MIAMI HERALD – 2/6/2000
Headline:  “CATHOLIC CHURCH ADJUSTS, Leaders seek new members:”
I quote:
“Life for us has to change”
“In South Florida, Catholics continue to lose many Hispanics & Hatians to
the tamborine-thumping, foot-tapping, bear-hugging ferver of small
charismatic churches [including Pentecostals]“!!!
“Internationally, Protestant churches are gaining ground in Catholic
strongholds.  There has been a dramatic increase among Protestant
evangelicals AND PENTECOSTALS in Latin America.”
“In a Pentecostal church, I feel a connection with Christ and I am free to
worship to praise him and say ‘Hallelujah’ whenever I want….  It’s not a
ritual”
“Nearly 12-13% of Latin Americans are now Protestant, …

By Jim Czegledi
How do traditional mainline churches attract new generations of believers when they are not mega-style, seeker-driven churches? The answer does not always lie in new or radical models of ministry, but in a rediscovery of the type of ministry that has served the church for many years. A sense of piety and community can be expressed in ways appropriate and relevant to younger people today.
Many mainline churches find it impossible to relocate to areas of population growth or to radically transform into seeker-driven, program-oriented churches. Nor is it …

America’s Megachurches Are Reinventing Themselves to Continue Growth
Some observers predict that in the next decade a church in the United States will hit the 50,000-member threshold
by Leigh DeVore
The number of megachurches–congregations numbering 2,000 or more–nearly doubled during the 1990s to an estimated 500 today, “The Los Angeles Times” reported last week. These churches have transformed religion in America, partly because they have rejected traditional Sunday morning forms and adapted the use elaborate stage productions, contemporary music, mini-dramas and practical sermons offering life lessons for families.
Some experts contend that megachurches have …

God may be calling sinners, but His people are not answering when they go looking for help. A nationwide telephone survey failed to make contact with a real person at 40 percent of churches, despite repeated callbacksCup to a dozen times. Only half of those churches in which no one picked up the phone had an answering machine.
Though many churches cannot be reached by phone, they are still sending a message to inquirers, said George Barna, whose Barna Research Group surveyed 3,764 Protestant churches across the country. “If churches really …

Church Offers ‘Express Worship’ Service for People Too Busy for God
Fast faith initiative draws newcomers but offends other pastors
by Andy Butcher
A Florida church has come up with a novel way of reaching out to those who have no time for God–an express worship service. Family Bible Church in Eustis guarantees its 9 a.m. congregation songs, prayer, announcements, collection and a sermon all within 45 minutes.
The fast-food-for-the-soul program has attracted scores of first-time churchgoers, according to pastor Allen Speegle, who admits that the approach has drawn some criticism for its no-frills, …

Giving is up, going is down, and getting remains the same. Those are the results of a survey of church offerings, attendance and pastors’ salaries that the Barna Research Group says indicates that while there is widespread interest in “spirituality” across the country, it has not yet fueled the nationwide revival anticipated by many leaders.
In their yearly tracking of Protestant churches, the Barna researchers contacted 604 senior pastors and found that the annual operating budgets of churches rose by 5 percent, to an average $110,000, from 1998 to 1999. Median …

Can we close the back door for church attrition?
No Back Doors! New converts are at probably the most crucial part of their walk with God: the beginning! We must show them that they need to make sure that there are no back doors in their relationship with God. Even though they have been freed from their bondage to sin, they still live in the flesh and are faced with more temptation than ever before. How do they eliminate the back doors? 1) Regular fasting and daily, consistent prayer. 2) Diligent …

Americans Turning Back to Religion to Find Identity and Meaning
ABC News charts parents’ desire to pass on meaning, values to their children
by Andy Butcher
Schools full of violence and homes empty of values are sending a growing number of Americans back to religion to find answers, according to an ABC News report. But at the same time, fewer families are regularly attending church or other services, a new survey has revealed.
Paul Vitz, a psychology professor at New York University, told ABC that many young adults are turning to religion as a …

Charisma Magazine On-Line
12/99
Shock Study Reveals Christians More Likely to Divorce Than Non-Christians
Pro-family groups say study reveals churches’ failure to prepare couples.
by Andy Butcher
An “alarming” report that finds Christians are more likely to divorce than non-Christians has been welcomed as a badly needed “wake-up call to the Church.” The study by the Barna Research Group (BRG) also reveals that atheists are less likely to end their marriage than
born-again believers.
The sobering findings, just released, come from a survey of nearly 4,000 adults by the Calif.-based Christian research organization. They discovered that 27 …

Christian divorces are a greater threat to the sanctity of marriage than the rights being granted for gay unions, according to an article in Focus on the Family’s “Citizen” magazine. “Like radon gas seeping undetected into a home and threatening its inhabitants,” the church has allowed “a phantom leak” that more fundamentally undermines marriage’s health and well-being, says author Glenn Stanton.
Pastors need to recover an understanding of the biblical teaching on marriage, he says, citing the “high-profile marital betrayal” by singer Amy Grant–who earlier this year remarried to singer Vice …