We Are the Church

As Christians, we are all part of the body of Christ - and He has appointed us specific ways in which we are to function.  We each have a role to play, a mission to fulfill, so that His kingdom might advance in the earth. Here are some words from 1st Corinthians 12:
12For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.14For in fact the body is not one member but many.
We are the church, and our lives are on display as representatives ultimately of Jesus Himself, the head of the body of Christ, the Lord of the church.  In our actions, we have to keep in mind that we are called to reflect His nature, which has been placed in us by the Holy Spirit.  We can depend on Him to lead us in His ways, and to behave in a manner consistent with His truth.  As we do that, we can send a compelling message to the world about His love and life-changing ability - a message of hope in discouraging times.
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In Colossians 1, we read the declaration of the lordship of Jesus over His church.  And we recognize that because He is the head, because He is in charge, we can rely on Him to direct us in our work as the church:
18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.19For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

On this edition of "Survey Thursday" here in The Front Room, I wanted to highlight a new Barna survey which coincides with the release of a new book.  The summary of the survey opens up this way:

Since 1990, the percentage of unchurched adults in America has risen from 30% to 43% of the population. Even as this segment has grown, has their profile changed?

Barna Group has identified five trends in its research that are contributing to the increase in the churchless of America.  The big picture is this:  Today's unchurched are much less likely to come from a church background than ever before.  Furthermore, unchurched people today have different expectations of church involvement from those of previous decades.  The summary notes that, "These changes are the result of shifting personal attitudes as well as significant changes in the broader cultural landscape."

This study comes in conjunction with the release of Churchless, a new book from veteran researchers George Barna and David Kinnaman, which draws on more than two decades of tracking research and more than 20 nationwide studies of the unchurched.

Here are 5 trends that the research has identified:

1. Secularization Is on the Rise

38% of the nation's adult population now qualifies as post-Christian (measured by 15 different variables related to people's identity, beliefs and behaviors).  Another 28% is moderately post-Christian. The research shows that the proportion of highly secularized individuals is growing slowly but steadily.

2. People Are Less Open to the Idea of Church

Twenty years ago, 65% of churchless Americans were open to being invited to church by a friend. Today, that percentage has slipped to 47%.  But, an invitation from a friend is the top-rated way churches can establish connections with the unchurched.   The trend data does raise questions about the long-term durability of this approach.

3. Churchgoing Is No Longer Mainstream

The Barna Group survey notes that, "churchgoing is slowly but incontrovertibly losing its role as a normative part of American life. In the 1990s, roughly one out of every seven unchurched adults had never experienced regular church attendance. Today, that percentage has increased to nearly one-quarter."  But, there is some news that could be regarded as encouraging:  Even though the cultural trend is toward less church-friendliness overall, the vast majority of unchurched adults still have at least some level of personal experience in a church.

4. There Are Different Expectations of Church Involvement

Only 57% of churchless adults say they would be interested in Sunday worship as their starting point for church attendance, a decline from nearly 7 in 10 in the early 90's.  And, brand loyalty is declining - two decades ago, 85% said they would expect to attend just one congregation. The recent study reflects a slight loosening of this potential loyalty.

5. There Is Skepticism about Churches' Contributions to Society

When the unchurched were asked to describe what they believe are the positive and negative contributions of Christianity in America, 49% could not identify a single favorable impact of the Christian community, while nearly 37% were unable to identify a negative impact.

David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group and co-editor, with George Barna, of the new book, Churchless, from which this data is taken, says, "The gap between the churched and the churchless is growing, and it appears that Christian communities of faith will struggle more than ever to engage church outsiders in their neighborhood, town or city."

He poses the question, "How can we recapture an urgency to fulfill the Great Commission while treating our churchless friends with respect?"  He adds, "Wrestling with answers to this question will help prepare a faith community to engage more meaningfully with unchurched people."

I had some thoughts about the nature of the church - first of all, while one could associate "the church" with a building and even regard it as a valid institution in our society (which it is), first and foremost, the church is the body of Christ, comprised by real people serving a real Savior who invites people to experience His reality.  The degree of effectiveness of the church is determined by the degree in which its people reflect the love of Christ.  

I think this research can really cause us to think about the way that we "do church."  And, while there can be an expectation that people will continue to come to church locales, especially when invited, I believe that we can look for ways to engage with people outside the church physical property.  I think of Jesus and how He went from city to city and began to teach.  It is true that He did set up at the synagogues, but the majority of His recorded ministry seems to be out in the community, sort of speak.

The church has a wonderful opportunity to be on display so that people see Jesus, and our primary mission has not changed - to go into the world and make disciples.  While that mission and the gospel message are timeless, our ways of communicating His truth can change. That's the challenge that we can each approach prayerfully, to ask God to show us ways in which He can use us to live out His love.