A North Texas church is working to boost membership in an interesting way. It involves a simple question -- why have people stopped going to church?
Ministers at First Christian Church of Denton hope the answers to that question can also help them attract new members to their congregation.
The typical Sunday service at First Christian draws about 75 people.
"It's a group of very faithful, very loving members," senior minister Jack Mullins said.
It's a strong, but shrinking group, and it's aging. Twenty years ago, the church boasted a congregation of 500 members. Dwindling membership is an issue for many smaller churches. A recent Pew survey showed one-third of Americans attend religious services weekly. Another third rarely go, if ever.
"I think there's a tremendous concern," Mullins said. "Historically, I think every church wonders, 'How do we grow?'"
Folks at the Denton church have one idea. A survey, which attempts to get to the root of why so many have stopped going to church.
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"They've been hurt by the church," said Russell Van Hoose, Envision Community minister. "They've seen hypocritical Christians that they don't want to be like."
"A lot of people, I think part of the hurt is a sense of being judged," Mullins added.
First Christian Church of Denton bills itself as inclusive to all. Envision Community, essentially a church inside the church, furthers that mission of community and inclusion. Ministers said they'll use the results to find ways to encourage people to come back to the church.
"We started this project because we wanted to be better people," Van Hoose said.
After decades of dwindling attendance at churches across the U.S. there are no easy answers to the issue. Mullins said he believed asking a simple question is a start to ensuring his church has a future.
"I think it's critical," he said.
