Nate Adams
Somehow 2025 seems a more consequential new year than usual. Maybe it’s because it feels like just yesterday that people were simultaneously hyping the year 2000 and dreading Y2K. Now, suddenly it seems, we’ve reached the quarter century mark. And a generation of young adults weren’t even born at the turn of the century—a phrase that used to mean a long, long time ago.
So how should we and our churches prepare for this milestone year of 2025? Does it give us reason for hope, for hesitancy, or for hunkering down?
When heading out on a journey or adventure and anticipating its joys or perils, we often speak of the wind. We might say there is an evil or ill wind blowing. Or we might express optimism by saying we feel a new wind in our sails. In aviation, in business or economics, and even in describing life itself, we often speak of headwinds and tailwinds.
So as our churches now face 2025, let me suggest two headwinds and one tailwind worth anticipating.
First, there is the headwind of a culture that is increasingly hostile toward the authority of Bible, and perhaps especially conservative Baptist faith. Especially in the arenas of the sanctity of life, sexual identity and morality, marriage and family, and even potential censorship from stating biblical beliefs, our churches can expect to be increasingly challenged.
It’s not just because the Baptist Faith and Message celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025, and 25 years since the last major update, that 2025 will be an important year to teach sound biblical doctrine in our churches. If you need help with resources for doing that, call our IBSA offices or e-mail me personally.
Second, there is the headwind of generational change, even within our churches. When IBSA surveys churches each year, the consistently expressed top needs are, “Help our church to grow” and “Help our church reach younger people.” Yet it is all too rare to find in today’s churches the intentional adjustments that demonstrate relevance to younger generations.
If this resonates with you or your church, I invite you to register for the Illinois Leadership Summit hosted at the IBSA offices January 21-22. The main session and breakout speakers for this conference will help church leaders understand the cultural and generational challenges they are now facing, and offer practical advice for becoming a “future-ready church.”
IBSA wants to help your church face into these headwinds. After all, aviators would tell us that headwinds can actually assist flight when you know how to respond to them. But let me remind you of an even more important tailwind.
A friend once told me of the difficult time he was having blowing his leaves together for composting on a windy day. After watching his frustrations out the kitchen window for a while, his loving wife came out and simply asked him, “Why don’t you work WITH the wind?” When my friend heeded her advice and made a few simple adjustments, he found he could corral the leaves in just a few minutes. His headwind became a tailwind. He later told me, “I guess that’s what it’s like to work WITH the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit provides not only the external power of God, but internal transformation that allows us to adjust and join God, both as we face the headwinds of the future, and as we experience his tailwind in the sails of our lives. Let’s face 2025 with that power, and with the faith, hope, and obedience that can make this the special year that I believe God wants it to be in the lives of our churches.
Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Respond at IllinoisBaptist@IBSA.org.