State of Christianity

Transcription

1 State of Christianity 2018 Introduction Report by Jong Han, Religio Head of Research Peter Cetale, Religio CEO

2 Purpose To inform on the overall state of Christianity and the churches in the United States through generational divides and rising media and technology importance. This introduction report will demonstrate the effectiveness and resolve that Religio brings to help solve current problems faced by the Christian churches. I. Background information Christianity in the United States

3 Roughly 81.6 million Americans, 25% of the overall population, identify as Roman Catholic. Over the period of a half-decade, the Catholic population has suffered one of the greatest net decreases in population amongst religions at -3.1% change, only 0.3% behind the United States Protestant population. The United States has seen a general changing of its religious landscape for a multitude of factors, mainly concentrated within the upbringing of new and younger generations such as millennials in contrast to the uprisings of previous, older generations of baby boomers within the general American society. Boston contains the highest percentage of Catholics within any major metropolitan United States city. Roughly half of people in Southern Louisiana are Catholic. Heavy concentrations of Catholic populations are also mainly located in central California, southern Texas, and the general Southwest region. The south and southeast are greater regions of Protestant population density.

4 This graph shows that Churches could be interested in exploring the hispanic population for additional membership of their church. The Catholic Church in the United States retains a high level of diversity and age throughout its demographics.

5 Changes in Christianity As an example of this decrease we looked closely at Catholics as a key study. The general age of the average catholic has risen dramatically over the decades, with a -9% net decrease in the proportion of Catholic youth and young adults. Catholics are aging as the median age is currently at 49 years, up four years since Catholics are significantly older than members of non-christian faiths or non- religious affiliations. There is a departure of Catholicism within millennials as older generations retain their religious affiliation.

6 Almost half of those raised in church do leave at some point, with 20% of those becoming reverts, returning to Catholicism. About 15% of Americans consider themselves former Catholics. The net changes in the Catholic group has been a daunting -10.9% change, alongside the grand increase in the unaffiliated which lies at +13.6%

7 There is a great departure of Catholics, mainly within the younger generations. The change by group of Catholics leaving to those joining is at a dramatically high ratio of 6.5:1, the highest compared to all other religious demographics.

8 Over 25 million adults no longer identify with the Catholic Church. Many leave or abandon their affiliated religion altogether. Despite this grand turnover rate within the Catholic population, the Catholic Church possesses the highest retention rate amongst all other religions. There is a grand departure from affiliated religions, with Catholicism being hit the hardest. However, 43% of those who leave say they imagine returning to the Catholic Church, leaving room for improvement on retention.

9 II. Millennials and Christianity Millennials, the young generation born between the 1980s to 2000s, represents the biggest generational cohort and most influential in the modern age. Only 16% of millennials self-identify as being Catholic. Simultaneously, barely 25% of millennials attend church services on a weekly basis, outlining a vast gap in church service attendance between younger and older generations.

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11 Yet, 4 in 10 millennials say religion is important in their lives. There lies a contrast in nature between generational cohorts as older generations increasingly rely on religion for guidance on questions of right and wrong. Millennials still retain spiritual nature however, indicating no loss in belief of faith but rather a lack of motivation and firm establishment of church-attendance and congregational participations. Millennials possess a more do-it-yourself attitude towards many subjects, including religion. While Baby Boomers and Boomers express to their children that it is important to think for yourself and find one s own individual moral compass, the traditional institution of the church has utilized official teachings and obedience. This has created a cultural contrast for millennials who attempt to formulate their spiritual beliefs and values within a cultural context. There is an increase within the Christian population that state their church/denomination should either adjust traditional or adopt modern beliefs and practices. Most of this increase derives from the younger generations. Millennials don t feel the same sense of obligation to attend church that previous generations may have. At the same time, being part of a faith community can provide young adults with exactly the mentorship and guidance they crave from older adults. Millennials are leaving the church due to the new nature of this generational collective. However, millennials are still retaining and exploring their spirituality. Thus there is a strong lack of coverage and adaptation for millennials, who have come of age during this modern time of technological change and globalization that has constructed a different set of behaviors and experiences than previous generations.

12 I. Long term State of Christianity Trends and Projects

13 There has been a majority downward trend in the percentage of American adults who are part of or directly affiliated with a church. Frequent religious service attendance is diminishing across all platforms.

14 However, those millennials who are affiliated remain faithful. More than one-third of religiously affiliated millennials say they are strong members of their faith, similar to other generations at their age, including Gen X-ers and baby boomers. These groups of millennials also retain some sense of spirituality, and the main issues can be seen in a tendency to withdraw from organized collectives within society. Millennials and Mobile App Engagement Trends Time spent on mobile devices is now significantly higher than overall time spent on desktop platforms. 87% of millennials report never separating from their mobile devices, a trend projected to slowly increase each year with the heightened importance and dependence on mobile devices and applications for daily usage. Mobile apps have become both an integral feature to daily life but also asset to a multitude of professional and institutional uses.

15 Consumer app retention and engagement is increasing overall. 87% of millennials are reported to never separate from their devices, creating a heavy reliance on mobile devices and applications for anything that ranges from the trivial to the more significant. There is a 90% increase in overall time spent on mobile apps over the course of the past 2 years, exemplifying the necessary usage of mobile applications in all fields from educational, professional, to individual use.

16 Mobile app retention rates, which signify both the number of times an app is used as well as the number of times a user returns to use the app again, are rising globally at a powerful trend. This is growing alongside the subsequent rise in importance and dependence on mobile apps for daily usage. Mobile applications thus can serve as an effective and powerful community tool for Christian churches and Christians across the United States.

17 Similarly, the use of mobile applications goes hand in hand with the rise of the millennial generation s influence over socioeconomic and cultural factors. Millennials have arisen as the first generation of digital natives and hold a strong affinity for technology that shapes their attitudes and behaviors. Lack of access to technological channels leaves a gap for reaching and impacting millennials overall. The growing impact of millennials and both mobile apps leaves a room for the use of mobile apps and websites as an imperative asset to community functions. Millennials have been grown in an age of technological advancements and the translation of societal features and functions online. Thus, millennials seek establishments in the form of mobile applications or online platforms in order to participate in or contribute to modern day activities. IV. Religio Solutions Background Currently, churches are losing members dramatically due to a failure to engage with their younger communities. In the last four years, there has been a 20% decrease in church membership. Additionally, for the Catholic church, about 80% of Catholics leave the church by age 23. Religio is an enterprise software startup that gives churches the tools to better connect, engage and retain their parishioners online through a mobile app, community engagement web platform, and management software. We are proud to be building the church of the 21st century.

18 Involvement Information tailored for you, the user. Whether it s the latest message from your pastor or the bible quote of the day, you will never miss a beat from your church. Giving Religio makes giving easier. See local and global fundraisers, and donate with the knowledge that money transfers securely to your church. Connect Your Faith Religio seeks to increase engagement between churches and its members, connect people with their religious circles and bring innovation to charity.

19 Greater Data Analysis One of our unique propositions is our understanding of the millennial Christian and why they are leaving. In the 1950s churches were people could go to network and make friends but now people just go for the mass and leave. With Religio people can utilize our software to find friends with similar interests. Additionally, younger people are very busy trying to find a job and move on their career. Religio helps people through our mentorship finder to get these students mentored by more experienced people in their church as well as get them jobs through our job portal. Additionally, we create a community where people can volunteer easily and also have tasks displayed. On top of that, we are a seamless system so for example if a person goes to mass and has the app they would automatically link the church management software, so the church knows how well they are doing on engagement. Additionally, people can provide anonymous feedback to the pastors to improve the homily and more. If people feel that they have more ownership over the community, then they will also give more. What can Religio do for your parish? Religio helps churches increase their membership, engagement, and donations. We also help churches simplify worship group organization, create recurring donation systems, receive insights on donations and analytics, direct communication both within your own parish, and with the global Christian community. Religio bridges the growing gap between the Churches and millennials by bringing the faith community onto its mobile applications. Being able to provide constant communication and contact with the millennial group is imperative to reducing departures from the Christian Church. Religio brings the Christian community together for faith and fellowship, both in person and on the web. Religio works with each client to set up a real growth plan that gets results.

20 Religio BRING FAITH FORWARD Religio Web Platform Mobile App R ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE FOR THE CHURCH OF THE 21ST CENTURY Church Management Software Consulting Let Religio help strengthen your faith community by ing consulting@religioapp.com for a free church analysis consultation with one of our church growth experts to see how we can help. Or visit to learn more about Religio.

21 About the Author Peter Cetale is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Religio, Inc. as well as the President of an Ivy League Christian Association. Mr. Cetale is a devout Christian and is an undergraduate Ivy League student at Cornell University where he studies business, history, and law in a specialized program. When Peter was younger he was very sick as a child and had four life-threatening kidney surgeries. Because of these of these adversities, he grew closer to his faith. Peter s pastor and church community came and visited him in the hospital. Additionally, Mr. Cetale wasn t able to go to church as he was in the hospital. Because his faith and church community was there for him when he was younger, he has been constantly focused on helping churches. When Peter first started to help churches, he thought the main problem was that there needed to be an easier way to get donations. To solve this issue, he created his first start-up during his freshman year in college called Church Deposit. Church Deposit is a platform for mobile donations where members can donate to the church of their choice and receive tax deductions easily. This platform also helped churches keep a record of all donations. Additionally, as the younger generation is moving away from cash and checks, there is a bigger need for the church to adapt its giving system. However, after speaking with many churches, he realized that the main problem is the fact that churches are losing members at a very fast rate. Peter decided to merge the technology into Religio but specifically create a technology that would solve these issues. Religio is an enterprise software company that helps churches improve through technology by increasing membership, engagement, and community. With the declining numbers of parishioners, Peter feels a great need to bring more members back to the church. He envisions Christianity in the 21st century thriving with connectivity and community through the enhancement of technology. Peter is an innovator and a pioneer of the religious technology industry. As founder and CEO, he leads the complete operations of Religio and is focused on helping churches grow. Church membership will dramatically improve through utilizing Religio services because of the company s key insight into religious millennials. Peter has spoken with over thousands of churches, priests, pastors, parishioners, and Christians to truly learn how to fix the problem. The declining numbers of members are only going to get worse if there is no action. The solution is clear: churches everywhere need to utilize technology to create thriving communities in their parish, or their membership will continue to fall. To learn more about Peter as well as read his blogs and view his videos on tips to improve your church visit: PeterCetale.com

22 Peter Cetale featured on EWTN, largest Catholic TV network in the world, for an interview on the popular Life on the Rock show regarding Religio and his works with an Ivy League Christian association.