Articles for tag: Barna Group

June 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Science or Faith?

By Tim Stafford I”ve interviewed 11 scientists who, while disagreeing with each other, share the conviction that a person can embrace both science and faith in God. These days, almost every young American believes he has a choice to make. He can choose faith or he can choose science, but he can”t choose both. It”s extremely hard to choose faith over science, though some do. After all, if you breathe the air around any academic institution, you imbibe the belief that all the good jobs involve math and science. Watch college commercials during bowl or tournament games. Don”t they always””always“”include a

May 13, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Proud, but Not Satisfied

By Mark A. Taylor Don”t count CHRISTIAN STANDARD among today”s crop of church bashers. Even when we don”t headline our cover with “I love the church,” we make a point of encouraging the local church and its leaders. But posts at our site this month give special reasons to feel positive. For example, we couldn”t agree more with Bob Russell”s local-church cheerleading. Think of all the dysfunction and distress our world would face without the healing and help the church has extended through the centuries. Then there”s Kent Fillinger”s annual update on the state of megachurches and other churches among

March 7, 2014

Christian Standard

Your NACC Planner

By Jennifer Johnson In American Religion: Contemporary Trends, author Mark Chaves reports the percentage of people in the United States who say they “never” attend church has risen steadily over the last 30 years, and that if current trends continue, we will soon be a “Protestant-minority” country. Warren Bird, director of research for Leadership Network, recently blogged that 125 million Americans””more than 1 out of 3″”haven”t attended any religious services in the last year, and writes, “That number alone would be the 10th largest country in the world!” At this year”s North American Christian Convention, President Tim Harlow will challenge

February 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Deep Impact: The Cultural Challenge of Biblical Illiteracy

By James Riley Estep Jr. You”ll find it in almost every hotel room, usually in the top drawer next to the bed. While most studies indicate a majority of Americans hold the Bible in high regard, those same studies indicate Americans are increasingly ignorant of what”s in the Bible. A lack of biblical literacy is a challenge for the American culture and also the American church. It poses a crucial test for the Christian community”s identity, distinctives, and ministry in the 21st century.   Increasing Unfamiliarity with the Bible George Gallup and Jim Castelli have concluded, “Americans revere the Bible

October 8, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

Keeping Them Connected

By Mark A. Taylor Those concerned about millennials and their relationship to the church can be encouraged by research reported by the Barna Group in September. Although the news release, titled “Five Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church,” minced no words about “the harsh realities of Millennial Faith,” it also offered research to show why many 18- to 29-year-olds stay connected to God by being connected to a local church. But first the bad news: 59 percent of millennials raised in Christian churches eventually leave them. In the last decade, according to this research, the number of unchurched millennials has

September 14, 2013

Christian Standard

City Growth, Church Growth?

By Darrel Rowland For decades Americans fled the city for suburbs, and their churches followed them. But the trend has reversed””at least for now””with more people moving into the city. Will churches return with them? That”s a key question because the statistics showing the new boom in city growth collide with findings on spiritual beliefs, such as those compiled by pollster George Barna. The country”s current demographic upheaval is stark. From 2001 to 2010 only five U.S. cities grew faster than their surrounding suburbs. Now most cities are outstripping the “burbs, which hasn”t happened since the 1920s. A U.S. Census

February 2, 2013

Christian Standard

College Listened to Its Community

“My Take” by Jennifer Johnson I love many things about Lipscomb”s new Spark center, including the school”s willingness to put down roots in a new part of town and its multifaceted approach to professional development. But I think the best part of this new initiative””and the reason it”s been wildly successful even in its opening months””is its attention to the felt needs of a specific demographic. Executive Director John Lowry says the center”s design and its services reflect current research on how adults learn and work together, and the idea for Spark developed after Lipscomb saw the need for more

October 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Sticky Conversations: Alcohol

THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF FIVE “STICKY CONVERSATIONS”   By Tim Harlow In matters of opinion, beer? “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; in all things, love.” It”s such a beautiful sentiment, but how do we know which is which? There wouldn”t be 30,000 different sects of Christianity in the world if it were really that easy. Consider the subject of alcohol. It”s always been confusing to me because, as I grew up in the Christian church, I was always told alcohol was bad/sinful. But Paul told Timothy to drink some wine for his

May 26, 2012

Christian Standard

Money Matters

By Kent E. Fillinger Total giving to U.S. nonprofits rose 7.5 percent in 2011, an increase of $24.2 billion over the 2010 total. Although religious institutions represent the largest sector of this giving, those gifts decreased from 37 percent of the total in 2010 to 36 percent in 2011.1 Therefore, while charitable giving increased overall, religious nonprofits, including churches, received a smaller piece of the pie. A Barna Group and Omni Poll from April 2011 found that “69 percent of American adults said they had reduced their giving to churches/religious centers and other nonprofits within the preceding three months and

April 3, 2012

Christian Standard

A Room Called Remember

By a Lifelong Christian Church Member (ANONYMOUS) In 2006, the Barna Group conducted a study about church attendance and found that most twentysomethings leave the church after being active through their teen years. The data showed that “61 percent of today”s young adults had been churched during their teen years but are now spiritually disengaged, i.e. not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying.” One of the insights David Kinnaman, the director of the research, offered was, “Every teen has different needs, questions and doubts, so helping them to wrestle through those specific issues and to understand God”s unique

February 2, 2011

Christian Standard

So Long to Good-Byes

By Cal Jernigan Perhaps you heard the story of the man who was stranded alone on a deserted island for a number of years. One day a ship appeared on the horizon, noticed him, and sent some men ashore to rescue him. While helping him gather his scant belongings, the rescuers noticed three huts clustered together and asked the man about them. The man pointed to one of the huts and explained that it served as his house, and then he pointed to another and explained that it was where he went to church. The man stopped without mentioning the

August 31, 2008

Christian Standard

Parents Matter

By Curtis Booher and Phyllis Fox Parents matter. More than anyone””peers, teachers, youth ministers””the greatest single influence on a teen is his parents. That may shock some parents who feel like a discarded shoe when their children reach adolescence. Research proves parents have the greatest effect on their children”s choices, including their religious and spiritual practices. Teens long to be cared for and taken seriously and they need authentic relationships with their parents and other caring adults. Christian parents need support from the church and that means more than youth group and Bible studies. The alarming rate of teen church

June 4, 2006

Arron Chambers

small churches

Magic Pill

Using a “Magic Pill” metaphor, Arron Chambers explains why some churches prefer to stay small—avoiding change, cost, and shared leadership—and urges congregations to pursue healthy growth under Christ.

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