“Our church has the best youth ministry in town.” “Everybody knows we offer the best children’s ministry in the city.” “Our vision is to be the best church in the area.” Over the last ten years I’ve heard statements like these with increasing frequency. Is this a good thing? Does our desire to serve God […]
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Tag Archives: church attendance
Why the Easter Christians Won’t Be Back
April 3, 2013 
3 Comments
It’s the pinnacle of the church year. Crowds swell. Churches add chairs, and services, and parking lot attendants. Church leaders and members look out over the brimming Easter pews and wish that all these pop-up worshippers would return in the weeks to come. But it’s not likely. Conventional wisdom would suggest that these holiday hordes, […]
Read more The Upside of Church Decline
March 27, 2013 5 Comments
Just as we received more bad news about church health in America, the analysts have found a positive spin. The Association of Religion Data Archives released the latest downward data in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, citing “stark evidence of the aging and shrinking of many congregations.” But the organization’s news release carried the headline: […]
Read more The De-Churched: Why They Left
February 12, 2013 24 Comments
They left church behind. Now they outnumber those who’ve stayed. Why have they turned their backs on a community of believers? What is it about today’s church that keeps them away? Over the last year, while working on a major documentary film that examines America’s state of faith and the condition of the church, I’ve […]
Read more What’s Bigger Than Your Butts in Seats
January 30, 2013 14 Comments
The only thing that really matters is butts in seats. For the American church, that is the bottom line. So to speak. Large churches keep score by attendance figures. Small and medium churches fret over declining numbers in the pews. Often, when leaders talk about outreach and evangelism, they really mean convincing people to sit […]
Read more Back-to-Church Bait-and-Switch
August 8, 2012 5 Comments
It’s time to crank up the new season. As the new church year approaches, church leaders begin to roll out varied efforts to entice the unchurched to fill the pews. Churches across the country use all kinds of back-to-church lures: special events, comedy concerts, giveaways, fish frys, and creative advertising. But do these efforts work? […]
Read more Acts of a Suicidal Church
August 1, 2012 27 Comments
This summer’s big regional youth conference has been cancelled. Because of tunes. The leader of the denominational office notified all the churches in the region that he decided to pull the plug. The reason? Conference organizers had planned to use Christian songs that did not come from the official denominational worship book. He cited church […]
Read more Why Church Doesn’t Fit Most People
March 7, 2012 52 Comments
Most people don’t go to church anymore. And the minority who do regularly attend and appreciate weekly services fit a certain profile. They’re the church-inclined. This shrinking minority differs from the majority in several ways: Audience-Oriented. They appreciate a good presentation from the stage. They prefer to passively listen while the paid professionals on the […]
Read more The Most Reachable Unreached in Your Area
December 7, 2011 8 Comments
They quietly walk into church, say little, look a bit detached, and leave quickly when the service concludes. These church attendees are Present In Body Only (PIBO). They may be counted as members of a church’s flock, but their hearts, minds and souls are not engaged by what’s happening at church. They are among the […]
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Why Church Doesn’t Fit Most People
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Church Abusing Kids with Root Beer
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Why People Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore
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Acts of a Suicidal Church
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Sunday Morning Fantasies
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9 Ways to Me-Too Your Ministry Heroes
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“Life Change Happens in Circles, Not in Rows.” Are You Kidding Me?
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To Become the Best Church in Town
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How to Silence Your People
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Why the Easter Christians Won’t Be Back
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drwayman: Wearing a golf shirt or hawaiian shirt when you pr...
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descriptivegrace: Churches can’t survive because they can’t figu...
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Joan: "Preachers" who wave the Bible in the air. Why do ...
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Rocky: What's up with all the "big beards" I see on youth...
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Sherry: Music that is so loud that anyone who has not alre...
