Church attendance

26/1/2012

Falling number of church attendees

It is clear to see that the number of regular attendees at Service is periodically
dropping. There are many theories about why this is happening, but the main
consensus is that the current congregations are ageing and are not being
replaced. Today, the Church seems to have a much lower priority in many
peoples’ lives! So what has changed?

On a practical level, the Church was traditionally a place for the community
to come together, socialise and exchange news from near and far-off places.
This has now been replaced with on-line communities and social networks. I
recently tried to email God, but his broadband connection was down — so I
had to revert to prayer!!

Joking aside, this ever growing reservoir of information increases our ability to
question. This is a good thing and is critical to our development. Personally, I
question the whole existence of God from time to time. There are days when I
think that life after death is just a fairy tale made up to make us less fearful of
death. Equally, there are days when I look at the evolution of the human race
and think that there has to be something beyond us that has choreographed this
amazing world and our ability to utilise it. Of course, there are days when I just
sit on the fence.

However, long before the Internet, church attendance was falling. To some
degree, this coincides with the demise of community. Over the past 30 years,
community has become less of a priority and therefore, today, many people do
not know their own neighbours.

So in an age where our communities are on-line and society no longer promotes
or emphasises religion, why do I still go to church? Firstly, it is the only chance
I get for some peace and quiet. It also gives me an opportunity to belong to
a living community, but mainly because it renews my awareness of Jesus’
message.

Jesus as a human on earth left us with a simple message: to love your
neighbour as yourself. With this in mind, we must always strive to do what
is good but, being human, we will often fail. Going to church renews that
message in us. I have often come away from church with a new insight and as a
result, phoned an old friend or mended a bridge. This is God’s word in practice.

Going to church renews and keeps God’s message at the top of our minds --
and deep in our hearts!
Anonymous

3 Comments

Kisho

27/1/2012 06:36:43 am

thanks to take a valuable subject on this fast world. First we should know why we are going to church. If you believe that your sins had been clensed with blood of jesus, to reminding of the same you are calling to church to thank GOD,
By hearing of Jesus word through bible/messages, we can renew our selves and try to walk with Bible in this world.
We hold on bible words which leads us with faith and in good way.

Nowadays in churches , some people are disturbed with some words/political thinking/modern workship as some they want/domination so that people are seeking "workship with peace" and changing their churches.
But all of us know the meaing of the word church.
ITS BODY OF JESUS. not an organization or not a group with their own doctrin.
thank you. will continue........

Abraham link

28/1/2012 12:11:12 am

You have chipped into a big subject.

While in US, I noted that the old, the very young, and the young adults occupied the churches. Not the middle aged. Today, in Indian churches too this has happened. In fact, churches are just empty. Some of the evangelical denominations are growing. Catholics too are growing. Not the middle order churches like CSI, Methodists, and Anglicans etc… There are falling in membership and strength. They are disoriented in their theology and are slow to act in the fast changing global capitalism.

Let me write about Catholic Church (which I know more than CSI). Objectively, the Catholic Church is the largest organization in the world, with a smooth-running, centrally organized network extending over the entire globe. She is truly universal in her stature. She is the oldest living institution on earth (if we call her an institution) . She has 1.2 billion members; has 4,000 bishops, 4,00,000 priests and millions of religious individuals. Catholics has thousands of universities, monasteries and convents, schools and social institutions around the globe. In counties like Germany, she is the largest employer after the Government. She has her own inviolable principles, ethics, and identity. She has an unconfused catechism, which she spreads to ever corner of her presence. Under the powerful leadership of their present Pope, Benedict XVI, the Catholic Church has more believers, and never before such extension, literally to the ends of the earth.

Why are our churches, with a hand full of members and petty assets , falling away while the others are growing? We have to ask ourselves!

Dr.Vishnu Somasundaran

3/12/2013 03:09:11 am

Spirituality is a fundamental human need. "Happy are those who are conscious of their spiritual need," said Jesus (Matt 5:3). Churches generally do anything except sharing spiritual information that can quench the thirst of common man/woman for spiritual guidance. For example , if you ask "Who is God?" They start telling you that God is a mysterious trinity who can not be known. If you ask them further they will try to frame their answers with high sounding philosophical language beyond the grasp of common man to explain the so-called triune God whose members are 'Coequal, co-eternal and co-powerful none lesser or greater than the other.' If still the layman asks something they will tell the old story of St.Augustine who was strolling on the sea shore contemplating the mysterious trinity and awakened from his folly of comprehending the thought by a boy who was trying to empty the ocean using a sea shell.
The question remains unanswered. The Jewish carpenter of Nazareth gave a model prayer to his disciples wherein he opened saying something like this. Our Father in the heavens, Let your name be sanctified. After all what is the name of the Almighty God whom Jesus referred father? In his fervent prayer recorded in John ch. 17, he repeatedly mentioned the name of his father that will give 'protection', 'identity' and 'unity' (vss. 6,12,21) to his followers. By deliberately hiding God's name under the mask of a mysterious Trinity infiltrated from ancient mythology the more than 50000 denominations in the Christian religion have made them ridiculous. Someone they call father who is mysterious, someone they call father whose name is unknown by which they project their status as fatherless. Why should anyone who wants to enjoy the embrace of a loving father go to any building just to labelled as fatherless! They well deserve the description given to first century religious leaders of Judaism, 'Blind guides you are!'
I have given here an illustration to show how the churches have fallen down from the simple, powerful truths taught by Jesus. This constitutes one reason for dwindling church attendance. There are many reason for the same. I think at present this will suffice!
Global membership does not substantiate the truth of an idea. It is on the contrary. Jesus said, "Narrow is the road leading to life and cramped is the way leading to it, few are the ones finding it." Matt. 7:13,14.

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Church attendance

Falling number of church attendees

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