I wanted to share something with all of you. The idea is really important so stick with me while I speculate as to how the government may impact the mission of the church.
Of course we would all like to believe that giving from the heart is above all this government stuff...but it's not....here is why. Think about what has happened in the world of Christianity over the last couple of decades.
Could there be a direct correlation between the increasing size of government and the decline of church going people?
As more and more resources of this country’s population are consumed by the government to support too many people that otherwise could be self-sufficient….these consumers of government money no longer need to rely on their community for support. They don't need the support of their church family.
These “consumers” begin to become dependent on a faithless god called government. These "consumers" become institutionalized into a system that requires more resources to run....These “consumers” develop an expectation take over their life and then they teach their children how to be a "consumer" of government.
Since 1990 regular church attendance has declined while the population of country has increased dramatically. According the Schaeffer Institute:
· Every year, 2.7 million church members fall into inactivity. This translates into the realization that people are leaving the church.
· From 1990 to 2000, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations in the USA declined by almost 5 million members (9.5 percent), while the US population increased by 24 million (11 percent).
The Hartford Institute for Religion Research report on the "Largest 25 Denominations/Communions from the 2012 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches" reflect the following number: Total church membership reported in the 2012 Yearbook is 145,691,446 members, down 1.15 percent over 2011.
Below is the top 10 by numbers:
1. The Catholic Church 68,202,492, [ranked 1 in 2011], down 0.44 percent.
2. Southern Baptist Convention 16,136,044, [ranked 2 in 2011], down 0.15 percent.
3. The United Methodist Church 7,679,850, [ranked 3 in 2011], down 1.22 percent.
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 6,157,238, [ranked 4 in 2011], up 1.62 percent.
5. The Church of God in Christ 5,499,875, [ranked 5 in 2011] , no update reported.
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A. , Inc. 5,197,512, [ranked 6 in 2011], up 3.95 percent.
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 4,274,855, [ranked 7 in 2011], down 5.90 percent.
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. 3,500,000, [ranked 8 in 2011], no update reported.
9. Assemblies of God 3,030,944, [ranked 9 in 2011], up 3.99 percent.
10. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2,675,873, [ranked 10 in 2011], down 3.42 percent.
On the other side of this complex equation are the people that have supported the bigger church and have also supported numerous societal healing causes. These can include food pantries, Habitat, mission trips etc etc. So, could these people (we) begin to wonder why the producers must work to support the “consumers”.
· How is someone supposed to prioritize their giving, love and support?
· Is my effort really helping to satisfy the mission of the bigger church?
If the government has made the decision for me, as to whom I must support, through ever increasing size of government programs and various social welfare programs, does that become my 10% tithe to the church?
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report in April 2012 said spending on food stamps from 2000 to 2011 went from $18 billion to $78 billion.
Why the US has a culture of dependency
Total number of Americans on welfare 4,300,000
Total number of Americans on food stamps 46,700,000
Total number of Americans on unemployment insurance 5,600,000
Percent of the US population on welfare 4.1 %
Swelling the welfare rolls......
Is there a real correlation between the size of government, growth of the welfare state and the decline of regular church goers? More research is required to be certain.
But we are deciding how we will spend our money. Aren't we?
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