Tag: church growth

Colin Mathewson asks, “Does God want you to be thin?” in

Duke University sociologist Mark Chaves’ took another look at trends in U.S. religion and wrote a book whose working title was “Continuity and Change in American Religion.” His publisher thought that “The Decline of American Religion” would sell more books. But it’s not that simple.

The reasons why church is a frustrating experience are numerous. For many, church can be hard to stomach, and the reasons why are difficult, complex and not easy to answer. But no one said Christianity was easy, or that being part of the Church would be a breeze.

Church attendance is declining and those who go to church are getting older. In some places, religious affiliation may disappear altogether. That is the consensus of a blog looking at a recent study by the Episcopal Church, another looking at religious attendance in England, and a third study looking at religious affiliation around the globe.

Using an outside frame of reference can help us see where we go wrong and what we get right; but a little discomfort is only natural when the mirror reflects an accurate summation. So what can churches do better?

About 23% of Americans actually do attend church “regularly” (two or three times a month or more) according to time diaries (in which people account for 24 hours of recent activity). But 35% to 45% say they attend regularly when asked on surveys