Stopped Attending - They saw no value in continuing to attend.
Switched Churches - They found more value in attending somewhere else.
Stayed at Same Church - They still see value in their current church.
What these statistics show is that there has been a significant drop in younger adults and families attending church. Less than 50% of all three age brackets stayed at the same church and many of the younger adults and families stopped attending church all together.
The apostle Luke wrote in Acts 2:42 “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
There are some who are either in poor health, great risk or in extenuating circumstances that are not able to attend church. Our homebound members are some of the sweetest most spiritual pillars of our church. They cannot be at church but can participate through our online activities. I am grateful for that, but I also know the challenge many pastors and youth pastors are having in our association. We must remain true to the core values of church and encourage others to join us again. We must love God, love people, preach the Bible and offer a loving community to those who attend either in person or online. God is in control, these times will pass and greater days are ahead. Stay connected to God and to one another!
In Him,