The state of Christianity in America today is a topic of great debate. Depending on where you live, the conversation is likely traced through a varied vernacular. At the heart of the conversation is the question, “Is Christianity, and specifically the Church, shrinking or growing?”
A couple of weeks ago, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a study entitled “Nones on the rise.” One central finding of this study as reported by a local news station was that the younger generation known as Millennials claim to be spiritual, but not religious. The local news station, KOLR 10, ran a story soon after and interviewed myself and Pastor Seth Shelton, Lead Pastor at The Way Community Church in Springfield, a LifePoint sponsored church plant. I was unaware of the relationship of this story to the Pew report at the time of the interview, but was asked some general questions about churches in Springfield.
It is important to read these kinds of reports carefully to understand not only the findings from the study, but also to understand definitions for key terms, how questions were stated and the purpose of the study. One practice that I use for these kinds of studies is to read not only the report, but the evaluation and review of the reports form others. One trusted source is Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research. He wrote a brief article with wise counsel to help navigate a proper understanding of the Pew study.
I want to share some of my own responses to the local news story, and clarify by context my own conclusions specific to the Ozarks region. First, the statistics and demographics show that the Ozarks region is in the midst of a great cultural shift. I shared some brief thoughts about this in an earlier post. Springfield is surely not as diverse as many cities, but that is not how you measure change. Our region has been in transition for over two decades now, and though it has slowed some, it continues to move in that same direction. As the generational and slang cliché is often applied, “Today’s Ozarks ain’t your grandma’s Ozarks.”
Second, it is no surprise to hear people say “I am spiritual.” Every person is spiritual. This is a conviction grounded in the biblical teaching that we are made in the image of God. Saying, “I am spiritual, but not religious,” is a way for this generation to express disillusionment and disinterest in a “church” to which they feel no connection. In many ways this is the church’s fault and responsibility. We lost our way in many respects by straying from our message of the gospel and offering a more “feel good” message that is most commonly referred to as a “moralistic, therapeutic deism.” Jesus was stripped from the message, and the power of the gospel was reduced to self-willed principles. This never works. People are spiritual because they are created to live in relationship with God. Until one places faith in Jesus, there is no power to satisfy this “spiritual nature,” not even religion ritual. Non-Christians are completely aware of this. I believe this is the crux of what this study is saying to us today. We must preach Christ and him crucified. He is our only power to save.
Third, I cannot say whether or not Springfield is experiencing declining church numbers, by researched study. What I will say, and this is what I was talking about in the larger interview, is that our culture shift has been driven by population growth over the last two or three decades. This naturally means that churches must multiply to maintain a strong proportion to that growth. Therefore, I would not be surprised to learn that we may have experienced some declining church numbers. A greater conviction that I have about our region is that though we have traditionally been a highly churched culture, I do believe this is shifting as well, with a growing population of those disconnected from, disillusioned with, and disinterested in the church.
Fourth, the population growth is but one more greater reason why we need to be aggressive about planting churches in our city and region. Church planting is the best strategy to plant the gospel seed and grow the redemptive power of Jesus in people’s lives and in the city. Church planting is not an anti-mega church reaction. It is the Bible’s principle model for gospel-centered, missional living for the people of God, the Church. LifePoint has been actively engaged in church planting for our eight years. We have planted churches such as Mystery Church in Joplin, MO; The Way in Springfield, MO; Mercyview in Tulsa, OK; and most recently Redeemer Church in Springfield, MO.
Fifth, mega-churches are important. Small churches, or as I heard a friend say this week, natural churches, are also critical. No church that preaches God’s Word by the gospel of Jesus Christ is irrelevant. Every church must embrace the Great Commission to make disciples and understand that when the gospel grows a people, mission multiplies and churches get planted. This is the essence of what it means for God’s people to live “Sent” and “Go.”
Finally, I want to thank Nathan Vickers and Dustin Barton at KOLR 10 for the opportunity to respond. I am passionate about the church, and I pray Christians will not see her through rose-colored glasses because of what we want to think is true of her.
Every church must be so passionate about Jesus that we love the world, and especially our city, the way he has loved the world.