Denominations are Shrinking says Apostolic News!

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by Socialite

And the only research data worthy of reproducing was Talmage French's Our God is One, which ironically, included all Pentecostal/Charismatic believers, not just Oneness Pentecostals.

And I didn't find when these statistics were published.

[pelathais]

None of the "growing" churches listed in the report are even keeping up with the birthrate. Add immigration to the US and Canada into the picture and every church listed is actually losing ground.

It mentions "the Presbyterian church..." is that an aggregate of all "Presbyterian" denominations? I've read where a couple of the larger Presbyterian groups had begun to ordain women in recent years. This has lead to a large number of congregations dropping out and joining such groups as the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church).

This would account for a rather steep slide in membership in the "mainline" Presbyterian denominations while perhaps failing to account for the fact that these "dropouts" are still ostensibly Presbyterian.

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by Cindy

And I didn't find when these statistics were published.

It appears to be data from the "2011 NCC Yearbook." The NCC's website has a dateline of February 14, 2011, for this.

http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110210yearbook2011.html

[NotforSale]

Originally Posted by Socialite

Very true, NFS.

So I take it you aren't a fan of George Barna?

Do you think, as a church, we can learn from surveys like this? For instance, if numbers show a growing trend of people leaving the Church, can that ever be helpful to us?

Yes, I believe we can use statistics to help us understand what we might be doing wrong, but there is that ugly word again; statistics.

People become statistics, and this impersonal approach to humanity creates distance.

As you know I pastor, but I also work for one of the largest Insurance Corporations in the World. At the top, they try to make those who are on the front lines feel important; but the bottom line, is the bottom line. The "Next" button is close by, and people are nothing but a figure in a pool of expendability.

I hate to say it, but Church has become this. If I don't pay my dues and send in my SOC or CFC offering, my phone rings off the hook. I am expendable and the Church has a “Next” button.

As far as Mr. Barna is concerned, his mission is to read into EVERYTHING, when in reality there is nothing new under the sun. Data is just that; data. And, today it might be one thing, and tomorrow another. He is driven by success, but God is driven by Love and Mercy.

I don't think it was a mistake that Jesus went to those who weren't noticed or counted. They were nobody's, and big business or numbers meant nothing to the Lord.