I generally write these listening to some form of music , as many of you know, and this morning, I let the computer choose, and it picks " She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd....Followed by " The Ocean" and " The Immigrant Song" ( The Latter, a history lesson, it's why Danish and Norwegian shows up unexplainably in a predominately Scottish-English DNA tests) by Led Zep.....Then " Walk Away" by the James Gang......And again, the last three were popular when I was in high school....And I wonder why I couldn't get a date.....
And again, I digress.....
I write this and I wonder if I need to write this blog in more than one part, so I will post Part 1 in the title if there is one.
America, heck the world is changing quicker than we ever imagined.
As many of you know, I have spent most of my adult life either reading or keeping up with the Church, especially Church History.
I wondered for years if it was going to happen in America and well, it took almost 50 years, but it is starting to occur.
The American Church is dying.
Quickly.
The average age of people who attend church on a regular basis is 57. The average age of Americans is 38. And the older folks are dying.
The church itself is dying and so many people who study such trends are shocked at how rapid it is happening. Covid just sped up the process.. .
The largest Protestant denomination in America is the Southern Baptist Convention( SBC) is hemorrhaging people like never before, about 10 years ago the membership was 16 million. It is losing 250,000 to 400,000 folks a year. People who study trends and people are saying by the year 2040, they will be down to 8 million people. Most of which who do not attend the church.....The SBC like the Catholic Church keeps you on their rolls whether you are active or not. So, we don't know who is actually still a member, or has dropped out.
And it is not just the SBC. Lutherans, Episcopal, Assembly of God, Catholics etc. Are all losing members. The non-denominational churches, which were growing are now seeing a decrease in attendance.
As you know, my wife and I often travel to Europe, especially to the United Kingdom. The church there is dead, as is most Christian religion. And while we attend while there because well, the places we go to are heavy into ritual and Medieval style worship and they are attended is well fair at best on a Sunday. We go to " High Church" that still believe in consubstantiation, and while I don't necessarily support that belief which isn't expressed in the Book of Common Prayer, I prefer their church style.
All churches in England are that way, and in Scotland, it is even worse. The belief in no God is growing and is the largest group in the North.
It is here now.
The church in America is dying.
And don't tell me that here at XYZ Church we are having great attendance. How many people in your community are not going?
And that is all over America.
And it is the youth that is leading the no church.
Say what you want it is them who are being failed.
The politics in the church today is hurting. Not everyone agrees with the is being said from the pulpit. Too much now social issues, who to vote for, why XYZ is great for America.....Well the church has gotten away from the Gospel.
And it is both from conservative and liberal churches.
Then, youth are looking at the church is often becoming an industry, a worship industry and while it attracts some to the doors, many question it. The celebrity pastor is often the problem, he or she is replacing the Bible.
The tithe. For years as a Baptist the tithe was beaten into our head. Years later reading the verses from Malachi and doing a dive into it you find out there entire passage they are teaching is pretty much a lie. ( Read the entire book)Yet, the Baptists and other denominations cling to that 10%. ( I need to do a historical review of the tithe. )
Today, Gen Z, Millennials are barely making it. They question why their pastor is doing well, yet they are struggling.
And the South, which has been the Bible Belt for years is starting to crack. In the last years, church doors have closed in the South at a rapid rate, and many more are just barely hanging on. The church in New England is dead, California is dying and in the South, we are quickly catching up.
From 2000 to 2024, 1000 members of the clergy have quit, each month, each year.. The number in 2025 is expected to be that or even more.
They are saying 15,000 churches will have closed in America in 2025.
Possibly more in 2026.
I know, the writer of this blog has not been in church attendance in well, I was in Wales, the last time I darkened a church door. Not lost my faith, just hate going, the sermons are not "feeding me." Too many services have a repetition.
And you must remember, I am an alumni of a seminary. I should be one who should be attending.
But, I am not. And am happier.
Then, there is the young men not going to church, in truth, a large number of men not attending. I may write on that in 2026.
Okay, I am going to end Part 1 today. Done with my thesis on the church in America.....
Will try to write more for you. And yes, will write on school in one of these blogs.... And yes, I am going really dark over the next few blogs.
I am going to try and pull this together later this week as I go along.
No comments:
Post a Comment