Christianity in America has been suffering in recent years as it faces an onslaught of left-wing attacks.
The number of churches is dwindling as Americans turn their attention away from religion.
And now this terrifying study on the future of Christianity in America will leave you in a state of panic.
Religiously unaffiliated Americans are becoming more common every year
Christianity in America could be facing rough waters in the decades ahead if something drastic doesn’t happen.
According to Pew Research, in 1972 over 90% of Americans self-identified as Christians.
That number stayed roughly the same up until 1993 when it began to drop.
Now, the number of Americans who claim to be Christians has dropped to nearly 60%.
Other religions haven’t varied much, and currently sit at about 7% combined.
But the percentage of Americans who self-identify as religiously unaffiliated have shot up to nearly one-in-three.
When people stop going to church, the natural end is that there are fewer church members to be involved in the function of the church.
That creates a difficult environment in which recruiting new church leadership becomes exceedingly difficult.
Now, Dr. George Barna is sounding the alarm about how this could be a costly situation for the American church.
The average age of pastors is now 52-years-old
Barna Research conducts annual surveys on the state of the Christianity, and recently published its “State of Pastors, Volume 2” report, which shows a dramatic change within church leadership.
Pastors are getting older on average, and respondents are concerned about the next generation.
Over 50% of pastors, both male and female, are now over the age of 45.
That’s 51% of men and 53% of women.
To be exact the average age of pastors is now 52 years old.
This has been a problem for some time, but it’s not accelerating.
The researchers asked respondents whether they agreed that “it is becoming harder to find mature young Christians who want to be pastors.”
The result was approximately 75% agreeing with the statement.
If the church can’t find new leaders, then there will be no one in the pulpit in the coming decades.
But the researchers did find a sign of hope among existing pastors.
Pastors are regaining confidence after a severe decline in previous years
The world shifted dramatically in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the authoritarian, unconstitutional lockdowns and restrictions imposed by the ruling class elites obviously had a dramatic impact on churches.
Through the past few years, in addition to church shutdowns, many pastors also began to push for woke extremism.
By October of 2021, nearly 40% of all pastors had begun to “seriously consider” leaving full-time ministry.
But now, things are starting to turn around and researchers for Barna say that we could be heading in a better direction.
In 2022, Barna asked pastors whether they were “more confident” in their position then when they began in ministry.
The result was a saddening 35% of pastors that felt “more confident.”
In 2023, that number jumped significantly to over half. The share of those feeling “less confident” dropped from 14% in 2022 to 9% in 2023.
This rebound could be the beginning of a cultural shift in the church that will eventually lead to more pastors.
If not, then it is possible that recruitment shortfalls will continue to grow, and the future of the church will look bleak.
US Political Daily will keep you updated on any developments to this ongoing story.
