More and more churches in my city close every month, and the ones who haven't closed are struggling and only filled with old people.
It makes me sad to see, but nothing can be done about it.
Is it like this where you live? Will young christians have to rebuild from the ground up?
No this is not like where I live. However the young people I see that go, are lukewarm. They proclaim God’s existence yet they willing or unknowingly fall into the pitfalls of sin. They gossip, curse, fap, fornicate, drink, smoke, gay, etc. I see this in Prots, Caths, and Orthos around me. I try my best to tell some of them to stop it, some listen, others don’t - even when I am struggling with my own faith. We are at the end of the Church age my friend, I hope that we manage to keep the Faith till the end.
I think what's important is that you found a way to feel superior to all of them.
Matthew 7:3-5
Young people get enticed by Hillsong type of places and mega churches. I think those are bad news, but each individual is not necessarily bad for attending. They must be seeking God if they want to go to church to begin with, but they need help. And telling them to go back to older type of churches, with often more "boring" 17th century hymn music, isn't going to help.
But contrary to popular opinion, I wouldn't say making church more contemporary is the answer either. I'd actually say become even more traditional. If people saw the wealth Orthodox and older Catholic churches can do, and show a little slice of heaven, you might win over some of these kids.
Frauds exist in all types of movements and cultures. Not every self proclaimed punk is actually a punk. That's my bad example of it but only a few people actually live the life they claim they live.
Like GG Allin
I was a snotty little skatepunk in the 80s. "Oldschool" by modern standards. But realized I was just a poser too. Real punks are from the 70s. And died in the 70s.
The number one issue is that even though most don't have female priests, most of the lay teachers are women. I remember it being 85% or so for the Roman Catholic Church.
Young men see religion as something you pretend to believe to be feel good, understandably so. And they are appalled by it, because that way of thinking is gay.
I know I may sound huttburt, but I tried attending church regularly when I was a young adult and never really felt welcomed. I always got the impression that churches didn't want men, but they want women. I even heard a pastor one time mutter under his breath that his church needed more young women (I was in the bay area at the time). I haven't been to church in years, but I do tithe directly to charity and to the homeless. If the churches don't want me, then I won't give them my hard-earned dollars. An eye for an eye I suppose.
You should go back to church bro.
I feel you, and I prefer when churches are empty so I can be alone in serenity with God…
It's not that I don't like my fellow christian but people seem to forget that a church is the house of God first and foremost… And THEN a special club to hang out.
The important thing during mass is to worship God and take the eucharist… Not whether the bishop preaches this or that doctrine or girls are pretty, yada yada.
These days people tend to get a little paranoid when a new face shows up in church, especially if they sit in the back and don't talk to anyone.
It's the opposite where I am. We've got a lot of different denominations and all are packed with the old and young and the in between. The parish I've been going to regularly has been steadily growing, especially with converts though most of them are a little older; I'm the youngest in my RCIA class besides my gf
Don't despair friend. Work on yourself and your faith, and seek out a like minded congregation. The Lord provides.
Go to a traditional Latin mass. Filled with young married couples with a ton of children
I was in a very liberal church a few years ago. I watched the church die before my very eyes, with attendance for the evening service dropping from almost 100 people to less than 10 in the space of 6 years. I looked around for a new church but found the same issue with all theologically liberal churches in my area. All dead or dying.
Interestingly enough the one church that wasn't dying was the hyper conservative (vocally against gay marriage, no women pastors etc) that I now go to. Congregation size for the evening service alone has risen from an average of 20 to 120 people over the past 6 years. Each 4 of the church services have over 100 attendees, and nobody except the kids who are still in school appear to have a lukewarm approach to their faith.
tl;dr from my experience only the liberal churches are dying, trad/conservative churches are growing. This is a good thing.
There's a good number of 'churches' around where I live, but I'd say only about two are actual God fearing Christian churches. The happy-feel-good churches are staying alive while actual churches are slowing dying out, my only guess is the whole area is turning more 'progressive', and since Lord knows lefties have nothing but disdain for traditional values the church is of course dying out.
There's a church down the road from where I live that I go to during election season to vote, and I cannot begin to tell you the disgust I feel when a statue of Buddha greeted me every time I enter.
But I live in the city so I know for a fact that the rural areas are much, much better.
quality not quantity. There are too many Christians by name and not spirit. Too many heretical churches, we need a winnowing. Nothing wrong with that.
Begome Ordodox
The church of globalism appeals to nobody. A pastor converts to globalism, watches his congregation disappear, then says "I guess Christianity isn't so great after all." Globalism is just a more resilient strain of communism.
You're right, I was going to church for all the wrong reasons. Thanks for this post, Christfren
I get your point, but this was way before that incident. It was really sad, I remember, because that predominantly black church invited that guy to their Bible study.
Seek out Traditional Churches. Burn all the rest.
I find it opposite. The liberal churches here died years ago, and the trad churches are on their deathbed.
I'm glad.
They send a good message to those lukewarm heretics that pose as bishops these days.
Go ahead, keep on following the times, watering down the liturgy.
In the end all that will remain are the small but conservative parishes while the gym hall tier church buildings will get converted into community centers.
In Amsterdam IIRC, SSPX bought up an old beautiful church in decay (because hey who wants those old churches, these new post V2 gym hall churches are much better right?) for a relatively cheap price.
They restored it, hold weekly Tridentine masses in it and the community is growing.
good, purge the lukewarms
hopefully the schismatics will re-join the Church, and bring back that beautiful church to Christ.
Ive hear ICKSP is doing the same accross france and the US.
Good stuff tbh