When I was a child it seemed most people went to church on Sunday. Not only did most attend church, most who did attended most weeks. We got credit if we attended a church when we were on vacation. We wore Sunday clothes, which meant most months coat and tie. In the heat of the summer I wore a short sleeve shirt and a tie without a coat. It was as Christian as it was American to attend church this way. Builders and Boomers lived this way. We assumed America was mostly a Christian nation though, as good fundamentalists we secretly knew most of those who said they were Christians weren’t really Christians. (I say this to our shame.)
As one of those "grandmothers," I can speak of change (decline) out of personal observation. I suggest that the issue is before us for two reasons. One is the change in the wider culture re: women's world and the other is the shift in conservative theologies that no longer hold sway with many churched people. Most conservative theologies had a built-in "fear factor" - the dreadful things that would happen if one did not adhere heartily to the conservative theology. That theology often maintained that only those accepting it could be "saved" from hell. I'm not sure all that has driven those scare-tactics into the dust in many churches, but "happy" has replaced "fear" with the result that fewer and fewer folks feel the need for church as an escape-hatch from hell.
Interesting stats, but I agree Scot that more nuance is needed: North v. South; denominations v. non-denominations (Christianity Today within the past 6 months had an article about the growth of non-denoms); in-person v. online, etc....
I wonder. When I think of “my grandmother’s church, I had a Roman Catholic grandmother, and a Greek Orthodox grandmother. Their kids were, in a sense, very much like their mothers, with the growing visibility living your faith being more important than simply belonging. Life motivated the necessity of living as a bigger part than the, still important belonging. Both were obvious. Our kids saw a truer mix of belonging and living. Our grandkids ask us more questions than we or ou kids asked. However our kids, grandkids, and my wife and I, all are forging our own paths on which church is important, but personal faith makes it all work and move.
There’s my counterfeit bitcoin contribution. In other wards, one of the big guides - the partnership of personal experience and belief/faith. Thank you for more good conversation.
I appreciate Bob Smietana’s writing on this, and can vouch for him as a kind reporter when he interviewed me and my husband about our abuse at Echo Church once our lead pastor went to lead Saddleback. Having been SBC, raised by IMB missionaries, married to another IMB MK, having served as an IMB missionary for 20 yrs and then having been a pastor on staff at a NAMB planted megachurch, I can say that the SBC and the white evangelical church in the US has been greatly missing out on the beauty that is the global church that is thriving. Small, beautiful communities in Latin America and Asia are places I have felt God’s heartbeat. Grandma’s don’t have to be flashy and cool. They invite us in for a warm meal of comfort food. Whether that food is arepas, chicken rice, or meat and potatoes, we as the church could do well to ditch the flashy for the timeless wisdom of grandmas, especially the abuelitas and mujeristas.
As one of those "grandmothers," I can speak of change (decline) out of personal observation. I suggest that the issue is before us for two reasons. One is the change in the wider culture re: women's world and the other is the shift in conservative theologies that no longer hold sway with many churched people. Most conservative theologies had a built-in "fear factor" - the dreadful things that would happen if one did not adhere heartily to the conservative theology. That theology often maintained that only those accepting it could be "saved" from hell. I'm not sure all that has driven those scare-tactics into the dust in many churches, but "happy" has replaced "fear" with the result that fewer and fewer folks feel the need for church as an escape-hatch from hell.
Interesting stats, but I agree Scot that more nuance is needed: North v. South; denominations v. non-denominations (Christianity Today within the past 6 months had an article about the growth of non-denoms); in-person v. online, etc....
I wonder. When I think of “my grandmother’s church, I had a Roman Catholic grandmother, and a Greek Orthodox grandmother. Their kids were, in a sense, very much like their mothers, with the growing visibility living your faith being more important than simply belonging. Life motivated the necessity of living as a bigger part than the, still important belonging. Both were obvious. Our kids saw a truer mix of belonging and living. Our grandkids ask us more questions than we or ou kids asked. However our kids, grandkids, and my wife and I, all are forging our own paths on which church is important, but personal faith makes it all work and move.
There’s my counterfeit bitcoin contribution. In other wards, one of the big guides - the partnership of personal experience and belief/faith. Thank you for more good conversation.
I appreciate Bob Smietana’s writing on this, and can vouch for him as a kind reporter when he interviewed me and my husband about our abuse at Echo Church once our lead pastor went to lead Saddleback. Having been SBC, raised by IMB missionaries, married to another IMB MK, having served as an IMB missionary for 20 yrs and then having been a pastor on staff at a NAMB planted megachurch, I can say that the SBC and the white evangelical church in the US has been greatly missing out on the beauty that is the global church that is thriving. Small, beautiful communities in Latin America and Asia are places I have felt God’s heartbeat. Grandma’s don’t have to be flashy and cool. They invite us in for a warm meal of comfort food. Whether that food is arepas, chicken rice, or meat and potatoes, we as the church could do well to ditch the flashy for the timeless wisdom of grandmas, especially the abuelitas and mujeristas.