Some of you may have seen a report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research on church growth (good coverage at the Christian Science Monitor earlier this week). Some of the findings are predictable; others are more surprising or dispel conventional wisdom.
Churches are more likely to grow when:
• A church is multiracial.
• Men make up at least 60 percent of regular participants.
• Leaders describe worship as “slightly to not at all” reverent.
• Drums or percussion are always used in worship.
• Churches are located in new suburbs or downtown metropolitan areas.
• Churches have started or maintained a web site in the past year.
• Children are involved in worship.
• A church holds more worship services.
• There is an absence of serious conflict.
The report also suggests that, “More important than theological orientation is the religious character of the congregation and clarity of mission and purpose. Growing churches are clear about why they exist and about what they are to be doing – ‘purpose-driven growth.’” In fact, although it’s true that theologically conservative churches continue to grow while mainline congregations shrink, liberal churches experience growth rates comparable to conservative ones – 39% vs. 38%.
Melissa Rogers has more on the issue of theological orientation and church growth, including the following quote from the report on how a congregation’s mission goes beyond getting more people in the door:
Essential to the mission of any religious congregation is to create a community where people encounter God. . . .[There is] a strong relationship between growth and the sense that the congregation is “spiritually vital and alive.” This is perhaps the key to whether a congregation is actualizing its unique purpose—doing that thing that congregations are more able to do than any other organization in society.
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January 6, 2007 at 23:53
WOW! thanks for this post! I had no idea about some of those things. It’s good news (at least to me) that theologically conservative churches are growing.
Also, some of these things are extremely good to know if you are involved in the leadership decisions at your church. Things like websites and percussion are easily integrable into a church’s strategy, and do nothing whatsoever to take away from the message of the gospel (a criticism by many far-right churches leveled at the mega-churches).
Great post!
Nathan
http://www.nathanrice.org
January 7, 2007 at 13:30
Melissa said:
“Essential to the mission of any religious congregation is to create a community where people encounter God.”
Amen! People with a background in “religion” seem to be the hardest to reach for Christ. It’s been really frustrating to meet people in total rebellion against God because of their religious experiences. It seems simplistic but it will be the kindness of the Lord that draws them in.
January 8, 2007 at 10:32
Leaders describe worship as “slightly to not at all” reverent
Maybe I am reading this wrong, but I find this a lil disturbing…...
January 9, 2007 at 01:09
I also find the worship that would not be described as reverent disturbing.
“Essential to the mission of any religious congregation is to create a community where people encounter God”
While I do think encountering God is very important, I think that there is too much focus on religious experience, and not enough focus on religious truth. In my experience there needs to be more focus on the renewing of the mind, apologetics(good apologetics) and theology. I think that the over focusing of experience and not focusing on truth is creating a largely biblically illiterate generation.
January 9, 2007 at 20:50
My church has been criticized for many of the things on this list. I think people have the idea that the changes have been made simply to attract people, and that we must be focusing on the wrong things. However, it seems to me that there are so many people out there who have had negative experiences with religion, and who need a new outlook on what religion really is. Being in the “Bible Belt,” my town has a church on every corner, and most of them have cookie cutter worship services. Many people are touched by those services and find them worshipful. Many people don’t.
Focusing completely on experience, and ignoring truth, has always been a danger. But they are not mutually exclusive. David’s Psalms are perfect examples of experiential worship, and that is a beautiful thing. But it should never be at the expense of Biblical teaching.
I don’t find the “slightly to not at all” reverent description disturbing because of the connotation of “reverent.” While I revere God completely, I don’t think that a worship service must be quiet and still and uncomfortable, which is sort of the connotation that the word has taken on for a lot of people. Yes, “irreverent worship” is an oxymoron, but I know that’s not really what they mean.