christianity dying of old age?

[Eddi]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

Here is a local example of what I think is a more general trend:

On a Sunday at my church there are normally between 20 and 25 people in the congregation

Only three of us are under 40 and I'll turn 40 next year

Everyone else are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Is this typical in Christianity in general?

My impression is that it is

At least in Western Europe - I understand that in the USA and Africa this is not the case?

I think that the only thing that can save it will be some kind of revival movement:

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

 

[Subduction Zone]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

Here is a local example of what I think is a more general trend:

On a Sunday at my church there are normally between 20 and 25 people in the congregation

Only three of us are under 40 and I'll turn 40 next year

Everyone else are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Is this typical in Christianity in general?

My impression is that it is

At least in Western Europe - I understand that in the USA and Africa this is not the case?

I think that the only thing that can save it will be some kind of revival movement:

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

I saw the same thing at my mother's church before she died. I took care of her for the last year of her life and would take her to church on Sundays. The church had quite a few member, but they were almost all over forty. They also had pictures of their Confirmation Classes. One could see that the size of them began to drop in the 1970's. From ten to twenty a year to just a handful, if that.

 

[Aštra’el]

Churches are still packed all over Texas.

 

[WalterTrull]

The world is becoming more and more rational. I feel that the problem with religions is that they tend to not explain themselves. In many cases they can’t explain themselves. Dogma doesn’t sell.

I am not an adherent to any religion, although I was raised in a Christian meme.

Christians should explain what they mean by calling themselves Christians.

In what version of God do you believe and why? Is Christ a man or a concept? Etc.

If the explanations are all mythos and no logos, the religion is doomed.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

Here is a local example of what I think is a more general trend:

On a Sunday at my church there are normally between 20 and 25 people in the congregation

Only three of us are under 40 and I'll turn 40 next year

Everyone else are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Is this typical in Christianity in general?

My impression is that it is

At least in Western Europe - I understand that in the USA and Africa this is not the case?

I think that the only thing that can save it will be some kind of revival movement:

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

In practice for as say Denmark, they are still religious/spiritual but not in the old version.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

The world is becoming more and more rational. ...

Evidence please. And not just what you think. Actual evidence.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

Here is a local example of what I think is a more general trend:

On a Sunday at my church there are normally between 20 and 25 people in the congregation

Only three of us are under 40 and I'll turn 40 next year

Everyone else are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Is this typical in Christianity in general?

My impression is that it is

At least in Western Europe - I understand that in the USA and Africa this is not the case?

I think that the only thing that can save it will be some kind of revival movement:

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

Judaism and Christianity tend to be mostly older folks. Islam is a religion for younger folks.

 

[Orbit]

2/3 of the Southern Baptist Convention (the largest Baptist denomination in the US) are age 58 or older.

 

[Heyo]

The world is becoming more and more rational. I feel that the problem with religions is that they tend to not explain themselves. In many cases they can’t explain themselves. Dogma doesn’t sell.

I am not an adherent to any religion, although I was raised in a Christian meme.

Christians should explain what they mean by calling themselves Christians.

In what version of God do you believe and why? Is Christ a man or a concept? Etc.

If the explanations are all mythos and no logos, the religion is doomed.

I discussed briefly with @Brian2 about "Christianese", the habit of believers to speak in their own slang. Maybe that is one of the barriers they build that keeps the younglings out?

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

This is how older paradigms are replaced by newer ones - not by conversion, but by replacement, or as Planck declared regarding scientific theories, one funeral at a time: “a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.”

Yes, religion is fading in the West, with America trailing the pack, but still moving in that direction, as church memberships grow older and smaller, and churches close.

"Christianese", the habit of believers to speak in their own slang.

Also, for words to have their own meaning, like love, justice, meekness, pride, and mercy. None of those words mean in Christianity what they do in humanism.

 

[Heyo]

Also, for words to have their own meaning, like love, justice, meekness, pride, and mercy. None of those words mean in Christianity what they do in humanism.

That's what I meant with "Christianese". It sounds like English but it doesn't mean the same.

 

[F1fan]

I dated a Christian woman some years ago and she attended a progressive church. Having attended my grandparents church when I was a kid it was interesting to see how church life has adapted to the traditional church. Her church service was a series of skits. The pastor was in street clothes and talked more like a neighbor telling stories. They didn’t have a choir rather an acoustic band that performed songs between skits. The place had a lot of young families with kids.

My assessment is that this is a strategy to appeal to the younger generation with kids who found the traditional church service obsolete. Pretty good idea. Not good enough to convince me any god exists.

 

[Altfish]

Where I live (UK) churches are closing; the church that I used to attend (before I lost the faith) has been replaced by houses, its congregation easily fitting into another church about 1/2 mile away.
It is not just CofE, Catholic churches are closing too.

 

[Wildswanderer]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

Here is a local example of what I think is a more general trend:

On a Sunday at my church there are normally between 20 and 25 people in the congregation

Only three of us are under 40 and I'll turn 40 next year

Everyone else are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Is this typical in Christianity in general?

My impression is that it is

At least in Western Europe - I understand that in the USA and Africa this is not the case?

I think that the only thing that can save it will be some kind of revival movement:

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

It's not dying world wide, but yes in Europe and perhaps north America. Growing in leaps at bounds in other places.

 

[stvdv]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

I live in Europe, Netherlands

My village is small, 1200 people. But in the nearby big city, 10 km biking, there live 45000 people.

The Baptist Church there has roughly 4000 members, 1000 children. Children love the Church.

BUT they put in a lot of effort to make it attractive for the children

They found the perfect way to attract people. Even I love to go there. They sing 3 times 20 minutes, and 30 minutes sermon, and 15 minutes introduction etc. That way the 2 hour Church Service flies by

So, if people don't come then it means the Church Service is boring, not inspiring etc.

During Christmas time they have like 4 or 5 Church Services, because around 20 thousand people want to come (and here in the North of Holland we have very few people, so 20.000 is relatively huge)

 

[Eddi]

I live in Europe, Netherlands

My village is small, 1200 people. But in the nearby big city, 10 km biking, there live 45000 people.

The Baptist Church there has roughly 4000 members, 1000 children. Children love the Church.

BUT they put in a lot of effort to make it attractive for the children

They found the perfect way to attract people. Even I love to go there. They sing 3 times 20 minutes, and 30 minutes sermon, and 15 minutes introduction etc. That way the 2 hour Church Service flies by

So, if people don't come then it means the Church Service is boring, not inspiring etc.

During Christmas time they have like 4 or 5 Church Services, because around 20 thousand people want to come (and here in the North of olland we have very few people, so 20.000 is relatively huge)

Isn't there a kind of "bible belt" in the Netherlands?

 

[stvdv]

Isn't there a kind of "bible belt" in the Netherlands?

True

BUT

That's far away from where I live

My guess is, that I won't find their Church Services inspiring, and probably boring

 

[dybmh]

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Try not to worry. In Jewish congregations in the U.S. , it's not uncommon for the demographic to shift more towards older folks and empty nesters. The programming needs to adapt to be enriching to this age group, but that's not too difficult. I think that religious topics require a certain level of maturity anyway. The more seasoned congregants contribute a lot, imo.

 

[Kenny]

I fear that in Western Europe at least Christianity is dying of old age

Here is a local example of what I think is a more general trend:

On a Sunday at my church there are normally between 20 and 25 people in the congregation

Only three of us are under 40 and I'll turn 40 next year

Everyone else are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s

I am worried for the long-term future of my church as it seems that we will be losing members to old age at a much greater rate to how we are attracting new members

Is this typical in Christianity in general?

My impression is that it is

At least in Western Europe - I understand that in the USA and Africa this is not the case?

I think that the only thing that can save it will be some kind of revival movement:

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

There has always been a flux between growth and contraction. Actually, when it wanes people become more hungry for answers and an awakening happens.

So it is quite typical in the history of Christianity.

I just found this list: The 10 greatest Christian revivals

The vacuum in China and Iran is actually causing a great revival in those areas.

But we continue to pray... for an awakening

 

[Brickjectivity]

I believe that it is up to the Christinas of Western Europe to initiate a revival

And that they should do so with a sense of urgency - while there is something left to revive!

Discuss.

Here is one intractable problem as I see it: the churches today won't accept that they have to give up the sermon style church -- which is a church that pleases and fulfills women only, not men. Everything is formulaic, because that is what the women approve of. They need support (like what a good husband provides) in order to feel free. Men need something else. Very often church is all about controlling God and making sure everyone hears, says and thinks the right things. It is woman-centered religion. God is not a human. A God centered religion is dangerous and chaotic. Women don't like it. I can't blame them for that, but I can say that their churches are inflexible and are not healthy for men. Men need to come out of that place and start something for men alone.