Thom Schultz, co-author of Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore and the director of the film When God Left the Building, recently shared his list of four reasons why fewer and fewer people are singing during worship services: worship is crafted as a spectator event, quality is emphasized, professional music is incredibly loud, and musical selections are unfamiliar, hard to sing, or just cheesy. So What? Schultz concludes his article with a confession: he has stopped Read More …
Trends
Who REALLY Attends Church? (#1429)
Over the last 10 days I have seen at least a few dozen different articles or blog posts talking about the gap between who says they attend church and who actually attends. The sudden focus on the topic is a result of a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, which was release on May 17. More specifically, the latest inquiry finds that people are more honest about the topic when asked in an anonymous online survey than when asked by phone. Interestingly, three Read More …
Going Trash Free (#1426)
Justin Vrany has operated his restaurant - Sandwich Me In (Chicago, IL) - for the last two years without creating any trash. More specifically while the average restaurant produces 8 gallons of waste an hour, he produced that amount over two years but then watched it disappear when an artist fashioned it into a sculpture. So What? Every congregation I have ever served has encouraged members to live more green lifestyles. Ideally, congregations not only educate about Read More …
Southern Baptist Decline (#1425)
Southern Baptists, the largest Protestant tradition in the United States, are in decline. They have lost nearly 1 million members over the last decade yielding a membership of just under 16 million. Conversion has always been an essential reason for growth in this Evangelical denomination. Since peaking in 1999, the number of baptisms conducted each year has declined by 25%. So What? Emma Green, associate editor for The Atlantic and author of the article I linked to Read More …
Google Glass Goes to Church (#1424)
Chris Yaw is an Episcopal priest and the founder of ChurchNext, which creates online Christian learning experiences to invigorate lives and congregations. Recently he wore Google Glass during mass in the congregation he serves: St. David's Episcopal Church (Southfield, MI). For the benefit of those of us who have never had such an experience he shared parts of his experience via a blog post and also shared video. So What? When Google Glass becomes available to the masses at Read More …
Attracting Millennials (#1423)
Aaron Earls recently shared six reasons why many congregations fail to reach Millennials: not online, too inward focused, not trustworthy, not diverse, too institutional, and don't offer real community. So What? Overall, I think Earls' list is helpful but incomplete. The number one reason I find congregations don't reach Millennials is because they don't make reaching this generation a priority. In fact, I have been a part of conversations this year in which Read More …
1 in 4 = Anti-Semitic (#1422)
A recent research project involving over 50,000 respondents from over 100 countries and territories representing nearly 90% of the world’s adult population finds that 1 in 4 (26%) adults are anti-Semitic. Currently rates of anti-Semitism vary widely. Rates are highest in the West Bank and Gaza (93 %), Iraq (92%), Yemen (88%), and Algeria (87%). Rates are lowest in Laos (0.2%), Philippines (3%), Sweden (4%), and the Netherlands (5%). Here in the United States, Read More …
Passionate Misunderstanding (#1418)
The following is a reminder that Christian religious language isn't as widely known as many Christians assume: The City Council in Oxford (England) canceled this year's passion play because they didn't understand it was a religious event. It has even been suggested that some of those tasked with rendering the decision believed the passion play was a reference to a live sex show. So What? Churches often rely on religious insider speak (aka Christianese) more often than most Read More …
Latinos Leaving Catholicism (#1417)
The longstanding cultural expectation that Latinos are overwhelmingly Catholic is shifting. New data from Pew Research finds that "a majority (55%) of the nation’s estimated 35.4 million Latino adults – or about 19.6 million Latinos – identify as Catholic today." To put this in perspective, one must understand that the percentage of Latinos self-identifying as Catholic has been declining for two decades, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Over the last four years alone, Read More …
Changes in Worship Services (#1414)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared a list of rapid changes in church worship services. His list includes the disappearance of choirs (down 10% in just 10 years), the emergence of screens as normative in worship, a shift toward more casual dress for worship, and longer sermons. So What? Worship services have changed dramatically in recent years. Rainer's use of the word rapid to describe several shifts is significant. As religious Read More …