Church Trends

“The average Christian congregation…[has] just 65 members, about a third of whom are age 65 or older, according to a 2020 pre-pandemic survey. By contrast, a separate 2020 study found that three-quarters of megachurches were growing, many at a rapid clip.” - NPR

“Compared to 2016, churches are more likely to have more than seven weeks of cash reserves. Additionally, few have had someone embezzle funds from the congregation.” - Lifeway

“Rather than analyzing the reasons for the disappearing offering plate, let’s take a look at some of the implications of this dramatic shift. There is more to it than a mere removal of a traditional element of worship service. Indeed, the change is very important.” - Thom Rainer

“Overall, most churchgoers—including most white evangelicals—returned to the pews after the pandemic, survey finds.” - CToday

“…the majority of churchgoers do attend larger churches. So, we understand the objection….We would rather partner with smaller churches to help them reach more people rather than assume they don’t have the capability to grow.” - Thom Rainer

“congregations will emphasize evangelism more than at any point in the past three decades. Church leaders understand they can’t lead a church to growth with cultural Christians (a true oxymoron) and transfer growth” - T.Rainer

“Americans have a wide range of opinions and impressions about Christian denominations, but most won’t rule out a church based on its denomination, according to a new study from Lifeway Research.” - BPNews

“ ‘Baptist’ is still mentioned as the most negative denominational label. When we did an objective study of this issue several years ago, the results were the same. Apparently, the negative connotation has deepened.” - Church Answers

“…things that are cool are ephemeral. What’s fashionable is, by the necessity of the rules of fashion, quickly obsolete. This is one of many reasons why chasing cool is a fool’s errand for churches and pastors, as I argue in my book Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide.” - TGC

“These last two years have been often odd and sometimes painful ones for church leaders. In fact, they’ve been the strangest years of my 40+ years of ministry. Nevertheless, I’m excited about some things I’m seeing in churches these days.” - Chuck Lawless