Five Reasons Churches Are Dying
by Tripp Hudgins
There is no shortage of pithy lists about the demise of Christian congregational life in the United States. From the Mainline and Catholicism to the broadest boundaries of Evangelicalism, our institutions appear to be in crisis. Why is that and what can be done? Here is a quick list of five reasons that have been rattling around in my head for the last two decades or more.
In no particular order:
- The most common institutional forms have lost their ubiquitous utility.
Yes, society is changing. No, this is not our fault. Yes, this has happened before. No, it is not a sign of the degradation of human flourishing. Yes, new forms will emerge.
2. The most common institutional forms have lost their ubiquitous utility.
Yes, society is changing. No, this is not our fault. Yes, this has happened before. No, it is not a sign of the degradation of human flourishing. Yes, new forms will emerge.
3. The most common institutional forms have lost their ubiquitous utility.
Yes, society is changing. No, this is not our fault. Yes, this has happened before. No, it is not a sign of the degradation of human flourishing. Yes, new forms will emerge.
4. The most common institutional forms have lost their ubiquitous utility.
Yes, society is changing. No, this is not our fault. Yes, this has happened before. No, it is not a sign of the degradation of human flourishing. Yes, new forms will emerge.
5. The most common institutional forms have lost their ubiquitous utility.
Yes, society is changing. No, this is not our fault. Yes, this has happened before. No, it is not a sign of the degradation of human flourishing. Yes, new forms will emerge.
Please, understand. I get it. We’re not sure what the future will hold. Many of us have connected our personal economic and spiritual stability to these institutions that no longer serve us as they once did. It is a harrowing time for many. The suffering is real. But, this presents a quandary or conundrum rather than a problem that we could possibly begin to solve. It is simply something we have to live through. Our challenge then is to live through this change with Grace. It will, after all, be the transition of generations and not of a long conference weekend.
So, buck up, buttercup. We are all along for the ride.
