Heaven Is Our Destination Where We Will Be ONE With The Lord Forever

Today, we are in The Season Of The Last Generation. The Birth Pains that Christ Jesus spoke about are currently under way, including natural and unnatural disasters. They will be ever increasing. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Social, economic and political turmoil will be ever increasing, causing people's hearts to be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life. An apostasy within the Church of God is currently under way. This will all reach a climax with Satan revealing his Antichrist and requiring that everyone worship him; That every one receive his "mark" in order to buy or sell; The new currency of the New World Order, the New Tower of Babel.

Today, it is critical that those who have a heart for God are aware of what God is doing and speaking today. God is opening up His Word like never before in preparation for The Time Of The END. I exhort you to open up your heart and your eyes to see what He is doing and your ears to hear what God is speaking at this time. My prayer is that we will be able to stand before the Son of Man at His appearing, without fault and with great joy. I encourage you to read David Wilkerson's book, America's Last Call at davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com. Also, Google, Tommy Hicks Prophecy, 1961 for a view of the End Times.

Tom's books include: Called By Christ To Be ONE, The Time Of The END, The Season Of The Last Generation, Worship God In Spirit And In Truth, Daniel And The Time Of The END, and Overcoming The Evil One. They are available at amazon.com. They can also be read without cost by clicking on link: Toms Books.

To receive Christ Jesus as a child by faith is the highest human achievement.

Today, the Bride Of Christ is rising up in every nation in the world! Giving Glory to Her Savior and King, Christ Jesus!

Today, the world is Raging against God, Rushing toward Oblivion! Save yourself from this Corrupt Generation!

Today, America is being ground to powder because of it's SIN against God!

Thursday, May 7, 2020

CHURCHES EXPECTED TO SEE 25-35% DROP IN ATTENDANCE AS THEY REOPEN

Churches Expected to See 25-35% Drop in Attendance as They Reopen

When asked if church attendance will go back to what it was before the pandemic, one-third of congregants recently surveyed by the Center for Bible Engagement (CBE) anticipate it will not.

Pastors, on the other hand, remain a bit more optimistic. Only 1 out of 5 believe attendance will be lower.

Yet looking ahead to when social distancing restrictions are lifted, the CBE predicts that churches could see a 25-35% decrease in attendance among the regular attenders (the core of their congregations) if they return simply to "business as usual."

Arnie Cole, CEO of Back to the Bible and director of research for the CBE, says churches must prepare now for radical change in the weeks and months ahead.

"The pandemic has ushered in new realities for us all—how we interact with each other, how we do business and especially how we do church," Cole says.

"But one thing is certain: It simply won't be business as usual for pastors as they move forward.

And that really isn't such a bad thing.

As church leaders navigate the global crisis, many are discovering that they must go beyond the church walls and disciple congregants in ways they never before considered."

Why the decline in attendance? Cole says that number is drawn from the opinions expressed in the survey.

"In our study, we identified core members of congregations," he explains, "and a third of those individuals shared this concern.

This is reliable information since these people are familiar with the culture and politics of their church, as well as the patterns of attendance."

While some in this group predicted a revival, which accounts for the low end of the range (25%), most of the core congregants Cole surveyed expect the percent who don't come back (or those who come less often) to outnumber regular attenders.

In other words, those who have become comfortable with doing online church may choose to continue doing church this way.

"We are creatures of habit," Cole points out, "and now many churchgoers have started new ones.

Some have discovered they can be nurtured spiritually online.

Livestreamed sermons are interactive ... and we like interactive."

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Based on CBE's survey analysis, here are highlights of how pastors and regular church attenders are navigating the pandemic:

—Pastors and church leaders are pivoting quickly to connect with and minister to their communities.

—Many pastors say their faith is stronger and that online attendance is up, yet 40% say that giving is down.

—Meanwhile, regular church attenders are navigating the significant changes in their daily lives, while trying to stave off discouragement, anger and fear.

—The vast majority are participating in online worship services, though 42% of them had not done so before.

—The direction of change was mixed. Some thought that the social distancing restrictions would lead to a great spiritual awakening, with more people coming to church when the buildings opened again.

—More commonly, though, respondents talked about online options, making it easier for them to participate in worship, and felt that the availability of online options would lead to an overall decrease in attendance.

—When asked what would help them spiritually, congregants strongly supported the idea of a daily or weekly spiritual challenge (66%). A significant minority expressed interest in an online adult Bible study (44%) and an online prayer service (25%).

For more information and graphs on the recent survey analysis, visit CBE.

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