In times past families would sit around the fireplace and hear stories from grandmother and grandfather, or huddle around the radio arm in arm, listening and laughing together. Today’s generation is the first in  history to be raised by the media.  The average home in America has three TV’s and the average person watches more then fifty hours of Television per week. This has affected society in four major ways:

1.  A raised expectation of quality - Virtually everyone today has been exposed to the best quality music, preaching , teaching and entertainment available.  Churches must raise the value of excellence, or lose many potential members.

2.  Shorted attention span - Television programmers insert advertisements about every eight minutes, which has shortened the attention span of most Americans. A 30-40 minute sermon must be sprinkled with illustrations, humor , or stories to  hold attention.

3.  Increased competition for time – Since the average person spends more time watching television then they do at work, many Americans find themselves with less time now tan their forefather did.  If Sunday worship is not significantly meaningful , Americans simply opt to do something else with their time.

4.  Because Television is truly vicarious living , an increasing number of Americans are feeling the effects of isolation. In the future, churches that offer ways for people to develop rick, meaningful relationships will thrive.

Pastor Kirt Eure - A Paradigm Shift From Family To Media – Part 3

Check Out Other Articles On A paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shifts What Are They? Part 1

A Shift From Religious Values To Secularism -  Part 2