The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life published a demographic report this week on the size and distribution of the world’s Christian population and revealed that Pentecostals and charismatics make up more than a quarter of all Christians. Enjoy reading the full report at:
http://www.christianpost.com/news/more-than-1-in-4-christians-are-pentecostal-charismatic-65358/
According to Richard Yeakley, of the Religion News Service, Mainline Protestant denominations in the United States continue their decades-long membership decline, while the membership in Pentecostal churches is on the rise. This is based on new figures compiled by the National Council of Churches.
The largest Religious groups are:
1. The Catholic Church: 68.5 million, up 0.57%
2. Southern Baptist Convention: 16.1 million, down .42% (Membership fell for a third straight year)
3. The United Methodist Church: 7.8 million, down 1%
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: 4.5 million, down 1.96%
9. Assemblies of God: 2.9 million, up .52%
10. Presbyterian Church (USA): 2.7 million, down 2.61%
Mainline Protestant churches continue the decline in memberships that began in the 1970s. The newest numbers show that the membership drop in mainline churches led to a 1% decrease in total U.S. church membership, to 145.8 million.
–According to the 2011 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches published this week
An excellent article from USA Today Thursday, December 7, 2010, describes a research study just released on people’s level of happiness. The results showed, “Attending religious services regularly and having close friends in the congregation are key to having a happier, more satisfying life.”
You can read the full article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/mind-soul/spirituality/2010-12-07-happyreligion07_ST_N.htm?csp=ylf
The research demonstrates how important it is for a person to have close friends in church, not just to attend. “The study also finds that 15% of weekly church attendees said they had no close friends at church, and people who say they participate in private religious practices, such as services held at home, were no happier than those who never attend congregational services.”
You can read the full report in the December issue of the American Sociological Review:
http://www.asanet.org/images/journals/docs/pdf/asr/Dec10ASRFeature.pdf
This study demonstrates to all of us in church leadership one more reason it is vitally important to help our church attenders connect relationally with others in the congregation. The delivery system is not the key (small groups, ministry teams, social functions), but that people establish meaningful relationships with a circle of friends.
Mel
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