To Know Is to Love

in this country, participation in churches is declining.  the church where i play three sundays per month has only about fifty regular attendees, and the church of which i am a member has seen its membership decline dramatically over the past several years.  in both churches, fewer young couples with children are active participants.  the percentage of retirees in the congregations is much larger than was the case ten years ago.  as older members have died, fewer younger members have taken their places.

this trend is evident across our nation.  the suspension of in-person worship and other church programs during covid has taken a toll.  many people have become accustomed to watching church services from home and have not returned to church now that restrictions on attendance have been lifted.  this stay-at-home worship has turned active participants into observers so that the sense of being a part of a group has become weaker.  to my surprise, i have learned that i feel less motivated to attend worship on sundays when i don't play for a service.  the thing i miss is the connection to others rather than the content of the service.  now that the danger of becoming infected with covid has lessened, i achieve that connection by participating in other activities, such as our monthly senior luncheon, and visiting with others who are in the building when i go to practice.  i suspect others have had similar experiences now that we have entered this period after the greatest threat from covid has passed.

i don't know how churches can continue to keep their doors open, as their membership and revenue decline.  as income declines, there is less money to pay for staffing, leading to reductions in programs and greater demands on remaining staff and volunteers.  the lack of opportunities for participation exacerbates the twin problems of diminishing income and membership.   

there are many other reasons for the decline in church membership and participation.  chief among them is the decline in belief in the church's traditional teachings.  at the same time, those who hold to fundamentalist teachings, such as the condemnation of same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clergy or opposition to abortion, have left mainline churches that have been supportive of gay and women's rights to attend non-denominational and conservative churches.  others have abandoned the church altogether because it has refused to support what they see as basic human rights.  they see churches that proclaim a message of love while individual members live as though their hearts are filled with hate.  the contrast between what the church preaches and how its members live has driven many from its doors.

may we find ways to form connections to others as church membership declines.  may we see the benefits of such ties to one another.  may we live our lives honestly and learn to love one another despite our differences in beliefs.  may we recognize the need for larger circles of caring beyond our immediate families and close friends.  if the church is to play a smaller role in our society, may we figure out how to replace it with other ways of connecting to one another.  shalom.