Declining membership and attendance in the traditional mainline churches in the western world: lessons for Christianity in Ghana

Abstract

By all standards, people in the western world, especially Europeans, have proved themselves as a very religious people. Having broken away from their various primal religions to embrace Christianity many centuries ago, Europe has served as the centre of gravity of Christianity for over 1,000 years. America has become what it is today because of the influx of Christians from Europe who moved there in the early 1600s in search of a place to enjoy religious freedom. Since then, churches in the West have been experiencing growing membership and attendance. They have been at the forefront in sending missionaries to other parts of the world. Through their numerous books and other literature, they have helped to shape Christian theology and practice. Similarly, through their numerous Bible Schools and seminaries, ministers of the gospel have been trained. They have also sent out billions of dollars to support Christian activities globally. Actually, without the significant roles played by Europeans and Americans, Christianity would not have been that successful. However, over the last decades, the situation appears to be changing as Europe and North America seem to be losing their Christian heritage. Church membership and attendance appear to be declining