What Do We Do with Recent Study that Points to Decline in Number of Christians in the United States?

The Pew Research Center released the results of a study about religion in America this week. The study polled 35,000 adults and found that Christianity is on the decline. This is especially true of main line Protestant Christianity. Fewer young adults are affiliated with churches. I will not lay out the statistical findings here, but you can find numerous articles that summarize the findings, like this CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/12/living/pew-religion-study/

 The inclination over the last several decades has been to see the continuous decline in church affiliation as the fault of church leaders and their congregations. Great mountains of books have been written and days of training sessions have been staged to help the church shape up and do a better job. This newest research report will, no doubt, inspire more authors, consultants and experts to suggest the answer to the rise in "nones" or "none of the above" religious affiliation is church make overs.

I will not argue that the church must seek to be relevant to up and coming generations. I know that the church has stayed alive for thousands of years by the grace of God and by evolving through the millennia. However, I am not enthusiastic about contriving a plan that will theoretically pull the "nones" into the church for the sake of the declining church.

If we're to reach out to those who are Christian but not affiliated with a church and to those who claim no faith tradition, we can't have the good of the church in mind. Instead, we have to be thinking about those we welcome and what is best for them. If we are convinced that following Jesus is an important life choice, if we're convinced that the church is a place where deep and rich relationships are possible, then those to things motivate us. We are willing to do whatever it takes to get our friends, loved ones, colleagues and acquaintances introduced to Jesus and connected with a faith community. 

This conviction will mean more for each of us than offering one-time invitations to a worship service. We are called to closely examine our relationship with God and why we are silent about that relationship with others. And it calls our congregation and church leaders at Brighton First to clarify our purpose for coming together as a community of faith, to examine our passion for God's will and to discern how we can convey our welcome and our passionate faith to all who encounter us, whether at church or in the community.

There is no amount of redecorating, changes in worship style, or programming that will compel people to find connection at Brighton First. Our connection to God through Jesus Christ and our genuine connection to one another is what we have to offer. If those two things are visible, God will do the rest.