Who Needs Church? Even Though The Bible Is Clear ...

Who Needs Church? Even though the Bible is clear about the importance of experiencing God through a shared faith journey, only 17% of adults believe the local church is central to one’s faith development. Only 33% of evangelicals, 20% of non-evangelical born again adults, and 25% of adults with a biblical worldview, embrace the concept. Just 44% of Americans are committed to “personally making the world and other people’s lives better.” 30% of those under 40, 50% of Boomers, and 60% of people 60 or older strongly agree. 54% are so committed to “having a deeper connection with God” that they will “do whatever it takes to get and maintain that deeper relationship.” The older a person, the greater their commitment! 66% of Protestants have this mindset vs. 50% of Catholics. 80% of black adults are firmly committed to deepening their ties with God, vs. 58% of Hispanics, 50% of whites, and 20% of Asians. Researcher George Barna notes, “These figures emphasize how soft people’s commitment to God is…We want to be ‘spiritual’ and we want to have God’s favor, but we’re not sure we want Him taking control of our lives…” (Barna Update 4/18/06)