We know that Church attendance is dropping in North America and Europe - especially in traditional religions like the Methodists, Catholics and Anglicans.  Why is this?  One of the reasons is that people are migrating to emotional, fundamentalist religions like the Baptists and Pentecostals.  Others are leaving altogether - maybe not giving up on the idea of a god, but giving up on organized religions.  Because humans have a built in need to believe, some will turn to mysticism or some vague belief in a "higher power".  Others will say (and think) that they still belong to the Church of their childhood but  rarely actually go to Church.

This has not gone unnoticed in the Methodist Church in the U.S.  where, after a steady decline for decades, there are now  7.8 million members.  Also, the average age of clergy and parishioners has been steadily rising indicating "a creeping crisis of relevancy" amongst young people.   And like many Churches, they are running into financial difficulties.

However,  rather than die quietly, the Methodist leaders in the U.S. decided to be scientific(!) and pay big bucks for a survey. Can you guess what the survey said?  As I would have expected, there is no magic bullet, no single action to take.  But there is a list of four things that "fuel vitality".

According to the survey, successful Churches have:

1. small groups and programs;
2. worship services that mix traditional and contemporary styles with an emphasis on relevant sermons;
3. pastors who work hard on mentorship and cultivation of the laity;
4. an emphasis on effective lay leadership.

The study concluded that church health can't be pinned on any one of the four essentials identified by researchers, or even the size or scope of those programs. "An essential finding of the research was that it's the combination of factors that contribute to vitality, rather than any one or two," the report said.

I would further summarize the factors into one: they all have hard working, high energy, smart pastors.  Like any successful business, they work at it, they "own" it, it's not "just a job".  Probably they could all make a good living as an entrepreneur in the secular, useful world.

But I have to ask the question: if their particular package of theology is true and obviously so, why do they have to work so hard to sell it?    It seems to me that success depends on reaching the emotions of the Church goers - if it "feels good", people are more likely to come back.  I would guess they make a point of avoiding any truly rational sermons - they would be all about love, and goodness and the evil of sin.  If you need support for this idea, turn on Sunday morning TV and watch a few of the sermons there.

Think about it - what is a pastor doing on Sunday?  He is selling his philosophy.  If you ask any good salesman - especially one selling big ticket items - they will tell you that selling is about trust and establishing a relationship.  No mention of facts or information - just emotional factors.  Pastors have an ongoing sale to make - they have to reinforce their message every Sunday.  If they can't sell, they will go out of business and people will go to their competitors.

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