalent.
At present, I'm observing a pattern among some pastors and churches of "chasing trends." Instead of remaining focused on key areas like worship, prayer, the study of God's word, discipleship, and evangelism, I see a greater focus on gimmicks, entertainment, production, and cultural relevance at the expense of truth. The end result, in some contexts, appears to be people who call themselves Christians but can't articulate the gospel, can't speak intelligently about Scripture, and aren't demonstrating the fruit of Spirit-empowered godliness in their lifestyle choices.
This isn't a new phenomenon. It's an issue that those who call themselves God's people have wrestled with throughout history. It's an issue that I believe spiritual leaders should be particularly attuned to because spiritually shallow leaders contribute to and often influence the shallowness of faith among those they lead.
The fourth chapter of the book of Hosea addresses these issues as they cropped up in the lives of the people of Israel living during Hosea's day.
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