The information in this latest Gallup poll on church attendance in the US does not really surprise me and I refuse to let it discourage me at the start of Holy Week.
Of 15,147 Protestants surveyed, 27% say they seldom attend and 16% say they never attend. Those figures are within a few points of the 6,934 Catholics who answered seldom or never.
The poll also notes that the steady decline in attendance is driven by the increasing number of Americans who do identify as religious. and who are increasingly young adults. I can only suspect that the percentages of people in these categories is higher in Canada.
This date explains why the rate of church closings across North America will be in the tens of thousands through the next decade.
Different denominations will react differently. Some will harden their theology, appealing to a righteous remnant, and some will choose to die sacrificially, spending their last endowments on community projects and giving their buildings over to secular community purposes. For the Anglican Church of Canada, it will be a steep decline, which we are already seeing in the diminishing numbers of active clergy and new vocations. Hopefully we will see some ways to measure our church's places in the community other than in average Sunday attendance.
In the meantime, I'll keep my gaze fixed on the cross and on the hope of the resurrection.
MP+
No comments:
Post a Comment