Fifth Avenue Christian is an organization committed to revitalizing American churches. U.S. Church attendance is at an all-time low, with some estimating that less than 20% of American adults actually attend church on a regular basis. Why is church attendance and membership slipping? There are many reasons, but most commonly, those interviewed cite bad childhood experiences, hypocrisy, busyness, and the feeling of judgment among the top reasons for ditching church and sleeping in on Sunday mornings.

It’s not surprising that so many have become disillusioned with the church, as it, like any other human-run institution, is subject to the effects of sin. In the media, we hear stories all the time of infidel pastors, pedophile priests, and deacons with their hands in the offering plate. Just like anyone else, church leaders and members can be tempted to fall into sin, and because they claim Christ, their sinful actions are put under the microscope for examination. So many have left the church because they don’t see life outside of the church as any different than a life lived in gospel community. It seems to them that the church is a place of conformation to the world’s patterns rather than a place of eternally-minded transformation.

Fifth Avenue Christian acknowledges the church’s many failures, but also acknowledges the church’s centrality in the Christian life, spreading the gospel, and serving as the moral compass in a world where morality is challenged and belittled on a daily basis. Our goal is to see America’s churches revitalized, to be relevant to today’s culture without being conformed to it so that the gospel message can spread. We aim to achieve this goal by providing free resources and an online forum for church leadership to share thoughts on addressing cultural challenges to our Christian faith.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2