How blessed are the Wardians!
Who are the Wardians? YOU are the Wardians…those under the employ of Diane Ward.
Why are we blessed? Because Diane cared enough about YOUR spiritual lives to provide a Workplace Chaplain, a rising trend among some of America’s most progressive corporations, by the way. That’s right…we’re on the cutting edge! It’s an honor and a privilege for me to serve you in this way and it’s making a difference in the lives of many who - for a myriad of reasons - tell me they cannot get to traditional church services. Whether it’s their weariness with perceived hypocrisy, their own lack of “churchy” attire, the stress of getting kids ready on their only day off, for many, Bible Study attendance IS the only Church they have.
We are blessed because Diane insists that anyone who cares to attend Bible Study remain ON THE CLOCK when they participate. Imagine! She’s essentially willing to PAY YOU to attend a Bible Study! In many 3rd world countries, where Christians are persecuted for gathering, they would flock to attend what many Americans ignore. I once saw a photo of a small wood-frame house in China with over 600 people surrounding it, heads sticking through every window and door. What were they doing? They were listening to a cassette tape of an evangelist preaching the Gospel.
Imagine!
From an article entitled “Religion in American Life,” I gathered the following statistics…
The number of people saying religion is very important to them has gradually increased over the past two decades, after declining sharply between the mid-1960s and late 1970s. Currently, nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) call religion very important. Fully nine-in-ten pray at least once a week and the overwhelming majority of respondents described God in very personal terms.
More than seven-in-ten women (71%) cite religion as very important, as do 55% of men.
Half (54%) of all college graduates consider religion very important, compared to two-thirds of high school graduates and three-quarters of those who have not finished high school.
Six-in-ten attend religious services — not including weddings and funerals — at least once a month, while 43% attend at least weekly.
Overall, slightly less than half of the American public (46%) said they attended church in the previous seven days (unless those days included Easter or Christmas), while 53% said they had not.
Among adults 30-49, nearly half (49%) of women go to church at least once a week, compared to one-third of men. Among those over age 50, the gap on weekly church attendance is also substantial (58% of women, 43% of men). The gender gap is smaller among those under 30, who attend church somewhat less frequently.
Although college graduates place less of an emphasis on religion in their personal lives, educational levels are not a factor in church attendance. More than four-in-ten college graduates (43%) go to church at least weekly, about the same percentage of those who attended some college (42%) and high school graduates (45%).
Those are the Church attendance stats. Here are the stats as they pertain to us OUTSIDE the four walls of a church building:
Nearly four-in-ten (38%) attend prayer meetings or Bible Study at least sometimes. Roughly one-third participate in religious education programs, and a similar proportion do community volunteer work through their place of worship. Nearly as many (28%) work with children or youth at their place of worship.
The most popular extra-curricular church activity takes place OUTSIDE of people’s individual churches. Nearly half of all Americans watch religious television or listen to religious radio shows at least sometimes — 20% do so frequently. Only a third of Americans (34%) say they never listen to religious broadcasting.
Women are more likely than men to participate in prayer or Bible study groups and to listen to religious radio and TV. (You go, girls!)
Are God’s people praying? Here’s what the survey says:
Even those who cite the importance of religion in their lives can be somewhat inconsistent in their church attendance, but an overwhelming majority of Americans say they pray on a fairly frequent basis. Fully nine-in-ten pray at least once a week, and 59% pray every day or even several times a day. Even a majority of seculars (55%) report praying at least weekly.
While many more people pray weekly than attend services, similar patterns of behavior are present. For example, roughly eight-in-ten white evangelical Protestants pray daily and 61% pray several times a day. That compares to 45% of white mainline Protestants who pray daily, and 23% who pray several times a day.
What may be more striking are the high rates of prayer among people who do not attend church very often. For instance, less than one-third (32%) of men under age 30 say they attend church weekly. But 83% of these younger men pray on a weekly basis, and 43% say they pray daily.
Since I began my online ministry, many individuals have told me that they get more out of reading my messages and occasionally counseling with me than they do from attending church. There are those who believe that, because we are such an E-Society, more and more people will be turning to the Internet for spiritual guidance and input. According to the statistics, they’re right as the numbers don’t lie.
Is The Church leaving the building?
More eye-opening statistics came from Researcher and Sociologist George Barna’s reputable “Barna Research Group.”
Following are the findings of the his revealing 2006 report:
In a typical WEEK, 9 percent of U.S. adults attend a House Church.That’s roughly 20 million people.
In a typical MONTH, about 43 million U.S. adults attend a House Church.
All told, 70 million U.S. adults have at least EXPERIMENTED with participation in a House Church.
Focusing only on those who attend some form of church weekly (about 43 percent of us), 74 percent attend ONLY a traditional church, 19 percent attend both a traditional AND a House Church, and 5 percent are House Church adherents ONLY.
The study counted only attendance at House Churches, not small groups (”cells”) that are generally a bolt-on program of a traditional church.
Barna predicts that within 20 years, this House Churching group - one that he refers to as “Revolutionaries” - will comprise nearly 70% of all U.S. Christians, leaving only 30-35 percent (primarily, aging Christians) in traditional church settings! That’s an amazing statistic! As you may know, the numbers of House Churching Christians in places like China and India are off the charts. Under constant fear of persecution, the House Church movement there is thriving.
Is that what we need?
JUST DO IT!
If you REALLY want to enhance your Christian life, my recommendation is that - if you do nothing else - focus on studying and learning the Doctrines of Christ, paying no attention to manmade doctrines and traditions while you do so. Trust me, they’ll only water you down. The Berean Christians “searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul was teaching them was true” and were considered “more noble’ than others for doing so.
Will the “Wardian Christians” be considered “more noble” by doing likewise?
Whatever you’re being, or have been, exposed to through your traditional Church experiences, filter it all through the teachings of Christ. It may involve some detoxification, I realize that. But don’t buy every can o’ peas on the shelf! When I was suffering from a crippling spinal disease, all I did for three years was to study, write down and categorize the teachings of Jesus and it changed my life - and my crippling theology. Yes, the Words of Jesus are powerful! There are many other “cripples” that can use a similar healing touch.
The Bible Studies I now teach are called “Jesus Said” and address what the Lord said about specific issues that pertain to YOUR life.
Where Church is concerned, if you’re not attending one, remember…you ARE the Church, 24/7. It’s not a place, not a building, after all…it’s the people who love and follow after Jesus.
BE The Church… even at work, amen?
See you at Bible Study! Bring a friend or neighbor!
Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
Workplace Chaplain
Pyramid HealthCare
214.476.8792
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