I have my own opinions about why people don't like church anymore. Let me say again, it is my opinion and not facts, so you can take it for what it is worth-agree or disagree.
(1) Most people are convinced today they don't need the church to get to heaven.
The stats say that people between the ages of 19-29 begin to drift away from the church because they feel it really isn't important anyore concerning their spiritual future. My gut feeling is they think more of us (the church) as an institution rather than a movement. If you think about it it makes sense. The early church of Acts 2 was an exciting and unique place to be a part of. They were a group of world-changers that turned the known world upside down for Christ. We say today that we are a model of the New Testament Church, but we really don't act like they did. They cared about each other much more than the church shows today and about ministering to the needs of one another. They also were concerned about affecting the environment around them for better rather than worse. Sometimes it seems the church today is only concerned about itself rather than the needs of the lost, hurting, and needy.
(2) Most churches have gone so far in debt for facilities that they don't have the finances to invest in ministries that really count. What good is building a nice facility if you don't have the money to keep it up or the money to invest in ministries to fill it up? I have inherited three buildings in my forty years of ministry that were either in disrepair when I got there or they were far behind on their upkeep and maintenance. Then I had the task of trying to repair them or update them and usually raise the funds to do so. Not an easy task to do especially now days in this economy and it's getting worse.
(3) Most churches want to stick to traditional ministries that have become outdated to the general public or again don't have the funds or staff to help them function properly.
Four years ago in Union I led the church in building a Family Life Center that I thought was the key to reaching our community for Christ. They've been in the building for 3 years now-1 year under my administration and two years under their new pastor. I felt like that was something we needed to do to kick start our ministry of 11 years there at the time. We were able to construct a nice facility for less than $240,000.00 and with a total payment of around $2200.00 a month, well within our budget and less than what the church was paying when I moved there 11 years prior.
I did this believing God was going to help us use the facility for ministry because nobody else was using theirs in the city to do what we wanted to do. We started community outreach after community outreach using athletics and exercise, but none of the things we did brought people into the church. Even though the church has very nice facilities in Union that we were able to keep up during my tenure there as the pastor, and a beautiful building for fellowship and recreation, the stuff that used to work when I was a kid and teenager just didn't work like I thought it would. In my mind it should have but it didn't.
Softball teams, basketball teams, and athletic ministries work in some areas well, but not like they used to. You usually end up with people just coming the required time to play on the team and then you don't see them until the next season. The traditional ministries we did to get people in church in the past, like youth rallies and VBS, don't work like they once did. I've also discovered that most senior adults like to have the facilites mostly as decoration rather than fellowship and really don't want certain people to use them. Sunday School only seems to appeal to the elderly because a whole generation was kept away from it because their parents thought it was boring. Traditional choirs again appeal mostly to the elderly and most younger people don't participate in them because of the style of music or the required dress codes to be on stage.
Again, it's mostly the seniors (and sadly to say I am one of them at 58-senior that is) that still believe all traditional ministries of the past still work to attract people today. Believe me they don't.
(4) The church is not the main social and gathering place it once was with young adults who have children. Most of them have their schedules so adjusted with school activities and routines that many refuse to sacrifice a night of their family time to come to something miles away at a church facility whether it be a church service or activity. As young people, many of us would come to church just to be with our friends, but that's not the drawing card anymore. The social events of our day have become more important than church to most young people and younger couples with children. Things that are foreign to most people over 50 like Google, Wikapedia, Twitter, Facebook, even My Space are an every minute occurance with the generation of today.
(5) The Millennials are the first non-religious generation in American history. They have not be taught the importance of the church, they have not been grounded in the Word, and haven't been brought on any regular basis to a house of worship. Thusly, they abstain themselves from religious facilites of all denominations. Many say they believe in a higher power, but they are not sure if He is the God of the Bible or some other god. In fact most of them have never read a Bible, sat through a Sunday School class, sang out of a hymnal, or even gave anything in the offering (let alone learn to tithe). They are the most educated, entertained, and worldly enlightened generation in modern history.
When a 3rd grader knows more about sex than his/her parents do it just proves the opinions I'm giving you. The world has changed, yet we still resist to change the methods of the church to appeal to those who really need to hear the gospel.
(Part 3 tomorrow)
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