THREE CHURCH GROWTH MYTHS

by guest columnist John C. LaRue, Jr.

Do you need alarming statistics to motivate your church into
being more evangelistic? I hope not. There's already plenty of
evidence to indicate that many people still need to be
evangelized, so there's no reason for exaggerating. That's why
I'd like to dispel a number of myths currently being circulated.

Myth #1: The percentage of adults in the United States who attend
church is decreasing. (See statistics below.)

The fact is churchgoing in America has been very stable for 60
years. True, according to the Gallup Poll, church attendance
surged in the 1950s and trailed off in the 1960s to an average of
between 40 to 43 percent. And it's true that in 1996 only 37
percent of those surveyed by Gallup said they attend church
weekly -- the lowest percentage ever recorded. But in 1999 - -
the last year for which statistics are available - - 43 percent
of Americans said they had attended church in the past week. So
church attendance actually increased by 16 percent in just 3
years.

Myth #2: More churches are closing than opening every year.

Actually, there are more churches in the United States now than
there were 20 or even 100 years ago. According to yellow pages
statistics there are currently more than 350,000 listings for
churches in this country compared to about 300,000 twenty years
ago. This growth in the number of churches reflects the growth in
the U.S. population during the twentieth century.

Perhaps this misperception arose because there has been a
dramatic decline in the church-to-population ratio in the past
century. According to the "1993-1994 Almanac of the Christian
World" there were 27 churches per 10,000 people in 1900 compared
to just 12 churches per 10,000 people in 1990. However, churches
are getting larger. Church growth expert Lyle Schaller reports
that various denominational records indicate the average church
size has tripled in the past century. So even though there aren't
as many churches per capita, many people are attending larger
churches.

Myth #3: Conversions to other religions and dropouts from
Christianity are escalating. (See statistics below.)

The truth is, according to Gallup research, the number of
Americans who describe themselves as born-again or evangelical
Christians has grown dramatically in the past quarter century --
especially in the 1990s. In 1976, 34 percent of Americans were
classified as evangelicals. Twenty-five years later, in 1999,
this number was up 12 percentage points to 46 percent.

In conclusion, be cautious with reports that cast church growth
statistics negatively. Try to step back and get the whole
picture. We already have adequate motivation -- a biblical
mandate -- to go into all the world with the gospel until Christ
returns. And the fact is regardless of upward or downward trends
there are plenty of people left that need the good news.

About the Research
Gallup statistics in this report come from "Emerging Trends," a
monthly publication of the Princeton Religion Research Center
utilizing the research facilities of Gallup International. Most
studies from which these statistics were generated consisted of
nationwide random samples of 1000 adults in the United States
between 1939 and 1999.

John C. LaRue, Jr., is Vice President of Internet Research and
Development for Christianity Today International, and Your Church
Special Report columnist. To reply, write:
Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net

60 YEARS OF STEADY WEEKLY CHURCH ATTENDANCE
Year %
1939 41
1950 39
1955 49
1962 46
1967 43
1972 40
1977 41
1980 40
1985 42
1990 40
1996 37
1999 43

EVANGELICALS ON THE INCREASE
Year %
1976 34
1981 38
1992 36
1995 41
1999 46