The State Of The Church Adress 2021

2021 STATE OF THE CHURCH ADDRESS

Pastor Timothy Porter

Text: Acts 2:41-47

INTRODUCTION:

Current State of The Church In America

1. 1,700 pastors in America leave the ministry monthly.

2. Only 8% of churches in the United States are growing and just 2% of those are growing by conversion growth.

3. 12,000 churches in America disappeared in a five-year period.

4. Only 35% of the U.S. population attends church regularly.

5. The number of people in America that do not attend church has trippled in the past 15 years.

6. No more than 30% of the population attends church at all and that's in the Bible belt.

7. Though the Bible Belt still boasts the highest percentage of church attendees, many of those churches are filled with extreme legalism or extreme liberalism.

8. The vast majority of churches have an attendance of less than 65.

9. There are over 100 million unchurched Americans, 20% of them claim to be born-again.[ They have either left the church or never connected for some reason.]

10. The median adult attendance per church service pre COVID-19 was 90 people which was declining prior to covid

11. Only 1/3 of the adult population attends some sort of small /life group to stay connected.

12. Only 65% of Americans donate to a place of worship. Of Evangelicals, however, 70% donate to their church, yet only 7% tithe.

13. 20-25% read their Bible consistently, 59% attend church weekly, 16% listen to Christian radio, 7% watch Christian TV, and 6% are held accountable to someone.

14. Only 60% of Christians say they are deeply committed to Jesus and His Church.

15. One in four have a place in the church where they serve.

16. Less then 50% say that the Bible is totally accurate, yet 60% of those that claim to be born-again.

17. Just 1/3 of church attendees believe that they have a personal responsibility to share their faith with others.

18. 60% of the population believes that salvation can be earned and shockingly, 28% are among evangelical churches.

19. Giving to charities increased in the past decade yet giving to local churches is declining.

20. Out of 100,000 churches in America less then 2% are considered mega-churches, (1,000 or more).

21. 1 out of 5 church attendees are considered church hoppers.

POST COVID - Pew Rearch Center

70% Of all belivers ar no longer attendinmg church

33% Say they attend monthly not weekly

72% Say they watch on-line

1 in 8 say attend services during the month [12%]

Prior to the outbreak Christians say they werer participated more in person than on line

26% of Catholics & 22% of Protestants state they have done neither.

Folks, that is the state of the church here in America! As you can see, the church as a whole is in a mess, and it is a long way from what it was at its beginning.

READ TEXT

I have read this as my text because this passage shows us what a church should be and can be if it is totally sold out and dedicated to the Lord.

This text tells of a vibrant, growing, worshiping church that was filled with glory, power and love for Jesus.

The early church was marked by Unity; Mutual Concern; Community Spirit; Evangelistic Zeal; the Manifest Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit; Purity of Doctrine; Profound Growth; and acceptance of all people.

Many things have changed, and not for the better! We need what they had in our day!

We may wonder what this has to do with The Bridge Church today.

I want to take a few minutes and speak about The 2006 State Of The Church Address. I want to talk about where we have been; where we are and where we are going in 2021.

I.) The Experiences of 2020

? Let's reflect back on what we experienced this past year.

GRACE -

?COVID - We are still here when others have had to shut down / even after closing for 12 weeks

?Relaunched In person services in a saqfe and stategic way

?Lauched Bridges Boxes

?Relaunched several ministries

?Many of have had the virus and have recovered well

GROWTH-

?Even with covid we have seen several families join us here at The Bridge

?New style of worship / with a new worship leader

?The Purchase of this beautiful building

GLORY-

?42 SALVATIONS AND BAPTISMS

? We have experiences God's Holy Spirit manifisted in our worship services

GIVING-

?Even with covid you still gave to God and His work

?We have also taken up and given love offerings to those in need. It has been a good year financially considering.

GRIEF-

?We have had some leave us by the call of God

?Death

?Sickness

?Suffering

II.) The Essentials of 2021