CHURCH STATS

How about these facts and figures from Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer?

+ Churches under three years of age win an average of ten people to Christ per year for every hundred church members.
+ Churches three to fifteen years of age win an average of five people per year for every hundred church members.
+ Churches over fifteen years of age win an average of three people per year for every hundred church members.


Another statistic from Stetzer:

In 1900, there were 28 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 2000, there were 12 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
In 2004, the latest year available, there are 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans.


Which all goes to show ...

1. The younger the church, the more likely it is to be getting the job done.

2. Although the landscape seems to be dotted with churches, there are less around per capita than in way over a century.

3. There's plenty of scope for church planting!