The Church of the future will move from recruiting volunteers to releasing trusted rulers.  Volunteers help the Church - trusted rulers shape the city.  Every believer is a trusted ruler, called by God to lead the earth into life.  This is the original mandate that has never been rescinded.  Trusted rulers are those with God given capacity and responsibility for influencing the city towards its God-given destiny.  As trusted rulers we recognise that God wants more for us than simply fulfilling a function in Church.  We have a role to play in cultural and city formation as we live our ordinary everyday lives.  Sadly, many people leave churches because they didn’t get a role.  They fail to recognise that God has called them to shape culture, whilst fighting over what they can control in Church.  As trusted rulers we begin to break free from the mindset that the greatest use of my life is connected to church.  Trusted rulers focus on the earth, not just the Church. 

  In the future expect to see the emergence of trusted rulers led through honour and marked by favour.  Prayerfully pastoral leaders will stop trying to get people to 'buy into their vision' and begin releasing people to run with the vision God has given them.   In the future expect to see less volunteer involvement in projects dreamed up by staff and more involvement of paid staff in everyday activity of believers who are changing the community one life at a time.  In this way the Church will move forward.  Everyone.  Everyday.  Everywhere.  Leading the city into faith, hope and love in a thousand different small ways.  Expect to see believers increasingly operating with the understanding that it is inconceivable things could stay the same when they enter the room.

  In the future expect to see and be part of an eruption of heaven’s dream into our broken lives and our broken cities.  Watch as what God incubates in the hearts of trusted rulers resonates with the dreams and needs of the city.  As a result, the Church will no longer be run as a business, yet paradoxically expect to see the Church more involved in building local business.  Likewise in media and other areas of society.  Expect to see ordination of film-makers and poets, lawyers and teachers.  Expect to see people specifically anointed not only to teach in Church but to teach in schools.  Expect prayers to be offered not simply for the young person heading to bible college but for the young person heading to university to study journalism.  Expect increased recognition that there is more power in the pews than there is on the platform.  In the future the Church will be led by leaders who focus on training and releasing trusted rulers.