March 3, 2007 | Seth Barnes | Mobilization | 7 Comments | Views 2

Top 12 trends in American Christianity

By Seth Barnes

03 March 2007, 12:03 am

If you’re a Jesus-follower who is leading others, you need to study and consider the alarming implications of Barna’s list of 12 trends in the Christian movement. For example, just 15% of church attenders would rank their relationship with God as their top priority. In contrast, 75% of young people reported that they’d engaged in witchcraft or psychic activity. Is this alarming? Should it be? You be the judge. Here are the highlights:

Barna selected the following dozen outcomes as the most significant findings of 2006.

Although large majorities of the public claim to be “deeply spiritual” and say that their religious faith is “very important” in their life, only 15% of those who regularly attend a Christian church ranked their relationship with God as the top priority in their life.

Three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity.

The notion of personal holiness has slipped out of the consciousness of the vast majority of Christians.

The growing movement of Christian Revolutionaries in the U.S. distinguished themselves from an already-select group of people – born again Christians – through their deeds, beliefs and self-views.

Involvement in a house church is rapidly growing, although the transition is occurring with some trepidation: four out of every five house church participants maintain some connection to a conventional church as well.

Evaluating spiritual maturity remains an elusive process for clergy as well as individuals. Across the nation, the only measure of spiritual health used by at least half of all pastors was the extent of volunteer activity or ministry involvement.

Most Americans have a period of time during their teen years when they are actively engaged in a church youth group. However, …most of them had disengaged from organized religion during their twenties.

A comparison of peopleâ€™s faith before and after the September 11 terrorist attack showed that five years after the momentous day, none of the 19 faith measures studied had undergone statistically significant change.

Seven out of ten parents claim they are effective at developing the spiritual maturity of their children, but the Barna survey among 8-to-12-year-olds discovered that only one-third of them say a church has made “a positive difference” in their life; one-third contend that prayer is very important in their life; most of them would rather be popular than to do what is morally right.

Relatively few people – just one out of every six – believe that spiritual maturity is meant to be developed within the context of a local church or within the context of a community of faith.

Five of the highest-profile Christian leaders – Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, James Dobson, Tim LaHaye and T.D. Jakes – were unknown to a majority of the population. Most of those leaders were also unknown to most born again Christians.

The faith contours of America continue to shift substantially over the course of time. The proportion of adults who are born again has risen dramatically in the past quarter century, from 31% to 45%. During the past two decades, every spiritual behavior has fluctuated significantly, with recent upsurge in Bible reading, church attendance, and small group involvement.

I don’t know what your response is. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to batten down the hatches. I’m asking God for a remnant. I’m praying, “Lord, raise up a generation that is desperate for you.”

Comments (7)

Ken MacD

January 1, 1970 at 12:00 am

Reply

I read the complete report and noticed this: “Most Americans have a period of time during their teen years when they are actively engaged in a church youth group. However, Barna’s tracking of young people showed that most of them had disengaged from organized religion during their twenties.”
This is what I’ve noticing for five years since the kids i worked with in youth group went off to college or to work. In fact, they left the group (and apparently the church forever) when they got their driver’s licenses.
I wrote Mike Yaconelli of Youth Specialties about this after his article:
http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/Yaconelli/failure.php
It’s the one you commented on in another of your posts.
And he wrote the “apology article” that quoted my letter. And we were talking about how to rethink youth groups the very week he died. Now there’s no one interested in rethinking things. It’s really a shame. But of course, the very nature of reaching large groups runs counter to Jesus’ approach.
tal

March 3, 2007 at 7:16 pm

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hey pops – you’re doing great! it’s happening, I’m living it with 50 others…thanks for all you’ve done and continue to dream!
Jeff

March 5, 2007 at 2:56 pm

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Thanks. Good stuff.
Sean Ragan

May 27, 2008 at 12:19 pm

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I think the most significant social trend in American history is the changing definition of gender and gender identity. The youth/young adults of America (under 30) are becoming increasingly more tolerant and accepting of a more ambiguous transgender doctrine than the traditional Judeo-Christian definition of Male or Female; Masculine or Feminine. For example, the transgender doctrine (the ambiguous continuum of gender identity) is now the “normative” teaching in US public schools.

The redefinition of gender in American culture and all it’s potential downstream reverberations will be the single most dramatic impact on American Christianity in our lifetime.

Practically speaking, the majority of youth/young adults have already accepted the notion of a third gender category (“gay or transgender”) deserving of equal rights and equal protection identical to those of ethnicity and race. Over time, the “old” two gender perspective of Judeo-Christian values will become more and more obsolete.
Moses

December 7, 2012 at 4:14 pm

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Thus saith the Lord “Because America has forsaken me the fountain of many waters and has hewn unto themselves broken cisterns which can hold no water, they have bitten the Hand that has fed them from their birth; Therefore I will withdraw my care. My desire was that they be like a mighty tree under which the nations can resort.But they have not make good the commitments of their fathers. They teach their children their philosophy of rebellion. But I will yet cause a revival that my people will rejoice in my mercy. When I shake America they will cry out ‘I return you, for you are my Guide from my youth. Shalom”
Voltaire

April 9, 2015 at 12:32 am

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This is brilliant news.

The sooner people get past primitive superstitions and start thinking for themselves the better.

There is no excuse for just turning off your brain and wallowing in fairy stories.
Dave Jacks

October 19, 2022 at 11:26 am

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Seth,
Great article. I wish the original link was still good. I posted this in my linked in group for the Grow Your Church Show (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=1864481&trk=anet_ug_grppro )

Why is it that we make our kids do things they don’t like (homework, baths, eat vegetables, sports, make their beds) and yet when it comes to church, we let them think its optional.

Dave Jackson
http://www.growyourchurchshow.com