Church Attendance Has Taken a Huge Hit (Across the Board)

[choir loft]

On 6/17/2022 at 3:38 PM, TheBlade said:

We know we are not to forsake the gathering of us together. We know when we are gathered in His name He is there. Good luck with that at home alone. So be it Church which they say are over 30 million in the world. So we don't know some most or all of what is really happening with in those doors. What Christ/God does it always grows. Seems man (in general) has found more reasons that are not written to not go. What if we tossed all this out and then prayed asked Him to lead us to where He would us to go? Not telling Him all the reasons why we should not go. Maybe your the light needed in that Church? A simple smile at the story when you are having a awful day yet that casher knew you were a Christian and wanted what you had. Then because of that simple smile that casher got saved that weekend. See God closed all the other doors yet opened that one to that store. And you were feeling having a awful day. 

To many times we get in His way. We want to go where we know is best...that never works. See through His eyes. I don't care what it looks like.. I know WHO my Father is and what He can do. 

Congratulations on your testimony of belief in the Father.   Far too many do not share your opinion.

A recent news story from CNN suggested church attendance had declined to about half of what it was in the late 1940's.  I don't know where they got their statistic because recent polls by Gallup and PEW state attendance in Protestant churches has declined to 16%.  Overall attendance for all denominations considered to be 'Christian' (including RCC, Orthodox, LDS, etc.) are at the 43% level.

It's a demonstration of convoluted thinking on the part of church types that many of them insist the church is growing despite the evidence of raw numbers.  They insist there's nothing wrong with the gospel when professional theologians and leaders have been warning of its irrelevance since the late twentieth century.  They insist it's growing despite the almost complete secularization of Europe, the traditional seat of Christianity.   Even the Pope has admitted to this, yet blind deaf and dumb American Protestants seem to be unable to reason it out.

On one hand, many Protestant Christians claim (with great enthusiasm) the End Times are upon us - EVEN AS - evidence of the Great Apostacy, predicted for the End Times, is denied.

Which is it?   Fact or denial?

And no one in the position of Protestant leadership has dared to ask WHY the gospel has become irrelevant.

Somebody dropped the ball, so to speak, and nobody wants to even admit the game is over.

that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

[teddyv]

5 hours ago, choir loft said:

Congratulations on your testimony of belief in the Father.   Far too many do not share your opinion.

A recent news story from CNN suggested church attendance had declined to about half of what it was in the late 1940's.  I don't know where they got their statistic because recent polls by Gallup and PEW state attendance in Protestant churches has declined to 16%.  Overall attendance for all denominations considered to be 'Christian' (including RCC, Orthodox, LDS, etc.) are at the 43% level.

It's a demonstration of convoluted thinking on the part of church types that many of them insist the church is growing despite the evidence of raw numbers.  They insist there's nothing wrong with the gospel when professional theologians and leaders have been warning of its irrelevance since the late twentieth century.  They insist it's growing despite the almost complete secularization of Europe, the traditional seat of Christianity.   Even the Pope has admitted to this, yet blind deaf and dumb American Protestants seem to be unable to reason it out.

On one hand, many Protestant Christians claim (with great enthusiasm) the End Times are upon us - EVEN AS - evidence of the Great Apostacy, predicted for the End Times, is denied.

Which is it?   Fact or denial?

And no one in the position of Protestant leadership has dared to ask WHY the gospel has become irrelevant.

Somebody dropped the ball, so to speak, and nobody wants to even admit the game is over.

that's me, hollering from the choir loft...

Church attendance at the time of the American Revolution is estimated at something like 17%. It then grew substantially upward into the mid 1900's, and has been tailing off since then.

[tim_from_pa]

To the OP: I would not worry.  This separates the wheat from the chafe and true Christianity does not appeal to the carnal man.  That said, many of the churches are worldly and far too compliant to close their doors. After all, Jesus can't heal COVID.  And of course the same may have even had ministers who died from it.  I'll let it up to the readers as to why.  But I would take a second look at churches that wanted to stay open despite the governments dragging them off to jail, even government action as asinine as a "drive-in" churches where people were separated in their own cars were not allowed.  Obviously there is more going on here.

But long before all this, say many years, I could sense this building up.  I said a long time ago due to the intolerance, hatred and close-mindedness of those against anything religious that we were ripe for NT style home churches.  People would have to gather and fellowship more in private groups of say 10 or so.  And as I jested, if the nosy local officials say that such a home gathering is a "fire hazard" or "zoning issue" just to circumvent the obvious denial of freedom of religion, then just tell them it's a sports or Superbowl party since that religion is never questioned and they would not dare step on such a sacred cow.

People are not there in church because they do not want to be there.  I just had a 100+ celebration as my youngest son was just married and nobody cares.  Nobody wears masks and they are tired of hearing about it, be it liberal or conservative states they are sick of it all.  And it's going down with most cases just reduced to a bad cold or flu we've always lived with.  So Christians can do the same if they really want.  There's no Whitmer or Trudeau type actors around enforcing this any longer to stay out of church. 

[Alive]

Where two or more are gathered in my Name, I am in their midst.

I believe there are a great deal of informal gatherings and home churches.

I did home church for many years and even in a small area there were others…we met some of them.

[Starise]

Finding a group that small could be a task. They likely want to remain small so they don't openly advertise.

How do people find a group of 20 people meeting in a home who don't advertise?

[debrakay]

I personally love it when the Lord leads and we follow.  Saying that, here I am finding this thread today right after I have done a study of the Book of Revelation which led to a study of the Seven Churches.  Here is what I found about the Seven Churches which I organized as best I could. If you cannot open the PDF to read it let me know and I will try another way.

Anyway, I want to make sure I am in the Church of Smyrna and not at all affiliated with the Church of Laodicea!  The meanings of the names of the churches I looked up in the Strong's Concordance and pulled together the derivatives.  

Also in doing this study I found the following. Current statistics show that roughly 30% of the world's population say they are Christians.  There are almost 8 billion people in the world. This equates to roughly 2.4 billion.  Just for clarification 1.2 billion of those are Roman Catholic Christians.  Christian statistics say that only 10% of those who say they are Christian actually follow the teachings of Jesus.  This figure then would be 240 million people in the world who are born again spirit filled followers of Jesus Christ.

Could this explain why the churches are pretty empty and have little impact in the world today?

 

The Seven Churches.pdf

[Marathoner]

2 hours ago, Starise said:

Finding a group that small could be a task. They likely want to remain small so they don't openly advertise.

How do people find a group of 20 people meeting in a home who don't advertise?

The Lord will lead you to them. I have found fellowship with the Body of Christ in the most unsuspecting places.

I wasn't looking, because I was occupied with doing that which the Lord set before me to do. I have been in places which seemed barren and devoid of life, places that brothers and sisters avoid at all costs; and then it pleases Christ to send a brother (or more than one) my way. There have been times when He sent me to them. 

That's how it's been since the beginning, my friend. When the Lord called me out of the blue one day, His Spirit brought me to a fellowship of 200 brothers and sisters in the countryside of Tennessee. There weren't any signs... no parking lots... no listing in the phone book... only His voice to guide my way. They met in a big old farmhouse on the land of one of the elders, but they spent just as much time visiting each other in their homes. Doors were always open. 

I came to them when everyone was packed into that farmhouse. They were expecting me. 

There's always a brother or sister whom the Lord plants in my life wherever I go, and they minister to me for a season. Sometimes, like right now, more than one. One encourages me, faithfully repeating what the Lord Himself has already given (I can be a bit thick-headed ); another is the brother or sister I never had growing up, and they fill my heart with joy; and then He sends me a counselor, a brother whom His Spirit equips to help me carry burdens. 

The Lord provides. He's so good to us.  

Edited June 23, 2022 by Marathoner
typo

[Starise]

I remember you saying you were reading some author on Revelation @debrakay. I believe there are churches that mirror those churches now.

 

Maybe different parts of the US are not the same so far as church attendance. Our church is burgeoning at the seams. 

When you get into a larger churches it's more like smaller groups in a larger assembly. I won't ever get to know all of those people so we fellowship with groups within that group.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Starise

[debrakay]

@Starise Our church is filled with new believers so some of the churches are teaching and doing what the Lord said to do.  Save the lost and make disciples!! There are also small groups in the homes of many.  We are just a small town with our church of about 100.  Throughout the 35 years we have been with the church many have come and gone but we remain at about 75 to 100 each Sunday now that covid is not such a huge issue in the lives of people.  Most of the new believers are under the age of 40 and many under the age of 30.  It's beautiful as they find the Lord and then seek the Holy Spirit.

[Starise]

That's great @debrakay

It can be difficult to let go of the strings when the next generation comes along. Our pastor is in his 40's and he really seems to be a good fit for those younger families being a family man himself with a decent sized family, I think he relates well to them.

I am slowly turning into my grandparents and there isn't a thing I can do about it. As an older person in a younger church it can sometimes feel odd unless I am hooked up with those my age, not that I don't have some fellowship with all ages, but you know what I mean.