Things are, however, different from they way they were in Jesus' time. Despite what we would like to believe, the church has very little influence in our culture today. Religion is a private matter, and the Supreme Court, which as late as fifty years ago declared this country a Christian nation in a decision, would no longer do so. We are people called to proclaim Good News, to tell the story of Jesus and introduce others to him. That is primarily done by the way in which we live, the ethics we have, and the moral behavior we demonstrate.
Church is much less a social custom than it was just a few decades ago.
People who become Christians today are more likely to do so out of conviction than custom. And this is not happening only in poor parts of the world. An Anglican Church in central London has new people coming each week to classes about basic Christianity, and many of them join the church as a result. New members include many young professionals who seek stability and a spiritual foundation for living. A very traditional church in rural New Jersey recently added a third service to its Sunday schedule because the main mid-morning service was full.