POLL: Is Christianity at Risk of Dying out?

By Patch Editor Kristi Reed

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, recently issued a dire warning for church leaders in Great Britain: attract more young people or Christianity is just a "generation away from extinction."

“So many people do not see the average church as a place where great things happen," Lord Carey said according to a report in The Telegraph. “To sit in a cold church looking at the back of other peoples’ heads is surely not the best place to meet exciting people and to hear prophetic words.”

Lord Carey delivered the remarks at a Christian conference during which leaders discussed how the church might be "re-imagined."

A greater emphasis, church leaders concluded, must be placed on winning over young people.

“We have to give cogent reasons to young people why the Christian faith is relevant to them.”

In Britain, typical Sunday church attendance has fallen by almost half since 1970. In the United States, church attendance fell from the 1950s to the 1990s, but has remained stable percentage wise since with approximately 25 percent of Americans regularly attending church. However, according to Churchleaders.com, the United States population has grown by 18 percent since 1990 meaning church attendance is not keeping pace with population growth -- a factor researcher Thom Rainer notes as one of the church's greatest issues heading into the future. Only 6 percent of churches are growing, Rainer found.

"Stated inversely, 94 percent of our churches are losing ground in the communities they serve," he said.

Do you think churches are losing too much ground? Is Christianity at risk of dying out? If so, what can be done? Leave a comment or vote in our poll.

Note: This is not a scientific poll. It is for entertainment purposes only.