Yesterday morning approximately 12,000 people attended Decatur, Illinois churches. That's right, about 16% of the 75,000 population worships on Soy City Sunday's. The national average hangs around 22% attendance.
Like Ray Charles sings in the song, 'My World,' "Everybody's got their own opinion and you know I sure got mine.." This church declining phenomenon is NOT caused by some evil secular 'war on Christianity' conspiracy. That's hogwash. Nothing is stopping me from believing, attending or practicing my religion and showing my faith. I can say Merry Christmas in spite of the boogie man hullabaloo promoted by the Fox News people.
Once upon a time in my Methodist Church, we held Sunday School, Sunday Morning Church-worship service and Sunday Evening Services. The women had Womens's Christian Temperance Union meeting on Tuesday nights, Wednesday night was Prayer Meeting and you could bet the local public schools did not schedule activities in conflict. Thursday night was designated as Bible Study. Throughout the month their were several church social activities drawing families back to The Lord's House. It was a family-faith gathering place...no longer.
It was Christians that simply got too busy for 'The Church.' We got more mobile. We began traveling more to be with friends and relatives. We saw the family unit dismantled by divorce. The youth activities calendar became the center of attention. Church attendance slowly lost top rung priority. Christians made God second; just as Christians place Him and their faith on the back burner when things are 'good,' however we drop everything and call upon Him and our faith when trouble visits.
You may take this as a finger-pointing accusation or my personal confession...both would be correct.
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