What Are the World-Wide Trends in Christianity


When looking at an overview of trends in religion, there are plenty of spins. In the U.S. and Europe the trend seems clear, Christianity is declining. In addition to polling, we know when churches are closing the cash flow is down. 

But, spin machines are going when it comes to Christianity world-wide. Lots of Protestant denominations have members who think they are doing good works by funding missionaries in other countries. I suppose missionaries come back and do speaking tours like they did when I was young. I recall they made it sound like they were very successful. One common claim made by administrators of denominations is that there is big success in Africa and Asia. Is this true or only a self-serving spin machine?

One thing is for certain, there is not huge growth in Christianity in either Africa or China. What remains uncertain is whether there is a tiny growth or no growth. 

I started reading today, The Ends of the LCMS. The author is a young Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and is concerned first about the rapid decline of the denomination but, second, about its leadership wanting to sit by and do nothing about it. The LCMS decline is not worse than others but its leadership leaves its head in sand more than some others. For example, the Evangelical Covenant Church, also of Northern European origin and heavily Midwestern, began a few years ago to open churches where the numbers are, urban areas. Its membership has grown while LCMS is in something like freefall. 

It seems to me, Christianity, whether in China, Africa and the U.S. faces the same task. Customers need to feel that what they receive from their church is equal in value to other places wanting the same amount of time and money. It's apparent the church has fallen behind. To get back in the game it needs to ramp up its product or lower the price. 

It is simply impossible in this time of instant world-wide communication to wall off information from anywhere in the world. The cooling of Christianity in the U.S. has spread to the continents of China and Africa. Change is happening everywhere. 

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