Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.
Psalm 102:1-2a NIV
About 23% of Americans actually do attend church "regularly" (two or three times a month or more) according to time diaries (in which people account for 24 hours of recent activity). But 35% to 45% say they attend regularly when asked on surveys.
During the 20th century prior to 1990, the popularity of Christianity had been stable in the U.S. During that time, 87% of adults identified themselves as Christians. Since then, the country has experienced a major change. Significant numbers of American adults have begun to disaffiliate themselves from Christianity and from other organized religions. By 2008, the percentage of Christians had reached 76% and is continuing to decline.
There are countless books written about how this has happened and what we can do to reverse these trends. My problem with most of the books and studies is that they want to place the blame on the system or structures or style of the "modern" church.
I want to put the blame on the faithful that have allowed politics and culture to convince them that their faith was a personal and private matter.
The Psalmist has the best strategy for Church Growth:
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.
We have failed to tell our personal stories and the result is the decaying state of the church and the decaying state of morals and values in our country.
Wake up People! A program is not gonna change this problem. A new worship service is going to reverse the trends. A Coffee shop won't change your attendance patterns.
Tell the story. Tell others why your faith matters.
Watch what happens when people hear your story and want what you have!
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