46% US Churchgoers: Church Doesn’t Have an Effect on Their Lives

[Forgiven]

by Billy Hallowell / The Blaze
January 16, 2012

According to the Barna Group, an evangelical company that studies faith in America, nearly half (46 percent) of churchgoing Americans report that their lives have not changed at all as a result of attending church. While this is startling, 26 percent of individuals who reported having been to church before said that their lives had been changed or impacted “greatly” by the experience; 25 percent said that church was “somewhat” influential.

Considering the large portion of churchgoers who felt no impact on their lives as a result of attending, the fact that most people can‘t recall gaining new spiritual insights isn’t entirely surprising. Six-in-ten church attenders, when asked to recount their last visit to a house of worship, couldn’t remember any significant insight they gained related to their faith. Even more startling, among those who attended church in the past week, half said that they couldn’t recall any spiritual tidbits.

Church Experiences Are Lacking for Millions of American Christians | Barna Group | TheBlaze.com

[Robert]

I would have to ask how many of these are not in their scriptures daily, praying daily or putting into practice what scripture says. I would also have to ask if they are being taught to do so in some of the churches.

[LivnForChrist]

I'd have to ask them then why do you go?

[mattfivefour]

I'd have to ask them then why do you go?

[GlennO]

Barna Group.......


I'll wait for the meat

[Everlasting Life]

I'd have to ask, "What kind of church do you go to? The feel good, it's all about the money and embrace buddism kind, or the kind that actually preaches the Word and the Gospel?"

[BobFin]

First of all, if believers are relying on church to change their lives, then they are relying on man and not God! People are looking too much at their own life and not how they are affecting others lives by allowing themselves to be used by God. Let's take the focus off of us and put it where it belongs... on Jesus!

I think a better questions is, "How have you offered yourself to God for His service?"

[mattfivefour]

First of all, if believers are relying on church to change their lives, then they are relying on man and not God! People are looking too much at their own life and not how they are affecting others lives by allowing themselves to be used by God. Let's take the focus off of us and put it where it belongs... on Jesus!

I think a better questions is, "How have you offered yourself to God for His service?"

[Hannah]

From the article given by the OP

According to the Barna Group, an evangelical company that studies faith in America, nearly half (46 percent) of churchgoing Americans report that their lives have not changed at all as a result of attending church. While this is startling, 26 percent of individuals who reported having been to church before said that their lives had been changed or impacted “greatly” by the experience; 25 percent said that church was “somewhat” influential.

Considering the large portion of churchgoers who felt no impact on their lives as a result of attending, the fact that most people can‘t recall gaining new spiritual insights isn’t entirely surprising. Six-in-ten church attenders, when asked to recount their last visit to a house of worship, couldn’t remember any significant insight they gained related to their faith. Even more startling, among those who attended church in the past week, half said that they couldn’t recall any spiritual tidbits.

There is a very good reason for this because the Bible clearly says the following:-

JAS 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.


It takes more than just HEARING the Word of God to change.

So if you do not apply what you have heard of the Word to your lives of course you are not going to be changed.

It's like watching an Exercise DVD over and over again and never doing the Exercises and then wondering why you aren't any fitter or more in shape.

[Meg]

Plenty of people go to perfectly good churches -- once a week, but they spend the majority of their time and energy making money, working with unbelievers and watching TV () after work. The things people spend their energy on are the things that influence them, and the Bible, let alone regular prayer usually don't make the short list.

Everybody wants to blame the pastorate, but the congregation is often more apathetic than the pastors...

[nillapoet]

Plenty of people go to perfectly good churches -- once a week, but they spend the majority of their time and energy making money, working with unbelievers and watching TV () after work. The things people spend their energy on are the things that influence them, and the Bible, let alone regular prayer usually don't make the short list.

Everybody wants to blame the pastorate, but the congregation is often more apathetic than the pastors...

I pray that I never go back to being like that.

[WhisperWisdom]

These folks that haven't had any changes or can't remember any spiritual insights are only going to Feel good churches or they're just attending because it's expected of them.

I have been struggling finding a church lately that honestly preaches the Word of God and is not caught up in all this new Age stuff. Just about every church around me is into that, along with this new contemporary music that they get into. I have coworkers who go to such churches, and they bring in the cd's and books where it's all about self help, but never actually about the Word of God.

[mattfivefour]

Have you looked at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Reston, Whisper?

[WhisperWisdom]

You mean Reston, Va? I'm in Kentucky. But I'll look to see if that church is nearby.

[mattfivefour]

Ah. Well, here are the four Calvary Chapels I know of in the great Bluegrass State:

Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship, Glasgow (Pastor John Harbert) Calvary Bible Fellowship Glasgow Kentucky
Calvary Chapel Louisville, Louisville (Pastor Rocky Jones) Calvary Chapel Louisville
Calvary Chapel Northern Kentucky, Florence (Pastor Brian Nevins) Calvary Chapel of Northern Kentucky - Home
Cross Point Calvary, Danville (Pastor Alfred Morlote) Cross Point Calvary Chapel

[Hannah]

These folks that haven't had any changes or can't remember any spiritual insights are only going to Feel good churches or they're just attending because it's expected of them.

I have been struggling finding a church lately that honestly preaches the Word of God and is not caught up in all this new Age stuff. Just about every church around me is into that, along with this new contemporary music that they get into. I have coworkers who go to such churches, and they bring in the cd's and books where it's all about self help, but never actually about the Word of God.

I know what you mean.

Several Churches I used to go to (when I lived in the area but left because I moved) have gone New Age. I have kept in touch with one or two close Christian friends who have complained first the music went New Age and then they had a change in Pastor and the new one now includes stories and sayings that were not from the Bible. Looking into where some of the stories came from they are either Humanistic Positive Thinking or from Budhhism or Hindu origins. They all sound spiritual but are not Biblical.

My friends have had to make a hard decision and leave but the problem is finding another good Bible based Church.

It is getting harder and harder to find Churches that are well and truly headed by Men of God and not Wolves in Shepherds clothing. Another sign of the times.

[mattfivefour]

There are only about a dozen Calvary Chapels in Australia. I don't know if any are near you.

[Hannah]

There are only about a dozen Calvary Chapels in Australia. I don't know if any are near you.

Thanks Matt54,

Fortunately in Sydney the Anglican Churches here are hold outs against the Trend of Liberalism. I have a really good Anglican Church in a neighbouring suburb. Sydney is one of the only Cities that has a good number of Older Denomination Churches that have stayed Biblically Sound and resisted many of the False Teachings that have unfortunately gone through many Churches today. Note only in Sydney I have heard it isn't so good elsewhere around Australia.

I know from those of my family and friends who live elsewhere in Australia finding a really good Biblically Sound that has not gone liberal and is not into all sorts of strange teachings Church is hard to find.

Unfortunately many new Churches based on Word of Faith teachings, Toronto and other non-Biblical teachings and beliefs have been established here in Sydney as well over the past 20 to 30 years. These New Age Churches attract hugh audiences but the congregations of the Faithful Churches that have stood on the Bible and God's Truths are slowing shrinking and dying off. I've notice where Older Denomination Churches have started to bring in many of the False Teachings of today and the New Age music their congregations have increased.

The closet Calvary Chapel Church near me used to be very good. They got into Toronto and a lot of Word of Faith teachings and my Christian friends who used to go there have had to leave a while back. From my latest catch up with one of these friends who used to attend there I have heard there has been a big clean up from all of the bad teaching and they are struggling now to get back on track. I had attended before the Toronto and Word of Faith influences and they were very good but too far for me to drive as they are several suburbs away. I don't drive now at all and my hubby who still does drive only drives locally now.

Probably just as well I din't join the Calvary Chapel Church it would be heartbreaking to yet again have to leave another Church because of false teachings coming in. I had to leave a Uniting Church near me and a Baptist Church years ago because the Minister/Pastor was either allowing these false teachings to go on in the congregation with their full knowledge or they were actively teaching it themselves.

Trying to find a Church you can get to that is still Biblically based I know for some can be very hard. I'm very fortunate I have a few good Churches onlt 10 - 20 mins drive away. Don't know how others do it if they have to travel a long way each Sunday to go to a Good Church.

When I first came to Christ I knew that most Protestant Churches were Sound in the Gospel and in the Bible. I could attend most of the Protestant Churches near my parents home and found their sermons very Biblically based and heard good sound teaching. My parents where not happy with me going to a Church other than the Serbian Orthodox back then. I left home for work and found a good Protestant Church near where I lived. I moved around a bit (renting in those days and sharing rentals with other Christian girls) so I have gone to various Churches around the City center and Eastern Suburbs until I got married and then bought a house with my Hubby and moved to the South-West of Sydney. We did a few years of Church hunting around here and it took us a while to find a Church that we could see was Biblically Sound and suited us in other ways as well.

It is sad over the years to hear of the erosion of Good Sound Biblical Teaching around the World but even more so when I have gone back to visit friends at Churches I used to attend and see the erosion in Churches that had been so Sound and so Solid in God's Word.

The first Church I wanted to settle in here (a Uniting) where we now live unfortunately changed ministers and the new one was a heretic (this was 15 years ago now). Sorry have to say it but this Minister was open in saying he thought there were many ways to God and through other religions not just Christianity. He supported Homosexuals being ordained and then there was the outright heresy. He denied Christ was the only way for salvation. Almost half the Church congregation left and so did I. We dispersed into surrounding Churches and I have kept in contact with many of these congregation members over the years. The Ironic thing is some of them went to Calvary Chapel and then had to leave there as well. My hubby & I went to the Anglican Church along with two other couples. Some went to the nearby Baptist and are still there and some to the Presbyterian or other Protestant denominations around. Well unfortnately a few more Churches have gone the way this one did. The number of good, sound Biblically based Churches left has decreased considerably since I came to Christ.

False Teaching is rife and many have embraced INTERFAITH ideologies.

[king'sbloomingrose]

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Honestly, it's like a dear elderly friend from school said once that her mother always used to tell her that when you see this world really turn for the worse then you know that Jesus is very close at hand.

[WhisperWisdom]

Ah. Well, here are the four Calvary Chapels I know of in the great Bluegrass State:

Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship, Glasgow (Pastor John Harbert) Calvary Bible Fellowship Glasgow Kentucky
Calvary Chapel Louisville, Louisville (Pastor Rocky Jones) Calvary Chapel Louisville
Calvary Chapel Northern Kentucky, Florence (Pastor Brian Nevins) Calvary Chapel of Northern Kentucky - Home
Cross Point Calvary, Danville (Pastor Alfred Morlote) Cross Point Calvary Chapel

Thank you! One is right in my area so I'll go check it out next Sunday.