In pastoring a congregation in the US, one of the sources I look at are demographics. These are postcard statements of where things "are" on any specific day. This caught my attention the other day from the PCUSA.org website: 7.5 million Americans lost their religion since 2012:
A new survey shows in stark relief that what some are calling the Great Decline of religion in America continues: Since 2012, the U.S. has about 7.5 million more Americans who are no longer active in religion.
Last week, the 2014 General Social Survey was released. The GSS is the gold standard for sociological surveys. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this multimillion-dollar study gives us the most accurate data on American society — including religion.
(An important point to remember as you see the data: Each percentage point increase represents a growth of 2.5 million adults. So a 3-point rise in secularity, for example, means that about 7.5 million people left religion since 2012.).
Here's a link to the rest of the article.http://www.pcusa.org/news/2015/3/13/analysis-75-million-americans-lost-their-religion-/
This is why, in large part, the days of growing congregations, especially mainstream/mainline, are largely over. While many people are attending large evangelical congregations, many of these people are "seekers," new to the faith, inspired by the "newness" of the message. It may be a novelty for others.
Interesting...
Pax!
Pastor B
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