In a constantly changing world, economic and geo-political changes are an often-overlooked dynamic that can affect churches in terms of the ebb and flow of participants and the development of programming to meet new dynamics.
One needs to just remember the 25% increase in church and synagogue attendance after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Yet, that surge eventually dropped and participation in worship returned to the previous norm.
For the approximate 2,000 International Congregations (ICs) which serve English-speaking expatriates around the globe, worldwide politics, economics and social movements have historically affected their outreach and membership.