As Church Doors Across the World Close, Could Yours be Next?
by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams
This past week my sister and I had quite an intriguing conversation. Each of us likes Dr. David Jeremiah and we try to watch him every chance we get. My area gets his shows on a delayed basis, so she saw this one before I did. He talked about having visited a church in Vienna that has stood for over five-hundred years. At one time, it was the place where townspeople gathered to worship. He said this particular church is now only a tourist destination. How very sad. He continued by saying that in the next seven years, over fifty-five-thousand churches in the United States will close their doors.What? I had to find some statistics somewhere to tell me about this. So off I went to good old Google.
Declining Attendance
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| Imagine this in the Baptistry |
I was aware that church attendance in Europe had been on a decline in recent years. Imagine, Europe with all those enormous cathedrals which took hundreds of years to build. Where many of our ancestors likely worshiped. They sit empty or close to it on Sunday mornings. Or any other day for that matter. Europe has become a secularized society. I don’t know about you, but this breaks my heart.
I discovered an article which first appeared in the Wall Street Journal on January 5, 2015. The article was written by Naftali Bendavid. It told of The Church of St. Joseph in Arnhem, Netherlands. This church whose nave and rafters rang with song and the prayers of the people for over one-thousand years, now houses ramps for skateboarding. Yes, you read that right. This once hallowed place is now a skateboarding park. Welcome to the new Europe.
But St. Joseph’s isn’t the only church in the Netherlands to meet this fate. Some churches have been turned into shops and bars while others have become dwelling places. It is estimated that two-thirds of the Catholic churches in the Netherlands will close their doors by this year, 2020. There are one-thousand-six-hundred Catholic churches in the Netherlands.
But it doesn’t stop there. Germany, which has a quarter the population of the United States, has ten times as many atheists. The Church of England is closing the doors of approximately twenty churches per year. Denmark says that over the past ten years, about two-hundred churches have been declared non-viable.
Ancient Structures
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| Could this be the future of your church? |
Truly, part of the problem in Europe is that many of the houses of worship are ancient structures, massive in scale. As membership dwindles, so do the funds that would help to pay for upkeep. Hundreds-of-years-old roofs are in need of repair or replacement. Foundations are crumbling. Water is intruding into the interiors. As people leave these once glorious buildings, the structures are left to the elements. Unless a business or another church, synagogue, or mosque takes over, they will simply fall the way of so many neglected buildings that dot the landscapes all over Europe.
So, where does the United States fit in with all of these European churches? While things aren’t as bad here as in Europe, we’ve still lost the interest of Millennials. In an Op-Ed in The Christian Post on May 27, 2015, Ryan Sheehan stated “there is an ongoing migration away from the church of an estimated 3,500 individuals each and every day.” He cites the main reason for this as people feeling that they are no longer “connected.”
Sheehan goes on to cite a study by Clint Jenkin with the Barna Group. Mr. Jenkin said, “Millennials don’t look for a church facility that caters to the whims of pop culture. They want a community that calls them to deeper meaning.” He says they don’t want churches that are a reflection of pop culture, but churches that allow them to become engaged. Churches that inspire them. Now, I don’t know how you feel about that, but that gives me hope.
I remember seeing on Facebook about a year or so ago, a post about young people being drawn to the ritual of the church. I’m speaking of thirty-somethings now when I say young people. They have missed the deep connection encountered within the rituals, a part of the service that has been around for hundreds of years.
I found an article by Jack Wellman, a senior writer for What Christians Want to Know. He cites a sermon he heard which included these statistics: Of the 250,000 Protestant churches in America, 200,000 are stagnant, not growing, or are in decline. That number represents eighty percent of the churches in America. 4,000 churches close their doors every year. Of the churches in existence one hundred years ago, less than half still exist.
We Need Revival!
What is the answer to these staggering statistics both here and in Europe? Mr. Wellman believes it is revival. It’s hard to argue with that. When is the last time your church had revival or held a revival for your community? As Mr. Wellman says, revival begins with the individual. If you and I aren’t enthusiastic about our faith to the point of spreading the Gospel to others, then is there any hope for the church?
The question is, are you doing your part to ensure that your church remains a vibrant, active community of faith, with doors open to all who seek the Truth? If not, then you may soon find yourself singing The Church’s One Foundation in the midst of a screaming crowd of skateboarders.
Have you noticed churches in your area closing their doors? Becoming something besides the church you once knew? Share your thoughts below.
1 Comment
Hi, I’m Debra
Jesus Follower, wife, BoyMom, DD, author, blogger, musician, southern cook, amateur genealogist, amateur artist, living life with an accent on Southern.
The Conversation
Great post, Debra. I believe there is hope!