An Inkling
“Figures lie, and liars figure.” Such is the dismissal we hear of politicians
and others who manipulate statistics to get what they want. And it is well to be cautious about
figures. They don’t tell the whole
story, and they can be used to mask the real story. Thus the saying.
But they can also illumine facts that we would otherwise miss. I was reminded of this over the weekend as
Jim Singleton taught at a retreat for elders.
Jim’s a professor at Gordon Conwell Seminary, and one of the most
insightful teachers I know. And he loves
numbers.
As he commented on the faith, the church, and our culture,
here are some figures he used:
- The word “disciple” is found 269 times in the New Testament, and the word “Christian” only 3 times.
- 80% of U.S. congregations are either numerically plateaued or in decline.
- The U.S. is the fifth largest mission field in the world – that is we have the fifth largest number of people who don’t know Jesus – behind only China, India, Indonesia, and Russia.
- Among the generations in the U.S., here are percentages of those who consider themselves a part of a church: Builders, 74%; Boomers, 50%; Gen X, 27%; and Millennials, 20%.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story. But they do illumine particulars that we may
have overlooked. As we think about
what it means to be Jesus followers in this time and place, we need to figure
such things into the equation.
Counting on you,
Keith
