What to Do About Declining Church Membership?

The SBC is suggesting that we plant more new churches.

…3,200 churches close their doors each year in America, while 3,600 new churches are started. “That resulted in a net gain of 4,600 churches from 1990-2000. However, to have kept pace with population growth during the decade, a net gain of some 39,000 churches was needed,” [Dave Olson] the NAMB church planting strategist said. Moreover, the overall number of membership of all Protestant denominations in America has declined over the last ten years by 9.5 percent, while the national population has increased by 11 percent. The United Methodist Church reported last year that its membership was at its lowest since 1930 with just over 8 million members.

And

… there were 29 churches for every 10,000 Americans in 1900; 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans in 1950; 12 churches for every 10,000 in 2000; and only 11 churches for every 10,000 in 2004, according to NAMB statistics. “Clearly, we are losing ground with each passing year,” said Ed Meacham. “We have a growing evangelistic deficit in America that will best be answered by starting new churches.”