Posted on 03/31/2006 4:39:47 PM PST by dangus
Yesterday, I posted an article about new data from the National Council of Churches about the decline of mainline Protestant churches. The NCC had no data to report about non-denominational churches. Several posts referred to "non-doms" and megachurches.
Turns out there was a very recent study by the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, that found 1336 "megachurches." (Although the study supposedly defined "megachurches" as having more than 2,000 attendees per weekend, 124 churches did not meet this definition.) This is a substantially greater number than has been tossed bout in research; a 2001 study found only about 800.
Most of these "megachurches" are not non-denominational, although non-denominational churches make up the largest number.
299 churches defined themselves as Non-denominational. 131 simply reported "none" and 58 reported "Christian." (Are these the same people who fill out "human" on their census form when it asks their race? I mean... duh! Or are they calling everyone else non-Christian?) Together, these totaled 1.85 million attendees. (200,000 answered they were Christian; 400,000 did not answer.)
The next biggest numbers were Baptist, with over 1.1 million attendees. Most were Southern Baptist (216 congregations with 692,000 members); with many simply answering "Baptist" (123 congregations with 376,000 members).
Other sizeable groups included Assemblies of God (257,000 members in 90 congregations), United Methodists (231,000 attendees in 68 congregations), and the Church of Christ (108,000 in 29 congregations). And yes, there are Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Seventh-Day Adventist. Only one Catholic church was included, although I know of several which are easily large enough to be included.
OK, I see your plight. Maybe you should simply answer "no denomination" unless they haven't previously asked you what "religion" you are.
I think in your shoes, I'd answer, "Confused" HHOK!
Of course! (Slapping forehead). Who cares about methodology?
Okay, for my research into the dietary habits of the Pygmies of Central Africa, I'll define "Pygmy" as someone less than 5 feet tall. Hell, plenty of those around here - I won't even need to go to Central Africa. Of course, I'll have to exclude from my research some folks who are under 5 feet tall who aren't Pygmies from Central Africa. Yea, it's structurally bound to be imprecise, but, hey, I'll get some insight into who these Pygmies are and maybe some research cash to boot.
Confused? Not at all! haha
People ask me what nationality I am- I say American.
Same thing.
Quix, I agree with you.
Thanks thanks.
I think that SHOULD be humbling for all of us as we pontificate so stridently on all our denominational; private interpretation; ego driven
!!!!DISTINCTIVES!!!!
that we believe so intensely are SO CRUCIAL to our Faith--and therefore
ABSOLUTELY MUST BE GOD'S HIGHEST PRIORITIES FOR THOSE OTHER . . . . clueless theological idiots.
And God just sighs, maybe yawns and waits.
He's very good at out waiting us.
He's also very good at majoring in majors and minoring in minors . . .
AS WELL AS dividing the bone from the marrow and dealing with every last shred of whatever sin, flaw, willfulness, pride etc. in all of us . . .
but according to HIS WAYS AND HIS SCHEDULE.
I do believe that The Church Universal is going to experience, observe and manifest increasingly dramatically and powerfully as well as sacrificially:
BY THIS
SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES--
THAT YOU HAVE !!!!!!!LOVE!!!!!!! FOR ONE ANOTHER.
It's not by excellent Biblical preaching, as important as that is.
It's not by purity of rigid, narrow, starchy, private interpretation doctrines about ambiguous passages--though within reason and Holy Spirit's guidance--opinions are somewhat tolerable.
It's not about organizational structure.
It's not about the color of the carpeting.
It's not about hymns or choruses.
It's not about ties or T-shirts.
It's not about traditions of man or even in Scripture.
It's not about the size of the congregation or the cost of the pastor's car or parsonage.
It's not about the number in the TV land audience.
It's not about the theological semitary degrees (yes, that was deliberate spelling).
It's not about the letter of the law. It is The Spirit Who brings life AND leads into all truth and righteousness vis a vis the law.
It is not about works of righteousness, as important as those are. It is about heart attitude motivating and guiding works of righteousness. And Only God is the master heart surgeon. We can't even fix our own hearts though we can choose to cooperrate (or not) with the Master surgeon.
It's not about hair spray, spandex, sequins, high heels, silk suits, gold jewelry . . . or the lack of them.
It's not about perfect attendance, teaching Sunday School, being a deacon, being a prophet, being a bus driver, praying X hours a day, fasting X days a month . . . as valuable as all those MAY be out of a right heart attitude.
It's not about knowing everything that's going on in all the church relationships.
It's not about critical judgment of other brothers and sisters or even of sinners. Discernment is one thing. Arrogant, carnal, flesh driven critical judgment is something else.
It's not about self-righteous inquisitions 'for the cause.'
It's not about conforming all other brothers and sisters to our image. It's about Holy Spirit conforming all of us to Christ's Image in His time via His ways, his priorities, His interests, His pleasure.
It's not about acting out the lastest Christian fads or styles.
It's not about knowing the latest 'in' Christian 'stuff.'
It's not about saving ourselves or earning our Salvation.
It's not about flesh-driven, carnal driven, insecurity driven pseudo-perfectionism a la Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sorts of self-righteousness etc.
It's not about earning more Heavenly brownie points than the pew sitter next to you.
. . . .
Several dozen?
OK, there's the Orthodox church, yes...
But come on.... most of those churches you listed include less than 1,000 members! They were an excuse for a couple of bands of hippies to call themselves Catholic because they heard that there were still Catholic Churches that rejected the Pope. They'd probably be Orthodox, except they discovered that the Orthodox were more conservative than the Pope. Most of the churches would be extinct, by now, so they pretty much now mirror the beliefs of their only surviving members: Pot smoking, sexual liscentiousness, and lesbian priests.
>> I don't know how many times I've posted an innocent little sarcastic remark like that on one of the "Catholic" Threads only to be chased off as a troll.<<
Happy Easter everyone.
Perhaps P, if people kept the "innocent little sarcastic remarks" off the threads where Fellow Catholics just want to discuss our faith and not defend it, no one would be accused of being a Troll.
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