The Edge Blog

Most of us grew up under the assumption that the United States is predominantly a “Christian nation”. After all, it’s still printed on our money, and a few times each year we proudly proclaim “one nation under God” in a high school or a football stadium somewhere.

In 2002, 83% of Americans identified themselves as Christians in an ABC/Beliefnet poll—and that number held steady in the 80s for the better part of the last century. But by 2008 that number had declined to 76%.  A closer examination, however, shows that Americans engaging in church and other Christian religious activity is much lower—around 40%. Those who can identify major beliefs of the Christian faith? Closer to 20%.

It’s clear that America has and is moving away from the church. From distrust of the church to simple apathy, the reasons for this shift are multifold. How does a pastor preach in this post-Christian country? Remember four key facts about your congregation and guests:

Most people are unchurched. Realize that your congregation is a minority in a society of predominantly unchurched people. Understanding their own beliefs and living them boldly is more and more a challenge in a world that neither respects nor agrees with their beliefs. In the old “Bible bubble” days, it was possible that a Christian’s entire friend circle consisted of other Christians. We must help believers learn how to engage people who are far from God—to befriend them for friendship’s sake, and to pour their lives into others for Christ’s sake. In a society of unchurched, the days of organized “event” evangelism has given way to relationship-based evangelism. Preaching the Gospel not only means sharing the means of salvation directly from the pulpit, but using the pulpit to teach your people to do the same.

Many people are de-churched. De-churched are those who grew up in church but left it at some point—most of them after high school. The de-churched know who Jesus is. They just don’t want to have anything to do with Him, probably because mom and dad drug them to church for years and years and never really help them develop a faith of their own. Connecting with the de-churched means authentic preaching that acknowledges the church’s faults, but also reminds others of the church’s strengths. Preaching to the de-churched means rebuilding trust.

A few people are engaged in the church. Within the church, realize that only a very few people are actually engaged in reaching others. We all know the 80-20 rule. Of that 20% who are active in their faith and doing the work of the church, an even smaller percentage is making their faith known. Our preaching must challenge believers to not only grow in confidence but in obedience to the Great Commission in their own lives, daily. Many believers have moved from volunteering, serving and sharing through the church to just showing up. We cannot allow just showing up wear the label “engaged believer”. A believer who is not growing in and sharing their faith is not engaged.

Everyone wants the church to be real. Finally, in a post-Christian world, everyone is  looking for authentic people who make a difference and are confident in what they believe. It’s why people trust Angelina Jolie and Oprah before they trust the church. At least those people are visibly pouring in to others’ lives. We must admit the church has disengaged somewhat from our communities. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for churches to have recreation centers and programming that consistently segregate believers from the neighbors and friends they need to be reaching.

Let your preaching encourage believers to get out into their community and spend their time showing others how real Christians live. Don’t let your church be a space where ministry happens only when people are gathered. Let it be a base for ministry that sends believers out into their post-Christian world to remind others who Jesus is and why He is the way, the truth and the life.