*Poof* A Church Disappears
We have a small restaurant near our home. It serves… er… ah… food. Its name doesn’t contain any descriptors to let me know what kind of food it does serve. Occasionally, they post a poorly-made handwritten sign boasting the special of the day. I seem to see the sign when I don’t want to stop for food.
Don’t get me wrong, I obviously get hungry and I eat out more than I should, so I should stop in. When I drive by though, I rarely see cars in their parking lot. That screams something to me. Oh wait! They went under. As I drove by them this morning, they had their doors closed and their sign taken down.
Poof. The restaurant’s...
The Power of 890.
They say that "everyone" goes to church at Christmas. Can you imagine if they all did!
Instantly, some concerns, of course, come to mind:
What would they hear at each church?
What message would possibly change their direction?
Is telling the simple Christmas Story enough?
What is the take-away benefit message of the Christmas Story?
Does every Church present it in such a way that would change people?
But first: the facts.
According to the Hartford Institute; they estimate there are roughly 350,000 places of worship in the US (314,000 Protestant, 24,000 Catholic/Orthodox, and the rest are "other"). The median size is 75 regular participants. 186 is the average attendance. 50% of church goers attend a church 350+. (BTW: I realize I would not support every belief of...