I subscribe to Carey Nieuwhof’s newsletter. I suggest you subscribe to it, it is free. It is full of great information. This morning in his newsletter ‘On The Rise’ he has a report by Ryan Burge on, ‘How Bad is the Denomination Decline?
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin
Carey Nieuwhof:
Professor Ryan Burge has a pretty exceptional Substack (Graphs About Religion), and in this article, he breaks down denominational decline and growth.
Most denominations are in free fall, but Assemblies of God and Presbyterian Church in America aren’t. They’re growing significantly.
That said, even growing denominations need to catch up with population growth.
Two things to remember:
- If you’re leading a growing church, you can fall victim to declaring victory too soon. Just because your room is full doesn’t mean you’ve fulfilled your mission.
- If you lead a stuck or declining church, the challenge is not to declare defeat. God is a God of resurrection. If you’re slumping, know it’s only truly over if you decide it will be.
Only 2 of 9 Denominations Are Growing
From Carey Carey Nieuwhof’:
| Share On The Rise, get some of my best leadership development content for free! |
| Do you know someone who would find this newsletter helpful? Give them your unique referral link (below) and get some of my best leadership material when they subscribe. |
| https://join.careynieuwhof.com/11adbfb4/ |
Lifeway Research:
By Timothy C. Morgan
Pastors are eager to reach the next generation for Christ as well as growing the size, diversity and level of discipleship within their congregations, according to a new survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors by Nashville-based Lifeway Research.
“Pastors are thinking about reaching the next generation. That becomes a top concern for 4 out of 10,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “The other sizable concern would be the lack of discipleship in the congregation.”
The 2019 Future of the Church Study by Lifeway Research is based on a survey of Protestant pastors, examining their views on the future of their congregations.