If the Faith Keeps Getting Smaller, How Can it Survive

One of the best, and most realistic, analysis I've seen of the current problems in Christianity is this one. The author, a believer, sees societal forces beyond control of the faith continuing to make it smaller in number. He adds what commenters here have said, those in the faith need not necessarily adjust to this trend. They may refuse to change irrespective of numbers. What he says need not change, however, is his own version of the faith. Every branch of the faith thinks theirs must be the part that survives.

The forces he sees driving numbers smaller comes from both inside the faith and outside. We all know about the outside, the perception of sex and money scandals. Inside it is increasing doubts about tenets of the faith we have discussed here.

What I found interesting about the link was his version of what the surviving faith will look like. He sees it as a smaller group strongly united in a worship experience and undaunted by the forces making the faith smaller. For example, he views group singing of religious music an experience that solidifies believers. This is different than the huge current trend toward concert style services where attendees drift in and out and keep up with traffic on their cell phones. I, myself, don't see young people moving away from concert style worship to the kind he talks about. The latter is foreign to young people and there is no reason to think they will "return" to it because they have never been there.

Then there is that view the "true faith" need not bend to current societal trends just to build or hold up falling numbers. If one is in the pews and not dependent on cash flow it is easy to say such a thing. The influential part of the faith, those in the corporate headquarters and those out in the field depending on numbers for a living, may not agree. It would be rational for these people to say, "Wait. With numbers comes cash flow. We need numbers or we don't have jobs. How about we restate or drop the parts of the faith that hurt numbers." As I've pointed out here before, this has been underway in the Catholic church for a long time where some controversial views are no longer mentioned.

While the link author presents a better and more realistic analysis about trends in the faith, he does not approach it like an economist. From an economic perspective fewer participants means less money. Less money means fewer or no staff and facilities. This all points to a faith of the future meeting in homes and lead by volunteers. The big political and moral influences would be little to none.