In preparation for my sermon this week I was reading a 2006 survey done by Gallup. They found that nationwide, 76% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. They also discovered that only 42% of Americans attend worship (church, etc) on a weekly or almost weekly basis.
I'm not quite what 'almost weekly' means, but I'll pretend that it means 'as often as they're in town.'
Surely, that reflects the secular nature of the West Coast, and maybe Vermont and New Hampshire, but not here in the Bible Belt! Au contraire, mon ami. Gallup also broke the survey down into states. Anyone want to guess where Tennessee fell? The same place as Georgia: 52%. That's how many people actively attend church on a regular basis. 52%.
I'm not great with math, so I'm just going to call that half. Half of everyone is sleeping in on Sunday morning without any regard to God or Christian community.
Application for Northside? Next time we're bemoaning, 'everyone must be attending the church down the street,' remind yourself that only half of everyone is attending anywhere.
That means the fields are fertile for sowing the seeds of the Gospel. Look at the opportunity! I guarantee you know someone without a church home. Several someone's, probably. Go ahead, invite them to yours. We're a pretty cool place to meet Jesus.
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