Poll shows big Church membership drop, below 50% attendance

[powderman]

I BELIEVE THIS HEADER IS MISLEADING, IT SHOULD BE ATTENDANCE IS FALLING. PEOPLE DON"T DROP MEMBERSHIP, THEY JUST STOP GOING. CHARLIE. 



   
Poll shows big Church membership drop, below 50% attendance
« on: Today at 09:02:24 PM »

https://www.foxnews.com/us/church-membership-below-50-percent-gallup-poll

Church attendance drops below 50% in US, poll finds
Age has one of the strongest correlations to membership
By Peter Aitken | Fox News


Fox News Flash top headlines for March 29
A new poll indicates that American church membership has fallen below the majority for the first time.

The data from Gallup tracked church membership across the past 80 years, starting with 73% in 1937 and peaking just after World War II with 76% membership.

The past 20 years have seen a sharp dropoff, falling from 70% to 47% in that time.


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The survey asked "Do you happen to be a member of a church, synagogue or mosque?"

Other questions covered the factors or reasons around religious attitudes and practices, with most respondents pointing to a lack of affiliation as the prime factor in their response.

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Another major distinction arose between age groups: Church membership was strongest among those born before 1946, with 66% claiming membership, compared to 58% of baby boomers, 50% of Gen X and 36% of millennials

The Rev. Manuel Rodriguez sits in the pews of his church, Our Lady of Sorrows, on Friday, March 5, 2021, in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski) ((AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski))

However, the age difference still contains a decline in each age group: membership in the traditionalists (born before 1946) dropped from 77% in 2000 to that 66% figure today.

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Baby boomers showed the smallest dropoff, trending down from 67% to 58% over the past two decades.

That trend is prevalent among all subgroups, as well, no matter gender, political affiliation or location.

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The poll suggested that major factors in helping spiritual leaders regain some of that lost membership included "spiritual programs geared toward children and teenagers, community outreach and volunteer opportunities, and dynamic leaders were also factors in their attendance."

"A focus on some of these factors may also help local church leaders encourage people who share their faith to join their church."

Peter Aitken is a New York born-and-raised reporter with a focus on national and global news.

[DDZ]

Since covid people have found all kinds of excuses to not attend church.  We had a few people that used to come to our church that said they were not coming as long as we were getting this interim pastor from Ohio. Because the Cleveland area was supposed to be a hotbed for covid. Well since then we have gotten a local pastor that we really like and are going to hire. Those people have still not come back to church. People use covid as an excuse, yet will pile into Walmarts, Lowes, and other stores with all kinds of strangers, but its to dangerous to go to church.  I call them hypocrites. People have just got accustomed to sitting at home on Sunday morning and maybe watching a service on TV. That way they don't have to get up, and dressed. They don't have to feel obligated to do anything for the church, or participate in any mission the church is doing, and they don't have to feel obligated to give to the church, which a lot of them have quit doing.  I'm waiting for the great church revival to begin, but it sure isn't happening now. 

[BUGEYE]

We watch either our Church or a Church in Mississippi that’s pastored by an old friend.
And our giving is online rather than in person.

We had about decided to start back then I got sick. (Covid?)
Now I go nowhere, because I really felt like I was dying.

[ironglows]

 '
     If a person backs off in regular attendance, they likely have their reasons, especially now, where health is concerned. 

  The question here was membership.  In recent years, I have noticed a hesitancy for some to actually join a church.

  Whether from a bad experience or just from the current trend of not wanting to 'commit', is hard to tell, but there

    are those who attend, but do not commit.  We have a some in our church, but that doesn't bother me since I
   
     know they are getting the soul saving information all the same.  After all, salvation has nothing to do with

  any church membership.  What I have noticed is that most, after a few years may well join..they are just

   'cautious'.

  True, there is little doubt that church attendance is down from 40 years ago.  If children are taught in school,

   from 1st grade through college, that Christianity is a 'superstition' at best, what do you expect for an outcome?

  Here, parents have shunned their responsibility.  My grandsons went to public school and they and their

  families are still serious Christians... because their parents and grandparents reinforced Biblical teaching.

   Still, we should not be surprised that church attendance is declining..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;  (2 Thess 2:3,4)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
 (Matt 7:13,14)


 

[wtxbadger]

Considering that the poll canvassed only 6,117 people and with our population being around 332 million that means they surveyed .000018400738041 of the US in this poll. From that perspective I don't put much credibility in their poll. There have been and are small churches springing up all across the country that aren't affiliated with what has been called mainstream denominations.

[DDZ]

We are one of those small churches in a small community.  Pre covid we were averaging 40 people on Sunday, we now average 15.

[Bob Riebe]

They had a Christian woman on Fox speaking of this and she said attendance is dropping but the amount of Faith cannot be said to be dropping.

You can put the drop on the paranoia that politicians and talking heads on TV spewed with majority falling for it like shooting gallery targets.

I was going to treat my Cousin to a Lenten Walleye buffet last week; he said he could not go because his stomach, which he DID screw up decades back was bothering him but another friend I was going to take but failed to take his phone with him as he painted the deck , so he could not answer when I called, said his stomach had nothing to do with it, it was in Carver County and Carver County had the highest number of Chinese Virus cases at that time and he was afraid of going there.

Cousin Chicken Shite missed a great buffet, I ate the equivalent of three whole Walleye, they had very good beer and I did not wear a mask at any time.

[DDZ]

Whatever happened to Christian faith when God tells His people over and over in the Bible to not fear, and do not be afraid? Numerous times those words are spoken in the Bible. Yet lots of Christians out of fear are still not going to church. because the news media, and politicians tell them to be afraid.

[powderman]

We are one of those small churches in a small community.  Pre covid we were averaging 40 people on Sunday, we now average 15.

We only have about 15+ on any given Sunday, same as it was before the chinky flu. We closed for maybe 3 -4 weeks when the news told us about the chinky flu, we have never stopped shaking hands or hugging. Neil and Sharon got it when Sharon went to a big Christmas party with her around a bunch of folks she didn't know. Husband Neil caught it from her, back in Church in a couple of weeks, everything back to normal. We are driving 50 miles to get the chinky flu shot in the morning.

With all my ills, if I would get the chinky flu I likely would not survive it. I do NOT wear a mas anywhere, they will likely insist in the morning. With Oxygen 24-7 my heart DR said do NOT wear the mask because it stresses my heart even further.
Patty and I try to be careful but I will NOT retreat to my home in fear. We still go where we want and do what we want. Like DDZ said, keep faith in the Lord. We will go to Rural King sand WM tomorrow on the way home. The trip and shopping will likely wear me out, it always does. CHARLIE. 

[Dee]

I wear the mask where "required". I've never bought into this plague. If I'm wrong, it might be my demise, but I'll blame myself, and China for it if it gets me.

As far as church attendance, I walked away from the church I grew up in for its Rick Warren attitude, and teaching, and it self-righteous leadership.
I think the dropping attendance has something to do with the "Christian-lite" shallowness of this teaching leaving the listener with an "emptiness feeling".

[ironglows]

I wear the mask where "required". I've never bought into this plague. If I'm wrong, it might be my demise, but I'll blame myself, and China for it if it gets me.

As far as church attendance, I walked away from the church I grew up in for its Rick Warren attitude, and teaching, and it self-righteous leadership.
I think the dropping attendance has something to do with the "Christian-lite" shallowness of this teaching leaving the listener with an "emptiness feeling".

  I agree with you, so far as Rick Warren is concerned, but don't let him cheat you out of the great fellowship you can have with a local church family. ..Doesn't have to be SBC, since there are plenty of independent Baptist churches around, plus many non-denomination churches almost anywhere.

[Argent 88]

Some folks are leaving churches because of the congregation and it's clannish gossiping snobs.  And went, or trying to go somewhere else.

[ironglows]

  .
 Our church is growing in membership, not by great leaps and bounds, but steadily.  We had 7 join a couple weeks ago.  Actually, they were the accumulation of  2-3 months of those wishing to join..and finished their membership class that week.