Barna: 5 trends driving Americans' perception of church relevance, influence
New research by the evangelical Christian polling firm Barna Group, which looked at how Americans relate with the churches they attend, reveals five notable trends affecting pastors and Christian leaders.Here are the five trends that Barna discovered:
- Declining church loyalty, ‘church hopping’
- Churchgoers on the value of church
- Churchgoers largely experience or expect positive emotions and outcomes by going to church.
- Church membership is still a common practice and is correlated with positive outcomes — but its importance is declining among younger churchgoers.
- The perception of the Church’s relevance to the community is under question — especially among non-Christians.