The Need for Starting Churches
February 27th, 2008 Posted in Church, Church Planting, Culture, Jesus, MissionalBased on an article in Rev Magazine on “The American Church in Crisis” and the website by the research at The American Church.org, attendance at Christian churches from 1990 to 2006 has remained constant with about 52 million people attending church services on any given weekend. During those 16 years, however, the population of the United States has grown by an equivalent number, 52 million people. Church attendance has not come anywhere close to keeping up with population growth.
In 1990 about 20.6 percent of the U.S. population was in church on any given weekend, today only 17.3 percent are in worship.
While about 4000 new churches are started in the United States yearly, that number is nearly neutralized by the closing of 3,700 churches each year. To keep up with the populaton growth, 2900 additional new churches need to begin yearly.
What will you do to join the movement where new churches are started? More people come to follow Jesus in newly planted Churches.
3 Responses to “The Need for Starting Churches”
By Brian on Feb 28, 2008
good post…church planters rock! usually they “get it” and are reaching people for Jesus! i know you guys need help though…maybe i’ll join the club one day!
By Shane Smith on Mar 6, 2008
This reminds me of a book I’ve been reading lately called The Forgotten Ways, by Alan Hirsch.
Did you read that one? I don’t have many people to talk to about it.
He suggests that we completely re-think how we approach church. Based on the decline of the church in America for the past 40 years, he says that modern “church growth” strategies do not work, and that we need to learn from the models of the early NT church and the underground Chinese church.
He says that institutionalism killed the church in the UK, helping to create a post-Christian culture, and that we’re headed there soon. So he calls for some pretty radical methods to reverse this trend…. etc. Anyway…. I hope to talk to you soon!
By Russ on Mar 6, 2008
Hey Shane,
What is amazing is that I had ordered this book and received it in the mail yesterday, the same day you comment and post on my blog. Maybe that is confirmation that God wants me to read it. I have had several friends recommend it and I know that we have to be willing to rethink church here in America. it is not about growth strategy, but about simply being missional with Jesus. I miss seeing you. I hope you are doing ok.
Russ