Articles for tag: Church Attendance

Mission & Evangelism

A Brand-New Life

By Mark A. Taylor I bumped into our backyard neighbor at the grocery store, and the conversation went from the price of groceries to the weather to “How are your kids?” And then she told me, “We”ve been going to church.” She had visited our church once, several years ago, but she had never come back. And I always felt she was embarrassed by that. ButÂ now she was smiling. “The girls love it, and the first Sunday my 13-year-old daughter asked if she could go back that night to youth group.” Then her expression became more earnest. “It”s really

February 18, 2014

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Beyond the Problem

By Mark A. Taylor Let”s not dwell on the fact that too many know too little about God”s Word. After clarifying the situation (and more than one writer at our site this month gives troubling facts and examples), let”s talk about how to solve the “know problem” all around us (not only in our neighborhoods, but in our churches too). We’re posting many stories and strategies to help your church increase biblical literacy where you are. From this wealth of help, several principles stand out. “¢ People want to know the Bible better. When presented with an accessible plan for

September 14, 2013

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

June 8, 2013

Mission & Evangelism

Is Missional Working?

By Stephen Sams At Axis Church in Mason, Ohio, we don”t use the word missional. It”s not that we are opposed to the word, it”s just that we try to use words that people understand. When you are trying to reach people who don”t know Jesus, you must use words that communicate and create mental pictures. If people can”t define it or explain it, then they can”t carry it out or act on it. Nearly everyone in America has a concept of church. They think they understand it. They have predetermined definitions of concepts like discipleship, evangelism, and worship, largely

May 17, 2013

Mission & Evangelism

Former Attorney Makes a Case for Christ

By Kent E. Fillinger Brian Kruckenberg didn”t grow up in a Christian home, but he attended church several times as a senior in high school. A teacher shared the gospel with him, and he began to understand it. But he finished high school, college, graduate school, and law school without giving faith in God much thought. After a friend invited the young attorney to church, Kruckenberg soon committed his life to Christ and started studying the Bible and serving in several ministries. Kruckenberg”s passion for volunteering in his church continued to grow over the next four years, and in 2004

April 3, 2012

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

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

January 5, 2012

Church Leadership

In Just One Year: The Worst . . . and the Best

Nothing challenges us to think about changing times more than the transition from one year to the next. On this first day of 2012, we asked six Christian leaders to think about the church a year from now and to draw a picture of our progress””and our problems””then.Â * * * By Greg Nettle It was the worst of times. . . . It was the best of times. As an underlying foundation, I believe that when the circumstances of life are at their worst, the church has the opportunity to be at her best. It was the worst because

October 12, 2011

Culture & Public Square

Remember the Children

By Mark A. Taylor “Whenever two people are together, one is influencing the other.” My adult children tell me today this was one of my favorite reminders years ago whenever they left the house to be with their teenage friends. I”ve thought about my little proverb often since then, especially as Christian Standard has taken up issues of church and culture. How is the church today influencing the values of our culture? And how are the attitudes and ideals of today”s educators, politicians, entertainers, and corporate leaders changing the church? Research seems to say the church is not prevailing. George

April 22, 2011

Christian Living

Christmas or Easter?

By Kent E. Fillinger Why do churches pay more attention to Christmas than to Easter? If you surveyed a group of church leaders, the common response probably would be, “Evangelism””we want to create welcoming environments for people to bring guests, and Christmas is an optimal opportunity to do so.” Really? Businesses measure “return on investment”””whether a product or venture yields a return that warrants the investment required to offer it. From the standpoint of a return on investment, Easter consistently dominates Christmas in attendance. For example, the average megachurch experienced a 74 percent increase in attendance on Easter, compared with

September 12, 2010

The Tourist Church

By Rick Grover People ask me the same questions they probably ask you: “Is your church seeker-driven, purpose-driven, missional, attractional, emergent, or traditional?” I always find it difficult to answer these questions without getting into lengthy discussions about the meaning of words and terms. And I also dislike the notion of being pigeonholed. Who doesn”t? When I think of labels for churches, I”ve coined one that I especially hope will never be used to describe ours: “Tourist Church.” Are you familiar with this name? You should be, because it is quickly becoming an unfortunate description of the American church. While

August 25, 2010

Church Life

I Can See You, September

As summer slips away, Mark A. Taylor reflects on the sadness and gratitude that come with changing seasons—and the fresh ministry opportunities churches often find as fall schedules and routines return.

February 10, 2010

Conferences & Gatherings Organizations & Events

Interview with Ben Cachiaras

Ben Cachiaras By Brad Dupray As the president of the 2010 North American Christian Convention, Ben Cachiaras has led the planning of a convention that goes “beyond” the ordinary. “What if we didn”t have a North American? What would we wish we did have? What would we need? Let”s plan that convention,” he says. Ben and his wife, Karla, met in the food court of the 1987 North American Christian Convention and this year will be celebrating their 20th year of marriage. For the last 12 years, Ben has served as senior pastor of Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland.

October 25, 2009

Daniel Schantz

Church Life

Sixteen Minutes on Sunday

Daniel Schantz remembers the comic chaos of childhood Sunday mornings and the lasting lesson hidden in the rush: nothing happens until you get out of bed and get going.

September 13, 2009

Kent Fillinger

MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES: The 2008 List

Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms introduce Christian Standard’s 2008 Medium-Sized Churches chart, featuring survey data from 66 churches averaging 500-999 in worship attendance.

September 13, 2009

Ben Simms

MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES: Fun Facts

A collection of notable statistics from the 2008 Medium-Sized Church Report, including attendance comparisons, fastest-growing churches, baptism totals, Easter attendance, and senior minister age trends.

April 19, 2009

Megachurches: The 2008 List

Christian Standard’s 2008 Megachurches chart lists churches averaging 2,000 or more in weekly attendance, along with emerging megachurches averaging 1,000 to 1,999.

April 9, 2009

MEGACHURCHES: The 2005 List

CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s 2005 megachurch list reports statistics for churches averaging 2,000 or more in weekly attendance and emerging megachurches averaging 1,000 to 1,999.

October 8, 2008

Church Health and Attendance Numbers How Do They Relate?

Mark A. Taylor considers whether church health should be measured by attendance alone, weighing numerical growth against relational healing, discipleship, and congregational stability.

August 31, 2008