I wonder what the increase is for non-denominational Christian.
Disciple of Christ ping
Faith is often confused with values. There was once the assumption that people of faith shared ideals such as sobriety, monogamy, abstinence of sex before marriage, honesty, an abhorrence of pornography, respect for human life and personal responsibility and accountability in all actions especially dealings with fellow human beings. There was a time in America when the majority of people, most of whom were believers and members of some religious denomination were part of a consensus that shared those values. However over the past fifty years America has entered a neo pagan era. A large percentage of the people, nearly a majority has embraced hedonism,pornography, drug use, tolerates homosexuality and all its permutations, widespread abortion, earth and celebrity worship. It is not surprising that these people are agnostic, have left religion or embraced pseudo religious organizations that embrace those values. The decline in religious affiliations and the decline in attendance at services, reflects a loss of faith but also a fundamental shift in values. Face it. There no longer exists a reasonable social consensus in the United States.
The Methodists tend to be very liberal within its national bureaucracy but have many conservative congregations. The Church has not recognized homosexual marriage but there are many homosexuals within its influential positions.
What was once a conservative Methodist Women’s Missionary Society degraded into the WSCS (Women’s Society of Christian Service) and then changed further. The Methodist Board of Global Ministries was just as involved in Theology of Liberation as the Jesuit Order. Now some of those Christian congregations that missionaries started in places like Thailand, Tanzania, and China need to send missionaries to the United States and Europe to lead errant Churches back to the Bible.
Are there numbers for the Catholic Church in the United States?
Just my guess much of the decline is liberal denominations losing members because they simply don’t have a message that differs much from what any secular/leftist type group would be saying. And the decline in conservative churches may be due to people in mega churches just not feeling all that connected to the church. They go to a church where they don’t really know anyone so they just watch it on the internet.
And the OPC went from about 10,000 to about 25,000! Yay us :)
If Christianity has a future in the United States, it's going to have a decidedly hispanic flavor. Get out your maracas, folks.
I know that the stats don’t tell the truth....I belong to the ELCA and the The ELCA formally came into existence on January 1, 1988 before that it was three deferent denominations.
the list has a number of congregants from 1968. twenty years prior to it forming.....
I suggest that the article be ignored because it is obvious to me the numbers cant be trusted.
please disregard what I wrote got stats from one religion mixed with another when reading the article if I could pull what I wrote I would
Those cited in the article that are dying in my area have managed to keep the doors open by sharing their buildings with immigrants who have services in Korean, Chinese, spanish, Russian, Arabic, farsi, and probably others. Several have sold to Muslims and are now Islamic centers. Bible churches are growing.
I want to put in that in the ‘70s, the LCMS went through a major schism. The liberals lost out, but it was very close to a Pyrrhic victory for the Biblical conservatives because of the hurting it put on the numbers, and it never really recovered.
As for the decline in numbers that I’m seeing between 2000 and 2010, I have no idea.
Luke 18:6-8
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.
7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Orthodox Christianity Sees Slow but Constant Wave of Growth from Conversions