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A GROWING FELLOWSHIP
By
Paul S. Williams
The front page of the
September 18, 2002
, New York Times featured an article about the growth of evangelical
churches in
America
during the 1990s. The study, “Religious Congregations and Membership:
2000,” found that among Christian fellowships of 1 million or more, the
independent Christian churches and churches of Christ grew faster than any
other group, with 18.6 percent growth over the decade of the ’90s.
Much
of that growth was due to large churches in growing suburban areas and new
churches all across the nation. Many Christian churches continue to grow
rapidly.
There
are more than 100 in the
United States
with more than 1,000 in average
Sunday attendance. Though only one-half of 1 percent of the American
population attends a Christian church, these congregations comprise more
than 6 percent of the number of megachurches in the
U.S.
Christian
churches are also leaders in new church planting, starting more churches per
capita than almost any other group. Many are being planted in regions not
historically represented by Christian churches. New churches are also
starting larger and growing faster than ever before, with many averaging
more than 500 within five years of starting.
Churches
also continue to grow in small towns and rural areas in
middle America
, long considered a stronghold for
Christian churches and churches of Christ.
Healthy
as our domestic growth is, Christian churches are growing even faster
overseas. Hundreds of mission enterprises exist in
Latin America
,
Africa
,
Asia
, Eastern and
Western Europe
, and other regions around the
globe. In fact, there are more members in Christian churches abroad than
there are in the
United States
. More than 1,000 American
missionaries serve on six continents.
Christian
churches will continue to grow as long as each congregation keeps its eyes
firmly on Christ, the cornerstone of our faith, and on the great ministry of
restoration to which we have been called. That has been the hallmark of our
growth, and will continue to be so until Christ returns.
Paul
S. Williams is president of Orchard Group, a church planting organization,
and editor-at-large with CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
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