Research on churchlife
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 2:24PM
Living with Freaks

Here is the first paragraph from a summary on recent research findings from Barna:

With the increase in megachurches, the prominence of “parachurch” leaders and organizations, and the presence of hundreds of thousands of Americans who serve as clergy and church staff, one often overlooked group is the laity – or the unpaid, unheralded people who comprise the Christian community in America. 

Well, Barna, it's well said and it's about time.

Here is a summary and some comments of their summary (followed by a link to their summary):

  1.  Women drive most faith participation, EXCEPT for in house churches.
    • I think there is growing acknowledgment that men are falling asleep in the church, and I think it has a lot to do with it being so boring. I know that John Eldredge cares about this and is trying to do something about it, but it doesn't seem like many others are concerned. So why is it different for men in churches that meet in homes? I think it's because for many of these churches, there is no clergy. It is ONLY the laity. So if men (and women, I hope) do not do the work, nothing happens. There is an important principle here: if we want something to work by the investment and commitment of people, we have to let it fall apart without the investment and commitment of people.
  2. Older adults dominate faith involvement.
    • While my church experience is a microcosm of a microcosm, I have seen the opposite: younger adults dominate faith involvement. In fact, there was a season where we were desperate for older ones to share their wisdom and experience with us. Now we have several couples: Jeff and Nan, Richard and Cathy, Larry and Linda, Ron and Janet - all above the age 50 and with grown children. But again, those are just 8 of about 35 adults...hardly what I would call domination. I think the real question for us is: will these young adults grow into older adults who mentor others in how to know Jesus Christ and live by His life? Also, will the institutional way of doing church continue to attract younger generations?
  3. Regionally, Americans' faith involvement falls along stereotypical lines.
    • I knew that Southerners would make up most of church participants, but I was surprised by a couple of things here. First, Southerners are the least likely to participate in house churches. I guess it makes sense because tradition reigns down here. The second interesting thing? Those in the West are the most likely to participate in house church.
  4. Personal Bible reading is most common among small group attenders.
    • What Barna calls "small group attenders" are the most likely to spend personal time reading the Bible. Although it might be an extrapolation to translate reading the Bible as knowing Jesus, I think it's a big deal that those who are connected in intimate ways see a carry-over into how they spend their time personally (this is also related to my last teaching). While I think my church sometimes struggles with how to best reach out, I think we are much better at helping others become disciples.
  5. The most political diversity can be found in house churches.
    • I did not expect this one, but the most political diversity in the church is found among those who meet in homes. Up to a quarter of those consider themselves liberal, which is a high number relatively. I think there are many ways you could describe my church as homogenous, but I am constantly pleased that those who are diverse in religious background, political views, and personality are so committed to each other in Christ. I want more of this!

I'm so glad Barna is doing this stuff. Here is the link to the full summary

Article originally appeared on Living with Freaks (http://www.livingwithfreaks.com/).
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