Since the denomination was formed in 1983, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has experienced a membership decline of nearly 62%, shrinking from 3,121,238 members in 1983 to 1,193,770 members in 2021. The year over year decline from 2020 to 2021 resulted in the loss of 51,584 members, which equals an annual decline of 4.1%. Given recent losses this net loss is well within the range one would expect. 2021: -51,584 members2020: -56,691 members2019: -50,635 members Older and Grayer More Read More …
Trends
Just How Christian are Christians? (#1982)
Holy Week is a time when many Christians spend more time engaged in overtly religious activities than any other week of the year. Given such, it seems an appropriate time to ask the question, "Just how Christian are Christians today?" Or, put differently, how do others experience and perceive the Christians around them and how do Christians perceive themselves? Looking Back Fifteen years ago, I was introduced to a book to what was then a recently published book considering how Read More …
In-Person Worship Attendance: Continued Challenges (#1981)
In a pre-pandemic world, when people mentioned attending worship, I assumed they were speaking of an in-person experience. This assumption in no way minimizes the many ways in my lifetime people have heard and/or seen services of worship without being physically present - from the days of audio cassette tapes to the more recent options of livestreaming. I was taught that these supplemental approaches worked well for niche audiences, such as those who were homebound, ill, or traveling. Since Read More …
Great New Books – March 2022 (#1977)
The best new books I’ve read in the last month are (5+) 20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America by Ryan P. Burge (Fortress Press, 2022)(5.0) Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week by Jason Porterfield (Herald Press, 2022)(4.5) Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie (Convergent, 2022)(4.5) God is a Black Woman by Christena Cleveland (HarperOne, 2022)(4.0) The Resilient Pastor: Leading Your Church in a Rapidly Read More …
Lifelong Retention: A Religious Challenge (#1976)
Do you still affiliate with the general religious tradition of your childhood? If so, you are among the majority. In his new book, 20 Myths About Religion and Politics in America (Fortress Press, 2022), Ryan P. Burge includes the myth that the growth of the nones (those with no religious affiliation) is largely from people leaving the church (Myth #15, p.165-174). Using widely available data, Burge shows that the growth of nones is actually due to generational replacement and high retention Read More …
Contrasting Missional Priorities (#1975)
What do you consider to be the church's top missional priority? According to a survey conducted by Barna in 2020, Protestant pastors answers differ dramatically depending on whether or not they are affiliated with a Mainline denomination or not. The chart below summarizes those Barna findings and is one of a number of Barna surveys found in Glenn Packiam's new book, The Resilient Pastor (Baker Books, 2022). So What? As someone who works in the area of local poverty alleviation, Read More …
UCC Membership Decline: 2,193,593 to 773,539 (#1974)
Membership in all Mainline Protestant denominations has been in decline since before I was born. The United Church of Christ's membership decline is not extraordinary or unusual when compared to other Mainline Protestant denominations. Like many authors, I write about what I know and about what matters to me. As a result you'll find the greatest amount of information about membership decline in the two denominations I've invested more of my life in than the rest: United Church of Christ Read More …
Worship Attendance Cut in Half (#1972)
Three common measures of success for local churches are worship attendance, annual budgets, and facilities (sometimes referred to as butts, bucks, and buildings). Worship Attendance Congregations vary widely in size. Comparing them based on membership appears attractive until you learn that membership means different things in different traditions, and even within a given denomination individual congregations have different expectations of how one becomes a member and what one must do to Read More …
Mask Up (#1946)
Back in January, I shared my experience of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. In that post I wrote, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, one clear way to love one’s neighbor is to receive the COVID-19 vaccine." Today, I'd like to add mask wearing as another important way to show love for one's neighbor. My Experience For many months the last two things I did before leaving home were to put on shoes and select a mask for the outing. When the CDC issued new guidance in May stating that masks and Read More …
Latest Church Trends: Membership & Giving (#1943)
The decline of American Christianity has long been the most popular topic at So What Faith. As the pandemic continues, the significance of the decline becomes more apparent both at the macro level and in the lives of individual congregations. Trend 1: Declining Membership in Congregations One data point has received greater consideration this year than any year since I've been a part of the conversation about the decline of American Christianity: church membership. A Gallup article Read More …