Americans are still highly Evangelical, according to a new study. "Americans may not be losing their religion after all, according to a massive new Baylor University study on faith in the United States." The Baylor study found that past surveys that have "found" Americans to be more and more secular have been faulty in the types of questions they have asked. The new study probes deeper than other surveys. Whereas most surveys will simply ask which denomination a person is affiliated with, this survey will go on to ask five or six more probing questions.
What the Baylor study has discovered is that:
-- The majority of people not affiliated with any religion still believe in God, and a third of those pray at least occasionally.
-- Nearly 11 percent of people who claim no affiliation with a religion attend church at least once a month.
-- One out of 10 people with no religious affiliation firmly believes Jesus is the Son of God.
Also concluded from the survey is a movement away from denominational life. "People are better able to identify with a local place of worship than with a national denomination. For instance, fewer people today think of themselves as Southern Baptists than as members of a particular congregation."
They use the example of Rick Warren's congregation, Saddleback Community Church, in California which at 20,000 attendees is one of the largest churches in America. Saddleback is a Southern Baptist Church, but the study pointed out that most who attend probably wouldn't even know that. Today, most people who visit a church do NOT do it because it is Baptist (or Methodist, Episcopalian, or any other denomination for that matter). They have other reasons.
A past study by Barna Researchers concluded that 20 million Americans are Evangelical. This new study puts that number at closer to 100 million. It's just that the overwhelming majority of them are choosing NOT to go to church. And many others may go to church, but do not consider themselves to be part of any one denomination.
What does all this mean? Church work is changing ... fast. The way people view the Church and their reasons for going to church are changing. The work of the Church is the same as it always has been. The message is the same (and always will be). But the way we reach people and the way we "DO" church is changing. And those who are unable or unwilling to change with it will be left behind. Undoubtedly, they will still be used by God. But not to their full potential.
You can read the entire article on the Baylor Study HERE.
blessings,
pastor ellis




