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The Metro Times

Oct 1, 2020

These years churches are in a calamitous state. To start with, the number of church-goers is dropping sharply (see Figure 1). Many say they do not belong to any church, and those who do go less often than they used to. Going to church appears less and less on people’s to-do list. Another worrying fact is that fewer and fewer young people go to church, which leads to an older church (see Figure 2).

And there is also the problem with money. Keeping a church door open is not cheap. Fewer people going to church means little money coming in. This makes it harder to keep a church open.

When the time comes for a church to close, there is little to do but to sell it. Churches that were lucky enough to find a buyer were put to other uses. Some were changed into restaurants or school gyms, and some even became nightclubs, for example. Churches that had little luck were knocked down in the end.

Just like a store that keeps losing business needs to think of ways to save itself, it is perhaps time for the church to try to win people’s hearts back and play an important part in people’s lives again. This is not something that one can simply pray to get an answer to.

figure 圖
average 平均
1.
What does it mean when someone is in a calamitous state?
They have serious trouble.
They lost interest in the outside world.
They try to change themselves.
They are looking for a second chance.
2.
What can we learn about the church-goers from the report?
In 2010, only 6% of church-goers were younger than 50 years old.
Between 1980 and 2020, the rising number of old church-goers has led to an old church.
In 2020, the percentage (%) of church-goers drops to lower than half that in 1980.
Between 1980 and 2005, few church-goers were younger than 50.
3.
What is talked about in the report?
How people decide to join a church.
Why people have stopped going to church.
Where the church’s money goes.
What happens to churches that are closed.
4.
Below are four findings from other reports. Which does NOT agree with the idea of the report?
“Reports show over 90% of church-goers go to church because their fathers do. In the last 20 years, 49% of men under 30 have left the church. That means there’s a 90% chance that their children won’t go to church. This is hard for the church to take in.”
“Between 2003 and 2010, over 1,000 new churches were built in the country. This may sound like good news. During the same years, however, more than 2,000 were closed.”
“Of the 15 countries in the report, the percentage (%) of church-goers in some countries, like Denmark, is lower than 10%; in others, like Poland, the percentage is higher than 70%.”
“In the report, 33% of the people that were interviewed say they never go to church and another 33% say they used to. Only 15% go to church at least once a month.”