Post 12 - Other Reasons for Dwindling Church Attendance

 Post 12

My sister and brother-in-law enjoy
singing in the St. Anne's Church Choir.

This past June, the church attended by my brother and sister-in-law burned to the ground. I'm talking about St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto. See an article here. Countless people are heartbroken. The next door parish hall was not damaged in the fire and services are being held there now. Members meet often to discuss the future of the church. 

A nearby Presbyterian church recently went through consultations to create a plan for their dying church. I didn't see all the results, but I have seen some of the events they've hosted as they attempt to draw in people from the community. 

Many churches are having the same issues. The white-haired crowd in many churches form the base of attenders, but in their senior years, even some of them can no longer give as generously as when they were working. And they no longer have the physical energy to do what they used to do. 

Attempts at drawing youth and children are often failing in all churches. 

A church startup my husband and I visited also has empty seats. They rent the space in an existing church. They just can't seem to grow. 

Another church I watched online presented this list goal list to the congregation. 

I'd hoped I'd find simpler reasons for dwindling church attendance and some simple solutions in the book I've referred to in this blog, but I've now finished the book and while larger issues were addressed, simple day-to-day ones not so much. 

Flowers evolve each season.

Simply, I offer these possible reasons for empty pews other than what I've already alluded to in recent blog posts:

1. Work Hours: I recall when a friend in my Bible study group shared her daughter had gotten her first part-time job and it required she work Sundays. Soon enough my own daughter who worked admissions and in the gift shop at a nearby Butterfly Conservatory was also working Sundays. And she needed to be taken there by her parents since she had no license at the time. Working Sundays becomes a problem when churches have no other service times than when young people are working.

2. Secularism: More people are identifying as non-religious or spiritual but not religious. This trend reflects changes in attitudes toward organized religion and manufactured church services. 

3. Generational Changes: Young adults may view organized religion as outdated or not aligned with their values, so why be part of them? 

4. Busyness: Individuals often seek community through technology and social media and involvement in community clubs and sports programs.

5. Changes in Family Structure: The traditional family structure has changed, with many people not growing up in religious households or engaging in religious practices. 

6. COVID-19 Pandemic: The pandemic significantly impacted religious gatherings, with many churches closing or moving online. Those who were staunch church attenders realized God didn't strike them dead for not going to church every Sunday. As a result, people’s habits and priorities have altered leading to lasting changes in attendance patterns.

The Church is Evolving

God knows all of these reasons for dwindling engagement. The good news is He created humans with yearnings in their hearts that tell them there must be more to life than what they see and do here on earth. Humans realize they need a higher power to believe in. They sense they need to stop, rest, and find their soul again from time to time. They acknowledge they need help to resist the temptations and trials that come their way. They desire to feel good about themselves and God's love does that. 

We can't discount God by thinking it is on us to come up with ways to reach the wanderers as we saw in the era of the church growth/seeker movement of the 90s. God knows what He wants to do, when, and with whom.

Instead of focusing on all the reasons people don't attend in-person church, instead of trying to guilt people into going to church, instead of creating more copy-cat versions of church, instead of opening churches in bars as a new hip adventure, let's press into God. 

By approaching the evolution and change of the church with a posture of humility, prayer, and openness to the Spirit’s leading, the church can align itself with God’s purposes in our rapidly changing world.