I have so much to write, having returned from the House Church conference in Denver, and so little time right now. One highlight was Thom Black, from the Barna Research Group, who shared some incredible facts about what is happening in the church of America. I will quote from Wolfgang Simson (who was at the conference) who summarized this information in his Friday Fax:
"Revolution", George Barna's new book, will be published in September. Barna leads a church research institute, and is currently the most-quoted person in the Christian church in the USA because of his statistical work. To summarize the book's most important conclusions:
* The number of Christians attending local church in the USA is declining
rapidly. Today, 70% of Christians attend traditional churches, but this
will sink to 30-35% in 20 years;
* The number of followers of Jesus who do not attend a local church will
grow from 30% to 70% in the next 20 years;
* Alternative fellowship forms (house church/simple church, post-modern
churches etc.), currently home for 5% of USA Christians, will grow to
make up 30-35%; another 30-35% will live out their faith in the fields
of media, arts and culture; the remaining 5% of Christians attending
non-traditional forms of church will have a family-based spiritual life;
* Conclusion: a minority group presently not even noticed by many will
become the mainstream of North American Christianity in only two
decades.
We received a pre-manuscript of this book and it will rock the church world. Barna describes this growing group of Christians that no longer attend traditional churches as "revolutionaries." He goes on to describe them in a very positive light. I will follow with more quotes when I have the chance.
