) The faithful are
restless, a new study of Protestant churchgoers suggests.
They're switching from church to church, powered by a mix of
dissatisfaction and yearning, according to the study by LifeWay
Research. The organization is part of the publishing arm of the
Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant
denomination.
Most of the switchers who changed their house of worship without
making a residential move (58 percent) say their old church failed
to engage their faith, or put their talents to work, or it seemed
hypocritical or judgmental.
But 42 percent of the people say they switched because another
church offered more appealing doctrines and preaching or the
preacher and church members' faith seemed more "authentic."
"We may believe in the same doctrine, the same God, and study the
same Bible, but we are also imperfect human beings who mess up, who
are not always living out those beliefs," says Scott McConnell,
associate director of LifeWay Research. He adds in the rise of
"consumerism and narcissism"-when people expect to customize every
experience to personal taste.
More than half (54 percent) of switchers changed denominations as
well. Fewer than half (44 percent) said denomination was an
important factor in choosing a new church.
The study, conducted in December 2006, surveyed 632 Protestant
adults who said they switched churches. For findings on the 415
people who had not made a residential move, the margin of error is
plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
The study follows LifeWay's 2006 research on 469 "formerly
churched" Protestants who quit church altogether.
Of the switchers, 76 percent call themselves "devout Christians."
Only 19 percent of the quitters said the same.
The U.S.'s largest denomination, the Roman Catholic Church, sees
similar trends.
"The boundaries that once kept people in one faith, one church,
have become more permeable," says Mary Gautier of the Center for
Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University.
The number of new converts to Catholicism leveled off at about
150,000 a year for the past decade, while immigration from Catholic
countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa has pushed the tally of
U.S. Roman Catholics to 64 million. But the church has no mechanism
for tracking who washes out of the pews unless they've died, been
excommunicated or publicly renounced their faith.
"Catholics are very sticky. They may not go to church but they
still stick to that identification," Gautier says.
Although the LifeWay research finds most switchers move to larger
churches, don't blame megachurches for poaching the sheep, says
Scott Thumma of Hartford Theological Seminary, author of an upcoming
book, Beyond Megachurch Myths, based on several studies of
churches.
"The 1,200 or so megachurches (defined as churches where 2,000 or
more people attend weekend worship) are only one-half of 1 percent
of all U.S. churches and account for only 5 percent of all weekend
worship attenders," Thumma says.
"And my sense, after years of examining megachurches, is that 80
percent of the people who join, including those who go through new
member classes, are gone within the first two years."
Says Brad Waggoner, LifeWay's vice president of research and
ministry development: "There's no simple answer why people are so
restless."
Decades ago, American culture supported church loyalty out of
respect for the church, obligation to family, or social
expectations. Now, he says, that culture has shifted.
Waggoner also sees other factors at work, such as increased
skepticism or cynicism in the wake of clergy sexual abuse or
financial scandals. And some are turned off by divisiveness in
denominations over doctrine and practice, he says.
The Southern Baptist Convention, he says, still feels the effect
of a revolution in leadership in the 1980s that restored theological
conservatives to power. The Episcopal Church is struggling now with
dissention over views of the Bible and the role of gay clergy.
Though individual churches and pastors can't erase those
overarching concerns, the survey suggests there is a great deal they
can change or do to stem the restless tide of switchers and
dropouts, Waggoner says.
"We have a biblical responsibility to care for every person in
our flock."
Why People Change Churches:
Why they left their old church1
Nashville--(
Cripple Gate, St. Martin--On Sunday, April 22,
the Marigot Church of the Nazarene in Cripple Gate, St. Martin
officially dedicated its church building. More than 600 were in
attendance as former French Field Director Terry Ketchum gave a
message calling the people of this church to be "God's household .
the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the
truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). Multiple choirs and soloists performed
during the service as they celebrated what God has done.
Ketchum responded, "From beginning to end, God
proved Himself faithful . yet again. He provided funds to purchase
property when both were scarce; He provided strength and courage for
the St. Martin Nazarenes as they persevered in clearing the land,
built the wall, and continued construction between Work and Witness
teams; He called Work and Witness teams to action who obediently
answered; He provided additional funding through faithful servants
willing to accept the challenge; He provided on-site volunteers to
give assistance throughout the process. 'To God be the glory.' He is
still building His church ... and St. Martin Nazarenes are a vital
part of that body."
Quincy, Massachusetts--On January 21, 2002,
Nazarene Theological Seminary became the birthplace of the
Rogers-Cunningham-Bowman Ministerial Institute (RCBMI), marking a
historical and pivotal point in the development of African-American
leadership, prophetic witness, social action, and theological and
academic excellence in the Church of the Nazarene. The virtual
institute has since been held at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado
Springs, Colorado and at Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) in Quincy,
Massachusetts.
