Body: | Statistics of Religion in North America
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Profile of the public
Attendance is menu option
everyone expects to go to heaven
Balance scale salvation
Salvation by works: good outweighs bad
Doing the absolute minimum to be saved
very stable in their religious traditions
very closed minded
no desire or need to search
Things not up for grab
"The social gospel has served to intensify the affiliational stability that
was already durable because of parent-offspring transmission. Even the 'no
religion' category is unattractive, since almost everyone requires some
professional religious services in the course of a lifetime. Just as it is
handy to have a good dentist or lawyer, so it is handy to have access to a
minister or priest. The attendance drop-off in no sense means 'things are
up for grabs'."
Affiliation Stability of General Public
Attend Weekly: 25%
Inactives: 75%
Wouldn't switch: 96%
Might Switch 4%
Wouldn't Switch: 80%
Might Switch: 20%
Only 16% of Population Might Switch, but probably won't
(4% X 25% + 20% X 75% = 16%)
Understanding the difference
Attenders (committed) 25%
Non-attenders (uncommitted) 75%
Already attend weekly
Don't attend anywhere
Strong church social ties
Few church social ties
Steeped in False doctrine
Superficial belief system
Hard to teach truth
Easy to teach truth
the religious cafeteria junky
Asked of the 75% who don't attend weekly:
"Some observers maintain that few people are actually abandoning their
religious traditions. Rather, they draw selective beliefs and practices,
even if they do not attend services frequently. They are not about to be
recruited by other religious groups. Their identification with their
religious tradition is fairly solidly fixed, and it is to these groups that
they will turn when confronted with marriage, death and frequently, birth.
How well would you say this observation describes YOU?"
very accurately 45%
somewhat accurately 33%
not accurately at all 12%
Religion a' La Carte
Church leaders in 1800's
"This is what religion is"
church leaders today
"What do you want religion to be"
What will market bear?
2 Timothy 4:1-5
Religion A` La Carte in practice
Ordination of Practicing Homosexuals
1 Cor 6:9-10
Pre-Marital Sex Permitted
Heb 13:4
Woman Preaching in Pulpit
2 Tim 2:2
Emasculate God (father to person)
Deut 4:2
Church Membership by yearly $$$
Heb 10:25
Every Social Program Under the Sun
John 6
How can they practice such things? It is the doctrine of the times!
Social gospel: attracting the masses with bread
Negative Attendance Spiral
To increase membership roll, Preachers water down gospel
which leads to...
Weekly attenders begin to view attendance as optional
which leads to...
Average commitment level drops
which leads to...
Fewer people, not more, attend church
To increase membership roll, Preachers water down gospel even more...
and
so
on ...
The social gospel leads to spiritual death
Conservative Protestant Church Growth by source
51% Transfers & Other Churches
27% Children of Members
22% "Sinners" (marriage & friendship)
"If evangelicals are serious about recruiting 'real live sinners',
the best approach is either to befriend or marry them. For that is how most
are actually recruited." Reginald Bibby
Church of Christ in Ontario Growth 1979-1989
("Inquiry into growth of churches of Christ in Ontario" by Geoffrey Ellis
1990)
15 selected congregations average size 94; total membership 1410
Over 10 years
Total baptisms (10 years)
582
Baptisms from biology
219
Baptisms from outreach
363
Net 10 year gain (gains-losses)
222
Per church per year
Baptisms
3.8
Baptisms from outreach
2.4
Net increase
1.5
Members to baptize 1 outsider
39
Members to grow by 1 (net)
63
Cults in Canada
A. Membership numbers (multiply by 10 for USA)
Scientologist
700
Hare Krishna
450
Moonies
650
Children of god
250
New age type groups
4100
B. Cults represent the extreme fringe
C. Public Anxiety Greatly Misplaced
Selecting an approach in evangelism
Target Their Needs
Committed
Uncommitted
emphasis: False religion damns
emphasis: All non-attenders are lost
focus: doctrine
focus: commitement to Christ
We cannot use first century sermons as a pattern for today
Antitypes of two times
First century
Today
many Lord's - one church
one Lord - many churches
(antitype: Todays uncommited)
(antitype: Todays commited)
focus: which Lord?
focus: which church?
Cultural, geographic, social environment factors
converts before & after
Corinth
Philippi
Highly Transient population
Retirement city for Roman officers
High divorce rate
Stable families
Morally corrupt
Generally Moral
Book of Church Problems: Preacheritus, Immorality, Lawsuits, Divorce, Lord's Supper corrupted, Misuse Gifts of HS: 1 Corinthians
"My Joy and Crown" Philippians 4:1
Same is true today: The quality of the church will somewhat depend upon the quality of the population you are converting from.
Steve Rudd
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