NUTS & BOLTSJohn 4:27-39 (page 753)

In order to understand why we do things the way we do, you first need to understand the answer to, “Why does Lake Hills exist?”

We’re losing America.

Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches. Page 13

Why Start New Churches?

85% of all churches in America are either plateaued or declining.

Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches. Page 13

Why Start New Churches?

Of the 15% that are growing,

14% are doing so by transfer from other churches.

Aubrey Malphurs, Planting Growing Churches. Page 32

In the last 10 years…

Protestant church attendance has declined by 9.5% (4,498,242)

while the national population has increased by 11.4% (24,153,000).

ASCG Journal of Church Growth. Autumn ‘06

Only half of the country’s Protestant pastors have a

Biblical worldview.

www.barna.org

There is a net loss of 48 churches per week,or nearly 7 churches every day.

Barna, George. American Profile.

Why Start New Churches?

North America is the only continent where Christianity

is NOT growing.

George Gallup. Church World Today.

Thomas Clegg. “The Need for Church Planting in America”. 1996.

The United States is now the third largest unchurched nation in the world.

200 million North Americans attend no church.

Islam and Buddhism are the fastest growing religions

in the United States.

Lost In America, page 31.

Why Start New Churches?

Evangelical churches have failed to gain even 2% of the American population in the past fifty years.

In other words, we are not even reaching our own children.

Barna, George. American Profile.

“North America has such a large, unchurched population because of the huge gap between what we say and do, and what they need.”

Lost In America, p.73 (Tom Clegg, Warren Bird)

What Can I Do?

• Pray Faithfully

• Participate Fully

• Partner Financially