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Post by Mercy for All on Jul 5, 2023 16:08:44 GMT
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Post by elmerfudd on Jul 6, 2023 18:21:07 GMT
there was a time when at least stating that one was of some particular religious persuasion was deemed an asset in society. didn't necessarily mean one had to be a Bible thumper or attend every time the door opened - just lip service. membership totals in a lot of churches are probably significantly overstated even now and certainly were back in those days. I know in the SBC church of which I am a member I would say by a factor of 100% at least, but more like 150%. and I think it's always been that way.
and part of that is because it's so easy to become a member. just trot the aisle and say the right words. presto, you're a member and on the rolls basically forever whether you ever show back up or not. one exception might be Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral,Florida, the pastor of which has been Tom Ascol since 1986. but that's beyond the scope of this answer.
in any event, it has become much more acceptable to be a "none." So I think some of the growth of "nones" is due to them coming "out of the closet."
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Post by Monster Man on Jul 6, 2023 18:49:55 GMT
there was a time when at least stating that one was of some particular religious persuasion was deemed an asset in society. didn't necessarily mean one had to be a Bible thumper or attend every time the door opened - just lip service. membership totals in a lot of churches are probably significantly overstated even now and certainly were back in those days. I know in the SBC church of which I am a member I would say by a factor of 100% at least, but more like 150%. and I think it's always been that way. and part of that is because it's so easy to become a member. just trot the aisle and say the right words. presto, you're a member and on the rolls basically forever whether you ever show back up or not. one exception might be Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral,Florida, the pastor of which has been Tom Ascol since 1986. but that's beyond the scope of this answer. in any event, it has become much more acceptable to be a "none." So I think some of the growth of "nones" is due to them coming "out of the closet." These polls are of individuals, not the Church leadership on what they claim their membership to be. So, not sure how your particular church, overstating its membership, plays out here in regards to polling of what individuals claim. |
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Post by elmerfudd on Jul 6, 2023 20:00:02 GMT
there was a time when at least stating that one was of some particular religious persuasion was deemed an asset in society. didn't necessarily mean one had to be a Bible thumper or attend every time the door opened - just lip service. membership totals in a lot of churches are probably significantly overstated even now and certainly were back in those days. I know in the SBC church of which I am a member I would say by a factor of 100% at least, but more like 150%. and I think it's always been that way. and part of that is because it's so easy to become a member. just trot the aisle and say the right words. presto, you're a member and on the rolls basically forever whether you ever show back up or not. one exception might be Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral,Florida, the pastor of which has been Tom Ascol since 1986. but that's beyond the scope of this answer. in any event, it has become much more acceptable to be a "none." So I think some of the growth of "nones" is due to them coming "out of the closet." These polls are of individuals, not the Church leadership on what they claim their membership to be. So, not sure how your particular church, overstating its membership, plays out here in regards to polling of what individuals claim. I seem to have failed to communicate my point. My church does not overstate its "membership." Few churches do. It's just that membership numbers are mostly meaningless. And now being a "none" is not seen as pejorative as it once was. Many "members" were really "nones." Now they don't have to even claim being anything other than a "none." Some are still "members," but many who would have been members, since being one is so easy and no real demands are made, while remaining nones no longer see the need to stay in the closet. |
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Post by Monster Man on Jul 6, 2023 20:11:33 GMT
These polls are of individuals, not the Church leadership on what they claim their membership to be. So, not sure how your particular church, overstating its membership, plays out here in regards to polling of what individuals claim. I seem to have failed to communicate my point. My church does not overstate its "membership." Few churches do. It's just that membership numbers are mostly meaningless. And now being a "none" is not seen as pejorative as it once was. Many "members" were really "nones." Now they don't have to even claim being anything other than a "none." Some are still "members," but many who would have been members, since being one is so easy and no real demands are made, while remaining nones no longer see the need to stay in the closet. Its a poll. Who are these people staying in the closet too? Some random caller working for the polling agency? Their names are not being recorded into a database where the public can see where they said they were a "none" or not. |
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Post by Mercy for All on Jul 6, 2023 20:40:55 GMT
These polls are of individuals, not the Church leadership on what they claim their membership to be. So, not sure how your particular church, overstating its membership, plays out here in regards to polling of what individuals claim. I seem to have failed to communicate my point. My church does not overstate its "membership." Few churches do. It's just that membership numbers are mostly meaningless. And now being a "none" is not seen as pejorative as it once was. Many "members" were really "nones." Now they don't have to even claim being anything other than a "none." Some are still "members," but many who would have been members, since being one is so easy and no real demands are made, while remaining nones no longer see the need to stay in the closet. Honestly, it depends on the church. Some churches are pretty good at maintaining and "policing" church membership requirements. Others, far less so...I was in a church with a bloated membership list, in which names were not removed for fear of "offending family members." Which was stupid. |
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Post by Monster Man on Jul 6, 2023 21:26:14 GMT
I seem to have failed to communicate my point. My church does not overstate its "membership." Few churches do. It's just that membership numbers are mostly meaningless. And now being a "none" is not seen as pejorative as it once was. Many "members" were really "nones." Now they don't have to even claim being anything other than a "none." Some are still "members," but many who would have been members, since being one is so easy and no real demands are made, while remaining nones no longer see the need to stay in the closet. Honestly, it depends on the church. Some churches are pretty good at maintaining and "policing" church membership requirements. Others, far less so...I was in a church with a bloated membership list, in which names were not removed for fear of "offending family members." Which was stupid. I have been with churches that had no formal membership, you just showed up. Others, a bit more formal, had a process of your becoming an official member where you had to meet certain requirements to join (profession of faith, adherence to doctrinal statements, or confirmation...) and you had to maintain some level of membership and tithing. This made you a voting member so that on important decisions you had a voice in the direction of the church body. |
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Odysseus
Legend
Trump = Disaster
Posts: 41,101
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Post by Odysseus on Jul 17, 2023 1:15:47 GMT
Interesting link. Thanks for sharing!
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