Church attendance in decline

[RV_Wizard]

It is no secret that church attendance is declining in America.  Two decades ago, an average of 42% of U.S. adults attended religious services every week or nearly every week. That number is currently at 30%. This decline correlates to an increase in the percentage of Americans with no religious affiliation: 9% in 2000 versus 21% in 2023.  In a survey of young adults aged between 18 and 22 who had attended church regularly for at least a year during high school, seven out of 10 had stopped attending church regularly.  According to Pew research, in 1972 92% of Americans said they were Christian.  By 2070 that number will drop to below 50%.

There are a variety of reasons for this.  The most prominent is the secularization of America.  The government has taken over the role that used to belong to the church. Instead of the church providing for the poor, bringing meals to the ill, cleaning their house or providing a ride to the doctor, the government now provides these services. To a large extent, the church has lost its role in society. Couple this with the re-interpretation of the Constitution to eliminate God-based religious teaching of any kind in public schools in favor of the teaching of scientific theories as immutable facts, and you have children raised to believe that everything the Bible teaches is wrong.  It’s no wonder they refuse to attend church services.

As people move further away from the church and the teaching of the Bible, teaching the word of God is increasingly called hate speech and intolerance.  However, nowhere in the Bible does it say that God tolerates sin.  God doesn’t tolerate homosexuality.  God doesn’t tolerate adultery.  God doesn’t tolerate lying, stealing, or idolatry.  God doesn’t tolerate taking His name in vain or disrespecting the Sabbath.  These things are all sin.  Sinners are invited to come to get support in overcoming their sin, but a church which openly supports sin is not accurately teaching God’s word.  It is not the mission of the church to make people feel good about going to Hell, but to show them how to go to Heaven.  Still, it is not the words of the pastor that makes sinners uncomfortable in church, but rather the Holy Spirit convicting them of their sin.

A good, Bible believing church is an anchor in a stormy world.  What is more needed than a community marked by sincere love, sharing what they have from each according to their ability, assisting those in need, generously serving neighbors, and living lives of quiet virtue and prayer? A healthy church can be a safety net in the harsh American economy by offering its members material assistance in times of need: meals after a baby is born, money for rent after a layoff. Perhaps more important, it reminds people that their identity is not in their job or how much money they make; they are children of God, loved and protected and infinitely valuable.

A vibrant, life-giving church requires more, not less, time and energy from its members.  Sunday morning attendance is important, but also Sunday night, Wednesday night and any other night your church has services.  If God is a priority in your life, then supporting God’s house should be a priority as well.  Maybe you are already saved and you find repeated altar calls redundant, but there others who have not been saved, and maybe others that, for them, it’s the last opportunity before they die.  Regardless, Christ said that where three or more are gathered in His name, there he is in the midst of them.  Who among us would refuse to attend a service if they KNEW Jesus was going to be there?

We know from the Scriptures that there will be a great falling away from God before the return of Christ.  That doesn’t have to happen to you, or to your friends and family.  While others may be turning away from God, God will never turn away from you.
 

[D. Adrien]

Two things:

* The feminization of many churches, where many men just do not have a sense of being welcomed and perhaps it plays into a large number of young men seeking fellowship in the Orthodox Church.

* The never exiting the shallow teachings of the many churches. Never delving into the meat of Christianity, just keeping it shallow and mellow.

[AnOrangeCat]

7 hours ago, RV_Wizard said:

There are a variety of reasons for this.  The most prominent is the secularization of America.  The government has taken over the role that used to belong to the church. Instead of the church providing for the poor, bringing meals to the ill, cleaning their house or providing a ride to the doctor, the government now provides these services. To a large extent, the church has lost its role in society. Couple this with the re-interpretation of the Constitution to eliminate God-based religious teaching of any kind in public schools in favor of the teaching of scientific theories as immutable facts, and you have children raised to believe that everything the Bible teaches is wrong.  It’s no wonder they refuse to attend church services.

Agreed, but something that I think doesn't get the attention it deserves is that our society has experienced some remarkably profound changes due to our tech. One of the results of that is that we have an exceptionally wide generation gap. It really makes for a different sort of culture. With access to phones and internet hitting at very early ages people are getting wired for instant gratification. A post like your own might well be responded to with tl;dr (too long; didn't read) by young people today. It's chemical as much as it is cultural. The steady stream of likes and communications triggers brain chemistry and can qualify as a low grade addition.

24 minutes ago, D. Adrien said:

* The feminization of many churches, where many men just do not have a sense of being welcomed and perhaps it plays into a large number of young men seeking fellowship in the Orthodox Church.

* The never exiting the shallow teachings of the many churches. Never delving into the meat of Christianity, just keeping it shallow and mellow.

I didn't know people were turning to the Orthodox Church. That's an interesting point. Speaking for myself both of your observations ring true for me, though it wasn't a feminization thing so much as just not feeling a sense of belonging or fitting in outside of the youth group. The fellowship at the churches I attended often felt a bit superficial. A few minutes of going around shaking hands every Sunday feels pretty empty when you're walking miles to church with a bad back and no one thinks to even offer a ride. Similarly I felt that I got more out of my church's youth group and Sunday school than the normal sermons because of the format. There were questions, discussions, and interactions. It felt consistently engaging, productive, and educational.

[D. Adrien]

1 hour ago, AnOrangeCat said:

Agreed, but something that I think doesn't get the attention it deserves is that our society has experienced some remarkably profound changes due to our tech. One of the results of that is that we have an exceptionally wide generation gap. It really makes for a different sort of culture. With access to phones and internet hitting at very early ages people are getting wired for instant gratification. A post like your own might well be responded to with tl;dr (too long; didn't read) by young people today. It's chemical as much as it is cultural. The steady stream of likes and communications triggers brain chemistry and can qualify as a low grade addition.

I didn't know people were turning to the Orthodox Church. That's an interesting point. Speaking for myself both of your observations ring true for me, though it wasn't a feminization thing so much as just not feeling a sense of belonging or fitting in outside of the youth group. The fellowship at the churches I attended often felt a bit superficial. A few minutes of going around shaking hands every Sunday feels pretty empty when you're walking miles to church with a bad back and no one thinks to even offer a ride. Similarly I felt that I got more out of my church's youth group and Sunday school than the normal sermons because of the format. There were questions, discussions, and interactions. It felt consistently engaging, productive, and educational.

Yeah, if you look around there are a number of Orthodox priests discussing the why of a large influx of seekers pursuing membership within the Church and a rather sizable segment being young men. The priests do not make the claim of feminization of Protestant Churches, others are making that claim.

Concerning the stale application in the preaching or programming of the Church services, This is my opinion and it's formed from how I perceive the same typical subjects being discussed or preached year after year without any variance which leads me to being dull of hearing if I don't challenge myself. In all fairness though, my attendance has only been through video media or print for a number of decades.

 

[Who me]

12 hours ago, RV_Wizard said:

The most prominent is the secularization of America

A prominent  reason but not the most. A far more prominent  reason is the failure of Christian churches to teach and train believers in what they believe, how to defend that belief, to explain rationally there belief.

Surveys  of students has shown that there not been  given answers to the questions they find or are challenged  by leave them with the belief that the bible is untrue, and Christianity is irrelevant  to modern life.

 

A test of this. When did your churchhear a sermon about biblical principles affecting  life today, or when was the last apologetic  men's meeting?

Another take see:-https://answersingenesis.org/church/going-going-gone/

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, Who me said:

A test of this. When did your churchhear a sermon about biblical principles affecting  life today, or when was the last apologetic  men's meeting?

 

Hmm, Actually every  church body I have ever been led to  by the Holy Spirit over some 45 years now  does these things, all these things. Doesn't matter the denomination, or lack thereof.

The teaching  at each being expository in nature, shared word by word, verse by verse, through the Bible along with historic precedence shared, and application for today applied, by teaching and by doing  within the local body.

The local body being called together, and indwelled both individually and corporately, by God the Holy Spirit do get about the work  of the body of Christ Jesus, sharing not just the word but the life, by aiding and comforting each other through all that is life  in this fallen creation, as the word is shared and embraced in the hope certain which  is our Lord and savior Yeshua. 

The evidence of the body is not the attendance figures, such figures are really an ear tickling  process anyway, the evidence is in the awareness the Holy Spirit awakens in each  person to be about as our Lord put it "His father's business. That may be  two or three or tens of thousands, the key (Awareness) being the individual indwelling by the Holy Spirit and the heeding individually  of the Holy Spirit's call both general and specific.

 

[Dennis1209]

Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

The above verse suggests a drastic falling away, thus, a dramatic decline in Christians and church attendance.

I propose church attendance and apostasy are other signs of the season we are now living in. Most prophecies do not happen overnight; those who are alert and watching see the trends leading up to fulfillment.

I selected a view that I agree with:

will He really find faith. This suggests that when He returns, the true faith will be comparatively rare—as in the days of Noah (17:26), when only 8 souls were saved. The period before His return will be marked by persecution, apostasy, and unbelief (Matt. 24:9–13, 24).^[1]

In recent historical terms, I see this coming about comparatively as birth pains.

 

---

^[1] MacArthur, John, Jr., editor. The MacArthur Study Bible. Electronic ed., Word Pub., 1997, p. 1551.

[RV_Wizard]

The United Methodist Church recently voted overwhelmingly to welcome practicing homosexuals not only into the churches, but to the pulpit.  While church is the proper place for sinners to go and gain the strength to repent from their sin, the pulpit is absolutely NOT the place for sinners to go and lead others.  Moreover, how does ANY church turn a blind eye to sin and pretend to teach the word of God?  The homosexual agenda is being forced into our society at all levels.  Our surgeon general can't even define what a woman is.  Political leaders are claiming there are multiple genders.  Schools teach that you can be anything you want to be; including a cat.

False doctrine is everywhere; even here in this forum.  The Bible, Genesis in particular, has been marginalized and called a record of myths by professing Christians.  Even though the Bible is available in so many forms even the illiterate can listen to it and learn from it, only 59% of Americans now read it at all.  How can we, as Christians, resist false doctrine if we don't know the truth?

[AnOrangeCat]

44 minutes ago, RV_Wizard said:

The United Methodist Church recently voted overwhelmingly to welcome practicing homosexuals not only into the churches, but to the pulpit.  While church is the proper place for sinners to go and gain the strength to repent from their sin, the pulpit is absolutely NOT the place for sinners to go and lead others.  Moreover, how does ANY church turn a blind eye to sin and pretend to teach the word of God?

I suspect part of this is because at least here in America and parts of Europe Christianity became a cultural and political force. A lot of people claimed Christianity to fit in, be perceived as good people, and appeal to voters. In II Timothy 3:5 Paul mentions people "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof". That seems to describe the situation perfectly. Without the personal relationship with God you're just left with a social club and a set of rules, and when the aim is mass appeal rather than pleasing God those rules will inevitably be broken in the name of appeal.

[luigi]

The reason why a lot of people (especially younger people) are leaving numerous religious denominations, is the hypocrisy they find in them, where a way of living is preached, but another is lived.