The majority of those surveyed came from evangelical traditions, including leaders from Baptist churches, Pentecostal churches, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Evangelical Free Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Foursquare Church, and the Salvation Army.
So let’s be clear.
The church is in decline because we are turned inward instead of outward. Our hearts are not breaking for what breaks the heart of God, which is people facing a Christ-less eternity. And sadly, only a simple “invite” is all that is often needed: “Come and see, come and hear, come and explore.”
RELATED: 4 Attitudes Deadly to Church Attendance
I’ve long been taken by something Penn Jillette, of the famed Penn and Teller magic/comedy duo, once said in a vlog: “I [am] an atheist…I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize…If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and that people could be going to hell…How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?”
Apparently, a lot.
Sources
Yonat Shimron, “Study: Attendance Hemorrhaging at Small and Midsize US Congregations,” Religion News Service, October 14, 2021, read online.
Adam MacInnis, “Evangelism Not a Priority in Canadian Churches,” Christianity Today, October 13, 2021, read online.
Penn Jillette, “Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible,” Crackle, December 8, 2008, watch online.
This article about church decline in the United States originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
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