Post by Daniel on Dec 1, 2016 8:08:24 GMT -5
Fastest Growing Churches Teach Literal Interpretation Of The Bible
By PNW Staff November 30, 2016
We have all read the headlines: Church attendance is shrinking and Christians are losing their faith. What those headlines often don't reveal is which churches are in decline and why.
Now, a recent study has shed some new light on the difference between the churches that have seen their membership drop and those that have seen incredible growth in recent years.
The short version: churches that preach a literal interpretation of God's word to an enthusiastic congregation continue to expand. On the other hand, the mainline protestant churches that have progressively diluted or reinterpreted God's word have suffered losses of membership.
Previous studies had downplayed the role of theology in declining church membership, but new research conducted with 2,225 churchgoers in Ontario, Canada disputes those findings.
...
The most powerful factor, however, was the belief system. Haskell's research into social groups indicates, not surprisingly, that churches with a consistent, unified message and clear boundaries between outsiders are more attractive to people both in the church and outside.
The certainty of faith is, in other words, a powerful tool to call new believers to Christ. Among the other findings of the study are these key differences on questions of belief...
read full article
www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=839
By PNW Staff November 30, 2016
We have all read the headlines: Church attendance is shrinking and Christians are losing their faith. What those headlines often don't reveal is which churches are in decline and why.
Now, a recent study has shed some new light on the difference between the churches that have seen their membership drop and those that have seen incredible growth in recent years.
The short version: churches that preach a literal interpretation of God's word to an enthusiastic congregation continue to expand. On the other hand, the mainline protestant churches that have progressively diluted or reinterpreted God's word have suffered losses of membership.
Previous studies had downplayed the role of theology in declining church membership, but new research conducted with 2,225 churchgoers in Ontario, Canada disputes those findings.
...
The most powerful factor, however, was the belief system. Haskell's research into social groups indicates, not surprisingly, that churches with a consistent, unified message and clear boundaries between outsiders are more attractive to people both in the church and outside.
The certainty of faith is, in other words, a powerful tool to call new believers to Christ. Among the other findings of the study are these key differences on questions of belief...
read full article
www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=839
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