Church Growth

This is an interesting insight on church growth:

Study: Growing Churches Have More Men and Drums

Churches with rising attendance numbers have a lot in common with one another - a lot more than denomination, location, or even theological approach. According to a new study, success stories often involve men, drums, a joyful environment, and a concerted effort not to be too "reverent."

That’s the conclusion of a December report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, a nonprofit research group at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn. While most US churches continue to be predominantly of one race and to count more women than men in their pews, the HIRR survey of almost 900 congregations found growth is most likely when:

• A church is multiracial.
• Men make up at least 60 percent of regular participants.
• Leaders describe worship as “slightly to not at all” reverent.
• Drums or percussion are always used in worship.
Such innovations make churches exciting places to be, says report author Kirk Hadaway. It also explains why atypical churches, which are prone to innovate, often lead the pack in growth, he adds.

“If it’s not uplifting, interesting, provoking ... it’s perfectly acceptable in American society to not go [to church] anymore,” says Mr. Hadaway, director of research for the Episcopal Church USA. “Churches that are providing a more uplifting worship experience and community are those that are growing. And those that do it well are not typical anymore.”

For many congregations, learning to grow is a matter of survival. Six mainline denominations, all of which have been losing members for 40 years, saw worship attendance figures drop by as much as 12 percent between 1999 and 2004, according to a November report from the Presbyterian Church (USA). The United Methodist Church (UMC) lost about 34,000 weekly worshipers, or 1 percent, from 2004 to 2005.