Recently I viewed a very interesting webinar that intrigued my thoughts about 2026.
Carey Nieuwhof is a Canadian pastor and a leadership expert known for helping church leaders thrive in a rapidly changing world. Recently, he did a free webinar titled 5 Strategic Shifts to Boost Momentum at Your Church in 2026. I listened and watched the live webinar with my library interests on my mind. This webinar is currently available free along with a summary of the podcast and a free digital book when you click the title.
The authors include the following as results of these 5 shifts.
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Move from attracting to truly engaging people
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Embrace digital discipleship without losing personal connection
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Position your church to lead culture instead of chasing it
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Fuel growth through proven, Spirit-led strategies
Keep in mind his audience includes pastors, age group ministers, discipleship ministers. As librarians, we need to stay informed as to what our pastors and ministers are learning through conferences, webinars, and podcasts so that we can understand the changes taking place in our churches/parishes/synagogues.
I encourage you to watch the free webinar or read the webinar summary as our discussion starter with the following questions:
What are the implications for church/parish/synagogue libraries now and in 2026?
What do libraries have to offer our churches/parishes/synagogues in making these shifts in the contexts of our communities?
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Thanks for the notes below! I can read them in any order! You are such a blessing to us all!
Well, I just realized I listed my replies backwards. Sorry about that! I would delete and redo it but I am behind on processing new books for our collection!
So start at the end of this list of replies. THANKS!
And the fifth shift:
From "competing with culture" to "leading culture"
Perhaps we have the only ministry in our churches that bring this shift to life in helping churches go beyond just telling people about the needs of today's culture. Book clubs and reading groups give people the opportunity to share their experiences and stories during insightful discussions based on the books they are reading. Both fiction and non-fiction bring this one to life with the potential for spiritual transformation resulting in action and leadership.
What are other ways for library teams to inspire leadership in not only our church culture but also our community culture?
The fourth shift:
From "we hope people give" to "cultivating generous disciples"
This one makes me think about the books on our shelves that make disciples in our churches. These include fiction that include stories where the characters are generous in multiple ways. Great illustrations for helping disciples understand what Scripture teaches us about giving.
Do you have titles to recommend that do so?
The third shift:
From "church happens on Sunday" to "church happens beyond Sunday"
Weekday book clubs or reading groups are strategic ways for us to help our churches make this shift. Just having the library door open during the week for parents to use the library with their children can be a gift to families whether they are members of the church or not.
What are other types of library weekday opportunities?
Our library is not locked and many folk use it during the week when they have time as they as busy with church business on Sunday and Wednesday. We try to keep bandaids and antibiotic ointment on the desk and candy as well. I recently helped a friend of a member find a new read and she commented on how hard it is to find friends who are willing to stay with you when they find out how fervent you are for Jesus. Her name is Dawn. Please pray that she stays in the Word and stands fast in her faith.
Sending prayers for Dawn!
Our library is also open during the week. Basically, it's open any time the building is open. During the week, Monday- Thursday, it is open 8 am - 9pm and on Fridays from 8am-noon. It's also open on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We keep one computer on for Self-Checkout. Also, library patrons can search the catalog online using the Librista app. From there they renew their books and they can search and put things on reserve. (We use Attrium)
The second shift:
From "everyone is welcome" to "everyone is known"
This one is huge for all age groups. Have you read Thom Rainer's recent blog? Click: The Silent Exodus of Senior Adults.
How do we apply this shift with our library users as well as those we would love to include among our users.
We have started a large-print book section, and we promote audiobooks for this age group. We are getting a little trickle of interest. Most do not know there are options, and when their sight starts to go, books do too. I have even purchased CD players for a few to help them get started with their audio reading. It is a bit of a challenge on this end.
Another thing we tried this year was a study in which we asked for talks on historical women of the faith. Many were interested in books that would provide more information, and some asked where to find titles about women of the faith. I feel like this is a start to get them into the library.
Finally, we display books in the lobby so that some of the older people who might not come into the library when it is most busy can pause to look at them and even sign some out. An elderly gentleman told me he kept going by one book on the shelf in the lobby, and he decided it was calling his name. He said he wasn't much into reading, and it is slow going, but he chose to read it, and he is glad he did.
Our church has Prime Timers as a group of anyone over 55; it is great for keeping the seniors involved and even has some attendees that are not members. They meet once a month, I believe it is the 3rd Thursday. Not necessarily library related but good for the senior adults.
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