Trends on church attendance

[NewCreation435]

The quote below is from an article that looks at startling facts when looking at church attendance in America. Are you surprised by these numbers?

"His findings reveal that the actual rate of church attendance from head counts is less than half of the 40 percent the pollsters report. Numbers from actual counts of people in Orthodox Christian churches (Catholic, mainline and evangelical) show that in 2004, 17.7 percent of the population attended a Christian church on any given weekend"

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/p...ose-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html

 

[Confessional Lutheran]

The quote below is from an article that looks at startling facts when looking at church attendance in America. Are you surprised by these numbers?

"His findings reveal that the actual rate of church attendance from head counts is less than half of the 40 percent the pollsters report. Numbers from actual counts of people in Orthodox Christian churches (Catholic, mainline and evangelical) show that in 2004, 17.7 percent of the population attended a Christian church on any given weekend"

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/p...ose-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html

I honestly can't really say I'm surprised at all by all this. With our cultural media and the emphasis on people doing their own thing, such a trend is to be expected.

 

[Josiah]

Yeah..... I think it is very troubling.....

Here in California, much of the church is a ghost town. In California, I doubt it's anywhere near 17.7%. Maybe half that. In Europe, if my sense is right, it's not even half that anymore.... maybe not a third that.

There are a FEW enormous "mega churches" that seem to counter everything (my brother goes to one of these) but these tend to be "theology lite" and tend to have a very high "turn over" (people don't stay active for long). The "real story" is all the many, many declining congregations. Hardest hit seem to be the neighborhood denominational ones (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran) - the more liberal branches hit hardest but usually all in decline. Catholic churches often do better but only because of the "Latinization" - the influx of massive numbers of immigrants from Latin America as these churches become more and more Hispanic and poor. Ethnic Pentecostal churches seem to be the exception; these often house churches seem to be springing up everywhere. Mormonism seems to be slowing increasing, too.

In just the past 20 years, I've witnessed a huge decline in attendance. What's behind this? Theories abound.... and I don't claim to know. My own former Catholic Church is roughly the same in attendance, but it's much more Hispanic and the school is really struggling to stay open. My new Lutheran parish is "flat" - not growing or declining - but at a very low number.




Lord, forgive us.
Lord, direct us!



.

 

[MennoSota]

So much of modern church is predicated on experience and self pleasure. We, the church, fell for marketing schemes and gimmicks to bring people to the church, but we fail to bring Christ to the community. We end up with unreconciled rebels coming to church and ultimately leaving just as unreconciled as the did when they entered.
Our worries about church numbers took our eyes off from glorifying God and teaching theology to our congregants. Few people can talk about the attributes of God and share where we find these attributes in Scripture. We must teach our congregants about God and pray He will graciously grow Christians to maturity.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I do not know what the situation is in all of Australia but in the archdiocese of Perth numbers are growing. I do know that Anglicanism is in decline, so is the Salvation Army, Baptists too, and the Church of Christ. The Presbyterian church that I used to attend has closed in my locale but they have opened in a shop-front in a neighbouring suburb. The local Free Reformed Church grew for a while and is stable now - they are dutch ethnic. The Reformed Church of Australia is also dutch ethnic but it is in decline. Seventh Day Adventists are also in decline. I am not so sure about Pentecostals, the nearest one to me declined from around 500 people in the early 1990s to 120 now. But Pentecostal people move around between congregations a lot - they chase "anointed preaching and teaching" and one group has grown "Riverside" which was a "Word of Faith" group but now it appears to be part of the "Australian Christian Church" which is the new name in Australia for Assemblies of God. My own interest in visiting Riverside is zero so I go on second hand information from a chap who visits because his wife dislikes Catholicism and to keep peace in the house he goes with her after attending early morning mass in my parish church - he's a good chap, I sponsored him in his conversion from "The Alliance Church" to the Catholic Church. I put the name in quotes because it is three words long and it is likely that some of you will not be familiar with the name of the denomination - though I am reliably informed it started in the USA.

 

[NewCreation435]

So much of modern church is predicated on experience and self pleasure. We, the church, fell for marketing schemes and gimmicks to bring people to the church, but we fail to bring Christ to the community. We end up with unreconciled rebels coming to church and ultimately leaving just as unreconciled as the did when they entered.
Our worries about church numbers took our eyes off from glorifying God and teaching theology to our congregants. Few people can talk about the attributes of God and share where we find these attributes in Scripture. We must teach our congregants about God and pray He will graciously grow Christians to maturity.

Yes, there are a lot of immature believers in the church.

 

[Josiah]

Yes, there are a lot of immature believers in the church.

I think you have a point.....

The decline - while shocking and disturbing - is at least in part simply because "church" is not "in". Throughout the "church years" lots went to church every Sunday because that's what people did, that was the culture, that was the expected and usual thing to do (and frankly, there wasn't much else to do on a Sunday morning, lol). Church was cultural and social as much as spiritual. With the changed milieu, that factor is largely eliminated, so those in church WANT to be there - probably for spiritual reasons. It may be the church hasn't declined as much as it seems.....


But even if so, we still have a very disturbing situation. Once, we had those folks in the pews - exposed weekly to the Word. We had those kids in Sunday School - learning about Jesus. His Word does not return to Him void. We have a whole generation in the USA now (mine) who knows NOTHING of Christianity. While being a SMALL, strong, institution (quantity rather than quantity) has some advantages, we are not to be satisfied with such or use such as an excuse. The Great Commission applies bigger than ever: Yes, Christianity started tiny - but it wasn't satisifed to stay that way; it didn't accept excuses or spin reality to evade it. We better reverse this trend.

 

[Josiah]

double post, sorry

 

[psalms 91]

This is something thatlays heavy on my heart. We have lost at least two generations really and a lot of churchs are in decline. I look around and know that if this isnt changed that in 20 years a lot of churchs will cease to exist. We not only need to get people saved, we also need to make discipes out of them and have many active involved soul winners within each congregation. It is time, past time, to call the church to action, to wake it up and use what God has given us to win souls

 

[Albion]

Part of the problem is that our whole society operates electronically nowadays. Ask any parent of a teenager. All organizations that have operated on the basis of regular get-togethers are facing declining memberships or at least declining attendance, whether that be fraternities like the Elks or charitable-volunteer organizations or the Girl Scouts. Churches are no exception unless they operate on threatening the members with a grave sin for not showing up or constantly teach that their people are a special group that's engaged in battling the rest of society. Since the typical mainline denomination doesn't operate that way, numbers are declining. That's not the whole reason. Very wishy-washy theology has taken a toll, to be sure, but most people recognize that as a factor while they don't think much about the consequences of societal change.

 

[MoreCoffee]

It is very difficult (impossible really) to receive holy communion over the internet.

 

[Albion]

Sure, but saying that doesn't really address the reasons for the decline in church attendance. For that matter, it isn't as though a decline in ASA (average Sunday attendance) means that churchmen and women are going to boycott their churches altogether and never receive Holy Communion. It's likely that we are headed towards a situation in which members still feel attached to the church of their choice, believe its main teachings, but only attend on the major feast days of the year. The oft-reviled practice of showing up only on Christmas and Easter (and maybe a few more) may soon become something that's taken for granted.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Saying "It is very difficult (impossible really) to receive holy communion over the internet." addresses why the decline can be influenced by video attendance in faith traditions that hold to a "real yet spiritual presence" and have communion only occasionally, perhaps once a month or once a quarter or annually. Such faith traditions do not need personal attendance at a meeting to receive holy communion.

 

[Albion]

But then again, YOU don't literally need to receive Holy Communion every seven days, either, nor did Christ say anything to that effect. Anyway, millions of Catholics understand this, and that's why the Catholic churches are experiencing attendance problems little different from the mainline Protestant ones. Arguably, these people would be benefitted by receiving Communion weekly, but even their own church doesn't require it (which one would think it would, if weekly reception were essential).

Incidentally, a similar argument on behalf of weekly attendance can be made for Christians who belong to those churches that don't offer Communion on a weekly basis. They do believe that hearing the word of God preached and explained is good and beneficial, so they arguably should be showing up each Sunday, just like the Catholic who values the Eucharist...yet all are becoming less likely to do so.

 

[psalms 91]

It is very difficult (impossible really) to receive holy communion over the internet.

I attend church regularly and take communion there as well but the fact is there is nothing buts mans tradition preventing you from taking it at home, you can bless the elements and partake if you have knowledge of the communion scripture and understand what youa re doing. Nothing prevents any of us from doing that, churchs do by insisting that oonly the pastor or priest can consecrate the elements when sccripture says we are all kings and priests, nowhere in scripture does it say that only so and so can do this

 

[MoreCoffee]

I attend church regularly and take communion there as well but the fact is there is nothing buts mans tradition preventing you from taking it at home, you can bless the elements and partake if you have knowledge of the communion scripture and understand what youa re doing. Nothing prevents any of us from doing that, churchs do by insisting that oonly the pastor or priest can consecrate the elements when sccripture says we are all kings and priests, nowhere in scripture does it say that only so and so can do this

Your post verifies what I thought was the case. There is no need to attend meetings when one's faith tradition has symbolic meaning for sacraments and nothing more.

 

[Albion]

Let's be fair. There is plenty in Scripture (that's the decider) that recommends regular church attendance, and for specified reasons. Therefore, almost any Christian of almost any tradition can make the same argument you are making when you refer to Holy Communion as a reason for regular attendance.

 

[NewCreation435]

I would like to request that we get back to the topic of the thread.

If you want to talk about communion please start another thread

 

[MoreCoffee]

There are some television-only "churches" in existence. Their members "attend" by watching the broadcast.

 

[Albion]

I would like to request that we get back to the topic of the thread.

If you want to talk about communion please start another thread

We're talking about the reasons why people are not attending church as much as previously. Communion reception was only one of a number of possible considerations to have been mentioned so far.