March 17, 1999
Who's missing from church? 1 of 3 people
___By Marv Knox
___Editor
___VENTURA, Calif.--The proportion of unchurched Americans is on the rise, a trend that conflicts with their heightened interest in spirituality, a new poll by religion researcher George Barna shows.
___Almost one-third of U.S. adults--about 65 million people--are "unchurched," according to a nationwide survey conducted by Barna Research Group of Ventura, Calif.
___"For this survey, a person was classified as 'unchurched' if he or she had not attended a Christian church service during the past six months, other than a special event such as a wedding, funeral or holiday service," Barna explained.
___The survey found that 31 percent of American adults are unchurched by that definition. That represents a "small but significant" increase in unchurched Americans, up from 27 percent just 18 months earlier, Barna reported. Those 4 percentage points indicate the unchurched population grew by 8 million people in just a year and a half, he said.
___Three categories of people account for much of the unchurched increase, researchers learned.
___Thirty-nine percent of baby busters are unchurched, up from 31 percent previously. Similarly, the number of unchurched men reached 40 percent, up from 33 percent. And a greater percentage of non-white adults are unchurched--currently 30 percent, up from 22 percent.
___The survey revealed geographical shifts in church participation. The South showed the greatest change, with 26 percent of residents unchurched, up from 19 percent. Increases also were registered in the Northeast (39 percent, up from 34 percent) and the West (38 percent, up from 34 percent). Only the Midwest, with 26 percent unchurched, remained stable.
___Several factors distinguish the unchurched segment of the population from church-going Americans, Barna noted.
___For example, almost 40 percent of people in the Northeast and West are unchurched, compared to just about 25 percent of Southerners and Midwesterners.
___Men are 67 percent more likely to be unchurched than women, with 40 percent of men and 24 percent of women unchurched.
___Political liberals are twice as likely as conservatives to refrain from church, with 54 percent of liberals unchurched, compared to 21 percent of conservatives.
___Singles are more likely to be unchurched than married people. Forty percent of never-married adults are unchurched, as are 37 percent of adults who currently are divorced. That compares to 26 percent of married people who are unchurched.
___Younger people also are more likely to be unchurched. Forty percent of people age 18 to 29 are unchurched. The unchurched percentage decreases as age increases--37 percent for people in their thirties, 27 percent for the forties, 25 percent for people from 50 to 64 and 24 percent for adults age 65 or older.
___Education also impacts church participation. Thirty-seven percent of college graduates are unchurched, compared to 29 percent of adults who never graduated from high school, 30 percent of high school graduates who never attended college and 28 percent of high school graduates who attended but did not earn a college degree.
___Although they do not attend church, a large number of unchurched Americans claim Christian affiliation, Barna said.
___For example, 62 percent of the adults Barna classified as unchurched call themselves Christian, the survey showed. Slightly more than one-third (35 percent) claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that still is important to them.
___Fifteen percent--one of seven--of the unchurched meets Barna's definition of a born-again Christian. For the purposes of his surveys, he defines born-again Christians as people who have made a personal commitment to Christ and who believe they will have eternal salvation based solely on their acceptance of God's grace through Jesus' death and resurrection.
___"In total, four out of 10 assert that their religious faith is very important in their life," Barna reported. The number of unchurched born-again Christians is about 10 million, he added.
___Many unchurched adults "integrate religious activities into their lifestyle," he said. Ten percent of them read the Bible each week, 8 percent listen to Christian radio weekly and 20 percent watch religious television monthly.
___Unchurched Americans' religious beliefs "represent an inconsistent patchwork of perspectives," Barna observed. For example:
___22 percent believe the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches.
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___The survey's findings show that "Americans feel tremendous freedom to construct their own religious perspectives and practices, regardless of traditions and time-honored teachings," Barna said. "It is amazing that we live in a period during which people are more interested in spirituality than at any time in the past half century, yet they are seeking answers to their spiritual questions and needs from sources other than Christian churches.
___"The American public is sending a clear message to Christian leaders: Make Christianity accessible and practical, or don't expect their participation."
___Serious focus on this challenge can produced strong benefits for U.S. churches, Barna added.
___"If the total unchurched population were to be decreased by just 1 percentage point--down to 30 percent--that would bring an additional 2 million adults into Christian churches," he explained.
___"To put that in perspective, if those 2 million newcomers were divided evenly among all the Protestant and Catholic churches in America, each congregation would grow by six people. That's more growth than the average congregation has seen in a long time."Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!