If I (Bronwyn) said I had good news and bad news, which would you want to hear first? I’m a “get the bad news out of the way” person, so here are some sobering statistics[1]:
In 1937, 73% of Americans reported belonging to a faith community. In 2020, that number dropped to 47%.
In 2007, 78% of US adults identified as Christian. By 2019, that percentage dropped to 65%.
How about the next generation? Among Gen Z (13-19 years old), only 51% identify as Christian.
Why the drop? Barriers cited are lack of authentic community (only 33% of young adults feel church offers a place they can belong) and hypocrisy and judgment (with over 85% of young outsiders seeing Christians this way).
These stats are sobering, and in Davis and Yolo county… they also feel accurate. But there’s good news, too:
44% of US adults say they are more open to God since the Pandemic.
And, while 2 out of every 5 teens in the U.S. claim no religion, 2 out of 3 teens would consider coming to church if someone invited them.
This is the part where I get excited, because the adjectives that continue to describe FBC are that we are relational and welcoming. Yes, we live in a time and in a community where people are nervous about Christians and shouty “Christianity” – but almost everywhere I go in Davis and Woodland, when people find out I go to FBC, I hear “oh… I know so and so from your church. They’re great.” FBC - all your quiet, everyday acts of service on committees, of integrity at work, of kindness at kids sports, of generosity towards local businesses, of friendliness in the grocery store… all these have an impact. They BLESS our neighbors, model authentic community, and have offered warmth rather than hypocrisy… and in doing so - you reflect God to a spiritually curious and hungry world.
On October 6th - we’re kicking off our church Fall Focus. Last year we focused on neighboring well, and this month we’ve been considering how to engage faithfully in this heightened political season. Our Fall Focus is building on that: rather than being bashful (hands hidden away) or bitey (hands ready to strike), we are asking how we can extend our hands to BLESS the world as Jesus called us to.
Grab your own copy of the B.L.E.S.S. book on Sunday, order it online, or get an audio version so you can listen along. Our home groups will explore these themes more deeply (SO NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO JUMP IN!), and in true church-family style - we will kick it all off with a celebration potluck brunch. So bring some finger food to share for brunch on Oct 6th, and come hungry!
Excited to change the world with you, one small BLESSing at a time,
Pastor Bronwyn
Sources:
American Bible Society, “State of the Bible 2021”
OneHope “Global Youth Culture: United States Report 2023”
Barna Group “unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity… and Why it Matters,” 2007
Pew Research Center, “In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace,” October 17, 2019
Credit to Tara Beth Leach (@tarabeth82) for most of these sources.