The Decline of the Church in America

Today there are less than half the churches in America than there was 100 years ago.  This is just one of the startling statistics that reflect the state of the Church in America today there is no doubt that Christianity in America is changing and we will need to adapt along with it.  There are 250,000 Protestant churches in America and 80% of them have no growth in attendance or they are showing a decline.  More than 4000 churches are forced to close their doors every year because 3,500 people are leaving the church every day.  Most of this decline has taken place since 1950 with a full third of our churches closing the doors for good.

The Pew Research Center released a study called “America’s Changing Religious Landscape”  shows a growing number of “religiously unaffiliated”  which corresponds with the decline of those identifying as Christian.  Religious unaffiliated includes individuals who identify themselves as atheists, agnostics and those who claim to be spiritual but not religious.  In terms of actual numbers, in 2007 78% of respondents identified themselves as Christian but today that number is down to 71% of Americans that identify as Christian.

However another study conducted by by Dr. Richard J. Krejcir paints an even grimmer picture.  He found that church attendance was even lower than the Pew Study had previously stated, there was a disconnect between what people reported and what they actually did.  This phenomenon is referred to as “the Halo Effect”.  Many polls indicate that 40-50% of Americans regularly attend a church service, but when he compared that data to denominational reports, university research data and census reports the actual number was 18%.  He defined regular attendance as at least twice per month and over a 7 year period showed a very steady decline, you can look at the numbers below.  If these trends continue you may see church attendance drop to 2-4% by 2050.

• 20.5% of Americans “frequently” attended church in 1995
• 19% of Americans “frequently” attended church in 1999
• 18.0% of Americans “frequently” attended in church in 2002

There is some good news; there are some churches that are seeing growing attendance.  The Calvary Chapel, and some other Evangelical ministries are seeing attendance rise and increased participation from the attendees.  The state of Hawaii actually saw church attendance outpace population growth from 2000-2004.

The questions we must ask ourselves when faced with dwindling attendance, is what is the root cause and how do we stem the tide.  What led to the growing decline, is it merely a cultural shift or changing values?