US Protestant churches endured a difficult 2020, including starting the year with fewer congregations.
In 2019, approximately 3,000 Protestant churches were started in the US, but 4,500 Protestant churches closed, according to estimates from Nashville-based Lifeway Research.
The evangelical research organization analyzed congregational information from 34 denominations and groups representing 60 percent of US Protestant churches to arrive at the church plant and closure numbers for 2019.
The current closure gap indicates a shift from Lifeway Research’s previous analysis. For 2014, an estimated 4,000 Protestant churches were planted, while 3,700 closed in a year.
“Over the last decade, most denominations have increased the attention they are giving to revive existing congregations that are struggling,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “This has been more than a fad. This has been a response to a real, growing need to revitalize unhealthy congre
In California, many congregations are now easing into what once were normal practices.
St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach began to meet in person in mid-March and the church is focused on “finding ways to safely allow people to come back to a space that has held a lot of meaning for them,” said Pastor Mark Davis.
The church will have a combination of virtual and in-person services. On Easter Sunday, there will be no choir, but singers behind plexiglass. Even as they are easing into normalcy, Davis said, he can see the deep meaning it has for congregants.
Beth Moore, famed Bible teacher, quits Southern Baptists
Beth Moore addresses a summit on sexual abuse and misconduct at Wheaton College, Dec. 13, 2018, in Wheaton, Ill. Bible study teacher Beth Moore has been beloved among Southern Baptists for years, packing out stadiums and selling millions of books. But when Moore began to criticize Trump and call out sexism, racism, and abuse in the church, she became a pariah. Now Moore has left the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, saying she can no longer identify as Southern Baptist. (Emily McFarlan Miller/Religion News Service via AP)
by: By BOB SMIETANA Religion News Service
Beth Moore, Famed Bible Seminar Leader Quits Southern Baptists gvwire.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gvwire.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.