22 September 2015 A.D. BAPTACOSTAL LAND: 7 reasons why “Church Worship Centers” will get smaller
22 September 2015 A.D. BAPTACOSTAL LAND: 7 reasons why “Church Worship Centers” will get smaller
Rainer, Thom. “7 Reasons Why Church
Worship Centers Will Get Smaller.” Aquila
Report. 17 Dec 2013. http://theaquilareport.com/7-reasons-why-church-worship-centers-will-get-smaller/.
Accessed 22 Sept 2015.
7 Reasons Why Church Worship Centers Will Get Smaller
Church worship centers or sanctuaries will become smaller than they were the past 40 years
Written by Thom S.
Rainer | Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Church
facilities have grown in proportion to expenses of churches over the past four
decades. Church leaders are looking for more funds for ministry, and they will
find those funds by reducing facility costs. The big worship center will not be
built in many congregations, so they will have more funds to reach and minister
to the community and beyond. This trend toward smaller worship centers has
already begun, and I only see it accelerating.
A
seismic shift is taking place in American church facilities, a shift that will
become even more noticeable in the years to come. Church worship centers or
sanctuaries will become smaller than they were the past 40 years. As church
leaders decide to build, a large number of them will decide to build smaller
than most of their predecessors have in previous years.
The
trend for the past four decades has been to build increasingly larger worship
centers. And while the large worship center will not disappear, you will notice
more intentionality to build or buy smaller. Why? As I look at the church
landscape in America, I see seven reasons, and only two of them are related to
declining attendance. I will note those two first.
1.
Decreasing frequency of attendance among church members. I noted this trend in a previous article. The
informal definition of an “active” church member a decade ago was a member who
attended worship services an average of three to four times a month. Now a
member can be present only two times a month and be considered active. That
trend is definitely adversely affecting attendance.
2.
The growth of the “nones.” I have written or spoken about this issue on a number of
occasions. Pew Research found that the number of
Americans who say they have no religious affiliation increased from 15 percent
of the population to 20 percent from 2007 to 2012. This shift is huge. One out
of five persons will likely never be in your church services, and they no
longer feel a cultural compulsion to do so.
3.
The growth of the multi-site and multi-venue church. This
movement is large and growing. Church leaders are strategically starting
different sites and venues to bring the church to the population rather than
expect the people to come to one worship center. Churches are more likely to
have a few small worship centers or use one worship center on multiple days
than to have one large worship center.
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