The recently released Religious Landscape Study from Pew Research Center documents that, after years of decline, the Christian share of the U.S. population has been relatively stable at 62% since 2019 — but that number is down from 90% just two generations ago. And the religiously unaffiliated population (the “nones”), after rising rapidly for decades, has also leveled off at 29%.
Stable numbers are better than declining numbers, but these statistics demonstrate a need in our culture and an opportunity for the church to address that need. The decline establishes that it may be past time to reevaluate the way we understand our ministry.
A bit of history
The telephone was invented in 1876. Over time, the telephone went through numerous technical changes, including appearance changes, on-instrument rotary dialing, push-button dialing, cordless walk-around phones, and cell phones. But throughout all those years of change, the telephone continued to be… well, just a telephone.
Then, at the Macworld Conference in 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, and it forever changed how we think about telephones. In fact, the telephone part of the iPhone quickly took a back seat to everything else smartphones can do, such as email, web surfing, photography, playing music, enabling social media connections, maps and direction finding, calendars, e-books, and about two million other apps.
And there have been other significant changes of late, such as online shopping, curbside pickup, virtual doctor visits, remote and hybrid work, loyalty/reward programs tracking your purchasing history, online education, and podcasting. Most recently, as of late last year, you can even purchase a new Hyundai on Amazon!
Two types of change
In a church setting, technical changes would be things such as projecting the liturgical elements on a screen. Or livestreaming the sermon. Or video conferencing committee meetings. Or offering gluten-free bread for Communion. But such technical changes alone will not turn the Pew findings around. On the other hand, adaptive changes would be things such as discovering how to include livestream worshippers as real-time worship participants rather than just disconnected viewers. Or learning how to share the Good News and disciple people outside the walls. Or doing a podcast that resonates with the problems people face every day. Or making better “ministry per square foot per hour” use of church facilities that are unused during the week.
Change starts with
- Being absolutely clear on our vision, mission, and strategic plan (Hint: Matthew 22:37-39, 28:19-20),
- Remembering that, unlike in the days portrayed by “The Andy Griffith Show,” congregations today are competing with a plethora of incredibly attractive alternative activities, all vying for the time of remarkably busy people.
- Understanding that we can continue to attract those “outside the walls” to come into the building, but we can also get out of the building and interact with them where they are — like Jesus did.
- Ensuring our congregations are tightly woven into the tapestry of the community.
I opened this commentary by providing some Pew Research statistics. But remember, making disciples is not about getting members (or increasing the number of pledging units). It is about sharing the Good News and helping people on their faith formation journey. When we are doing that right, everything else will fall into place.
Questions for prayer and discussion
- What responses would you get if you asked one hundred people on the street in your community what they know about your congregation?
- In what settings did Jesus do much of his ministry? Why there?
- Have you done a recent “mission study” of the neighborhood around your congregation? What insights did you gain?
- If you were sure that Jesus had your back (Matthew 28:20b), what amazing things could your congregation be doing tomorrow, next week, this year?
