The Same Thing is Happening to Churches...

[Carpenter]

The turmoil of the mortgage market granted a temporary reprieve from hearing about the woes of America's Rust Belt.

These metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, face fleeing populations, painful waves of unemployment and barely growing economies. By Forbes’ measure, they've struggled the worst of any areas in the nation in the 21st century. And they face even bleaker futures.

Another brutal statistic all the cities share is a diminishing population. So far this decade, nearly 30,000 people have moved out of Youngstown, and they aren't being replaced by either new babies or new immigrants. (Cleveland, a bigger Ohio city with a similar economic plight, has seen 115,000 people leave.)

From: http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Art...9218&GT1=35000

THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE ECONOMY!

The same thing can be said about smaller apostolic churches, home missions churches, and those that don't have the programs, numbers, money, and names associated with them.

The larger churches are swallowing the smaller churches in most cities. No longer can a church of 200 or less in larger metropolitan areas sustain their members while there are mega churches competing with them.

There is also a dangerous trend with all these new fangled youth programs that promote nothing but fun, excitement, emotionalism that takes them out of church. When these young people get older, they have been conditioned to expect all things church to mimic their Y-Explosion, YOUTH ROCK, Y-GENERATION, (insert other catchy name) experience.

Smaller churches don't have these programs and parents like these programs because they appeal to their youth.

The UPC isn't like it used to be, I remember when we piled into cars and drove 2 hours to a youth rally. Not anymore.

Formalized grassroots religion is a dying breed...unfortunately.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by Carpenter

The turmoil of the mortgage market granted a temporary reprieve from hearing about the woes of America's Rust Belt.

These metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, face fleeing populations, painful waves of unemployment and barely growing economies. By Forbes’ measure, they've struggled the worst of any areas in the nation in the 21st century. And they face even bleaker futures.

Another brutal statistic all the cities share is a diminishing population. So far this decade, nearly 30,000 people have moved out of Youngstown, and they aren't being replaced by either new babies or new immigrants. (Cleveland, a bigger Ohio city with a similar economic plight, has seen 115,000 people leave.)

From: http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Art...9218&GT1=35000

THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE ECONOMY!

The same thing can be said about smaller apostolic churches, home missions churches, and those that don't have the programs, numbers, money, and names associated with them.

The larger churches are swallowing the smaller churches in most cities. No longer can a church of 200 or less in larger metropolitan areas sustain their members while there are mega churches competing with them.

There is also a dangerous trend with all these new fangled youth programs that promote nothing but fun, excitement, emotionalism that takes them out of church. When these young people get older, they have been conditioned to expect all things church to mimic their Y-Explosion, YOUTH ROCK, Y-GENERATION, (insert other catchy name) experience.

Smaller churches don't have these programs and parents like these programs because they appeal to their youth.

The UPC isn't like it used to be, I remember when we piled into cars and drove 2 hours to a youth rally. Not anymore.

Formalized grassroots religion is a dying breed...unfortunately.

I remember that as well. Then the host church would sell refreshments after the service and we would meet the other teenagers from the surrounding area.

It was a lot of fun, even the travel to get there.