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A Return to Faith?

Across the country the news about Church attendance has seemed gloomy lately. Earlier this year a report from Pew Research made headlines with the claim that the category of the religiously non-affiliated is now the largest group in the US at 28%. Larger in terms of percentage that either Protestant Christians at 24% or Roman Catholics at 23%. News outlets, of course, ran stories with headlines saying the “nones” are now the largest group in the country. You can read one such story here.

 

Even more recently, however, there have been some signs that this might not be the entire story. An NDMC member sent me an article from a few days ago highlighting three recent books which seem to outline the beginning of a turn back toward faith. You can read that article here. I had already purchased all three books, have been reading one of them, and have been eagerly awaiting the third which is being published this week (I’d already preordered it). I have been thinking about similar kinds of trends.

 

Ryan Burge is the sociologist who is credited with coining the term “the nones.” In June he said evidence is showing the rise of the nones has perhaps hit a “ceiling.” You can read one interpretation of his claim here. I have also been eagerly listening to a podcast entitled “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God” by Justin Brierly. The whole podcast is worth listening to, but if you just wanted to listen to one episode I would suggest the last episode of the first season. You can listen to it through this link. In this episode he helps us think about how the Church might respond if people are returning to faith. It’s a good question for us to consider.

 

Rick Boschulte announced during worship yesterday a survey for the congregation as a part of a goals discernment process. The idea is to think about what we, as church members, have the ability and the willingness to do as we continue the work of this congregation. I hope that you will thoughtfully and prayerfully engage in this process. As I have said repeatedly, we must look to God and trust in him in order to direction for what he wants from his Church at NDMC.

 

Next week we’ll be looking at the single instruction about giving and generosity in the New Testament. It’s found in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. I hope you’ll come ready to think about what God wants from us in this area of our obedience.

 

God bless,

Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday

 

2 Corinthians 8:1-7—What would it mean to “excel in this grace of giving”?

Deuteronomy 15:7-11—How do you understand the image of being “tightfisted” and “openhanded”?

2 Corinthians 9:6-15—What is the meaning of the image of seed and sower here?

Luke 12:22-34—What does our giving say about our trust in God?

 

 

 

 

 

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