While we have always enjoyed religious freedoms in this country, the current trend in society is to have the freedom to practice nothing. Each year, more churches open than close, but many denominations shrink with the passing of each New Year. The statistics don’t add up. While the number of churches grow, the amount of believers in society are shrinking.
For what may be the first time in centuries, Protestants no
longer make up the majority of Americans. Those claiming to be Protestants have slid
to 48% in the United States, down from 52% in 2007. 22% of Americans claim
Roman Catholicism, just edging out the "nones," a category that has
been surging in recent years. 20% of Americans, primarily the under-30 set,
claim no religious affiliation. The study pointed out that "none"
needn't necessarily mean "atheist" as much as it implies a
dissatisfaction with mainline denominations. Either way, it's a major
religious, cultural and even political shift in a country for which religious
freedom is a benchmark ...
With the “nones” closing the gap on the United States population, churches face a real dilemma on reversing the trend. Opening new churches hasn’t made an impact, and actually parallels the decline in believers. Many of these churches are surviving on transplant growth. As the church, we need to stop fishing from each others ponds, and go out and catch some fresh fish. If we don’t, pretty soon there will be “none”.
-NCNSM Staff
Great article. This really is the challenge. To reach the lost, not just transfer them to a new church or youth group.
ReplyDelete