Likeness Attract
More churches are trying to bring into their congregations people who have little or no experience in churches. They are finding the process challenging and frustrating and even unpopular among their own members.
So why try? That’s the point of this post.
“Likeness Attract”
I’m guessing whoever first uttered “opposites attract” wasn’t a church member. We don’t need a deep data to know Sunday is still the most segregated morning in America.
So who do churches attract?
Historically, churches were far and away most effective at reaching the spouses and children of their own members. Next, congregations did a decent job of including people from their own denomination. Finally, churches attracted a few Christians raised in other denominations …show more content…
To some extent, the sense of urgency reflects new generations of church leaders. If you were born in the 1940s or 1950s, you likely thought America was a Christian nation. Baby Boomers saw little need to emphasize congregational outreach, let alone to evangelism.
Generation X and Millennials church leaders are much more likely to view the United States as a secular society. Christians - certainly conservative Christians - are a minority in America. Younger leaders see a much greater need for intentional outreach to people outside the church.
Another factor is the every escalating cost of functioning as a church. What happens when an aging church does not receive the above mentioned “bequest”? The church must find a way to pay the bills. Just like other areas of life (farming, etc.), it take more people to fund a congregation today than in 1996 or 1976.
The final factor is governmental and media promotion of morals, values and lifestyles that run counter to traditional Christian belief and practice. While some conservative churches are reacting by insulating themselves from society. Other churches are perceiving a greater need for their friends, family and neighbors to know God and God’s way for life. These churches are willing to reach very different from
So why try? That’s the point of this post.
“Likeness Attract”
I’m guessing whoever first uttered “opposites attract” wasn’t a church member. We don’t need a deep data to know Sunday is still the most segregated morning in America.
So who do churches attract?
Historically, churches were far and away most effective at reaching the spouses and children of their own members. Next, congregations did a decent job of including people from their own denomination. Finally, churches attracted a few Christians raised in other denominations …show more content…
To some extent, the sense of urgency reflects new generations of church leaders. If you were born in the 1940s or 1950s, you likely thought America was a Christian nation. Baby Boomers saw little need to emphasize congregational outreach, let alone to evangelism.
Generation X and Millennials church leaders are much more likely to view the United States as a secular society. Christians - certainly conservative Christians - are a minority in America. Younger leaders see a much greater need for intentional outreach to people outside the church.
Another factor is the every escalating cost of functioning as a church. What happens when an aging church does not receive the above mentioned “bequest”? The church must find a way to pay the bills. Just like other areas of life (farming, etc.), it take more people to fund a congregation today than in 1996 or 1976.
The final factor is governmental and media promotion of morals, values and lifestyles that run counter to traditional Christian belief and practice. While some conservative churches are reacting by insulating themselves from society. Other churches are perceiving a greater need for their friends, family and neighbors to know God and God’s way for life. These churches are willing to reach very different from