American Church in Crisis (Ch 2): Population Growth

I got through chapter two of The American Church in Crisis. This chapter dealt with the disparity between US church growth and population growth.

In just 40 years, the US population expanded by 100 million people - from 200 million in 1967 to 300 million in 2006. It is believed that the US will add another 100 million over the next forty years.

In 1990 52 million people attended church on any given weekend, in 2006 the number was exactly the same. (Ironically, 52 million is approximately the net gain in overall US population growth between 1990 and 2006). Which means that although the number of people attending church stayed the same the percentage of Americans who attended a Christian church on any given weekend declined from 20.4% in 1990 to 17.5% in 2006. In no single state did church attendance keep up with the population growth.

If the church were to merely maintain again during this next 40 year period, by 2046 the church would make up approximately 13% of the population. Obviously part of the increase in population is due to the increase in life-expectancy but if one combines from 1990-2006 the birth rate (68.5 million) and the immigrant population (22.8 million) and then do not subtract out the death total (39.6 million), rather than an increase of just 52 million you get 91 million "new" Americans. Of those 91 million new Americans over 70 million are under the age of 17.

If all of these stats are kosher we church leaders ought to be up all night praying and trying to figure out how we are going to reach this generation.

Comments

[Michael]

Scott-

These kinds of numbers are what we were discussing with you five years ago, but we left off the word "crisis". Do you no longer share the belief that the decline in church membership is a cause for celebration?

[Scott]

Michael - Welcome home prodigal ;). A crisis can be a good thing as long as we respond to it in the right way.