The United States faces the same problem, but with a different twist. In the United States a large number of traditional churches are closing each year, while at the same time new, less structured churches are springing up. Those who predict the demise of the church sometimes fail to notice the proliferation of storefront and house churches in our country. We can only assume that the people in these groups are seeking relationship rather than structure. Traditional churches must discover and retain relationship or stagnate and die.
Institutional churches find it difficult to thrive under oppression.
From 1949 to the present the house church phenomenon in China has grown tremendously. The more structured evangelical churches of Russia, however, saw comparatively little growth during a period of oppression almost twice as long. In many parts of the world the church must be prepared to go underground in order to survive and grow. Churches patterned after the Reformation model find it difficult to reproduce rapidly in economically developed countries . In most urban areas of the world, the church will have to find a strategy for growth that is not dependent either on buildings or the professional ministry.