Volunteering at church is down from 27 to 20 percent and adult Sunday school attendance is down from 23 to 19 percent. Yet the number of Americans who say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ which is still important in their lives and who believe they will go to heaven because they had confessed their sins and accepted Jesus as their savior - rose from 35 percent of the nation in 1991 to 41 percent in 2001. Hypocrisy is one answer. Four out of 10 born again Christians do not attend church or read the Bible in a typical week and there are 10 million people who have accepted Jesus but don't worship Him in church. There are major differences in religious behavior between Catholics and Protestants.
Christian ministry is stuck in a deep rut.
Our research continues to point out the need for behavioral modeling, strategic ministry, and a more urgent reliance upon God to change people's lives. The challenge to today's Church is not methodological. It is a challenge to resuscitate the spiritual passion and fervor of the nation's Christians. I am not wholly convinced by this analysis. People in the South are more likely to report being absolutely committed to Christ, to reading the Bible, attending Sunday School and being born again.