Just read this from the Christian Chronicle, “An international newspaper for Churches of Christ.”
According to their numbers, there are over 100,000 fewer “men, women and children in the pews of Churches of Christ in the U.S.” than there were just 9 years ago.
Tough stuff.
As a Preaching Minister for A Cappella Churches of Christ, it is even tougher, especially after reading through the comments to the Christian Chronicle piece and after sifting through yet another “church growth study,” not to feel guilty, depressed, responsible … something.
Bottom line seems to be: the church needs to do more, be more, do better, be better. And people in roles of leadership feel that immense responsibility very acutely even though the things that need to be done are not all that clear. There are as many solutions as there are those who would be solvers.
But, you know another bottom line? Our culture simply is not interested in traditional Christianity anymore. Been there, done that, tired of it. Grew up with it, memorized it, grew disillusioned with it, and now I hate it. (And, by the way, so does Jesus! Click here to see more).
One response is: that’s right, the Church is ridiculously out of touch with the culture. Therefore, the Church needs to change and give the culture what it wants.
Are we sure that is the right answer? Personally, I’m not so sure.
I agree, much would be better if we changed some things about the way we do Christianity. But, I run into very few people with the wisdom and insight to discern the difference between changing the form and changing the content.
There are some out there. I’m not saying there are not. All I am saying is that right now we need more of them to step forward and lead the way.
Unfortunately, as the situation becomes more and more chronic, fewer and fewer people are willing to step forward to lead us through the difficulty. In fact, some of our best and brightest are stepping down from positions of leadership, which only compounds the problem.
February 10, 2012 at 9:00 am
I have been repeatedly accused of “oversimplification” but the solution to decline seems rather simple in concept although difficult in execution.
The solutions is to restore the mission and purpose of the church and, hence, that of the individual disciple. The mission and purpose of the church is seen in the teachings and example of Jesus and the apostles. The difficult part is to jettison those parts of our “religious” practice that have little or nothing to do with fulfilling our mission. As long as we remain assembly-oriented and building-bound we will continue to decline. When we finally decide to follow Jesus and His apostles into the streets and marketplaces we will again see the kingdom flourish and grow. Visible growth requires visible Christianity.
When people truly see Jesus in our actions and attitudes, what is there to hate? As you know, there is much more to say but this is a comment, not a sermon.
February 10, 2012 at 9:02 am
I should do better proofreading…”solutions” should read “solution.”
February 10, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Carl H. Royster compiles the book, Churches of Christ in the United States. This is a national directory for a cappella Churches of Christ. His data formed the basis for the blog piece in the Christian Chronicle.
He made a comment on the Chronicle page that I think bears repeating. Here it is:
I am encouraged by the conversations that I am seeing. Part of the purpose of Churches of Christ in the United States is to provide information for discussions and ideas on such things as reaching the lost in the world.
For the sake of better understanding, I feel I should point out that the Churches of Christ are not the only ones experiencing stagnant or declining numbers. This is an issue that many religious bodies in America are dealing with. It was mentioned [in a prior comment on the Christian Chronicle page] that the Christian Church/Churches of Christ were experiencing “phenomenal growth.” However, this is not exactly accurate. According to data collected for the Religious Congregations and Membership Study (RCMS) for 2000 and 2010, they actually saw a decline in the number of congregations and a numerical growth rate of less than 1%. In the same studies, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) gained almost 300 congregations, but their adherents declined by almost 23%.
One aspect that should truly be of concern for all Christians in America is the growth in the numbers of those that have no religious affiliation whatsoever. According to a survey conducted in 2007 by The Pew Forum, over 16% reported as having no religious affiliation. What is worse, for the Mosaic generation (ages 18-29), this figure was one in four. If we compare the percentages of the population for the various religious bodies in America, we find that the unaffiliated (if we may call that a religious body) are second only to Catholics (which are about 23%).
This increasing number of “unchurched” really concerns me. I pray the Lord God Almighty will give us more wisdom, guidance, and strength to reach these lost souls for Him and His glory.