ABOUT CHURCH PLANTING...
* In 1988 44% of Americans were "unchurched". Currently it is closer to 65% who do not at least have a church home.
* A church that is older than 10 years takes 89 attendees to reach one person for Christ.
* A church that is 3 to 10 years old takes 7 attendees to reach one person for Christ.
* A church that is 0 to 3 years old takes 3 attendees to reach one person for Christ.
* 80 to 85% of all churches in America are plateaued or declining.
* No county in the US has seen even a 1% increase in church attendance in the last 10 years.
* In North America 3 out of 5 new churches planted are out of business in 5 years, meaning that only 40% of new churches survive.
At no time in American history has the need for new churches been more urgent. Consider for a moment the following statistics. The church to population ratio is declining:
In 1900, there were 27 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 1996, there were 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans. -- George Gallup, Church in the World Today
From 1986-1996, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations declined by 9.5%, while the national population has increased by 11%.
In the average year, half of all churches do not add one new member through conversion growth.
Each year 3,500 to 4,000 churches close their doors for the last time. Only 1,100 to 1,500 are started each year. In other words, we lose 72.11 churches per week or 10.27 per day while gaining only 24.03 per week or 3.42 per day. -- ASCG |