Transcript Why Plant Churches

IN AMERICA TODAY…
• Most Americans say they are Christians,
but a majority are not born-again.
• 180 to 190 million people in the U.S. are
not born again.
• If those people were a nation, it would be
the fourth largest nation in the world.
IN AMERICA TODAY…
• There are 324,000 Protestant & 20,000
Roman Catholic congregations in the U.S.
• One-half of all churches in America do not
add one new member through
“conversion” growth per year.
IN AMERICA TODAY…
• About 1/3 of the adult population are
unchurched – 95 to 100 million people.
• The unchurched are those who have not
attended a Christian church service in the
last six months, other than special events.
• If the unchurched were a nation, it would
be the eleventh largest nation in the world.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
UNCHURCHED
The unchurched are more likely than the
norm of the population:
To be male.
To have experienced a divorce.
To have more education.
To have a larger income.
WHY PEOPLE HAVE DROPPED OUT OF
CHURCH
They disliked the hypocritical behavior of
church people.
 They disliked the strict and inflexible
beliefs of the church.
 The church was not compelling.
21% give each response.

REASONS WHY PEOPLE
DO NOT ATTEND A CHURCH
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Too busy to do so.
The church has nothing of interest to offer
them.
Their religious beliefs are different from
those who attend church.
They do not believe in organized religion
or in the need to worship at a church.
THE STATE OF THE CHURCH

North America is the only continent where
Christianity is not growing.

It is estimated that 53,000 people in the
United States leave churches every week
and never come back.
ACCORDING TO BARNA RESEARCH…
Of the 425,000 churches in America:
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85% have reached a plateau or are
declining.
15% are growing because of transfer
growth.
5% are growing because of conversion
growth.
The State of the Church in America…
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Each year, around 3,750 churches close
their doors.
Each year, 1,300 new churches are
started.
In the past fifty years, U.S. churches
have failed to gain an additional 2
percent of the American population.
IN WISCONSIN…
• 41 Christian
churches/churches of
Christ in WI & UP
• 24 churches are under
100
• 70% of the population
are unchurched.
IN WISCONSIN…
• “The single most
effective
evangelistic
methodology
under heaven is
the planting of
new churches.”
Dr. Peter Wagner, Fuller Seminary