As the Christmas Day gospel testifies, there has been no greater evangelist of the Good News than John the Baptist, who “came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” Evangelical mega-churches strive to spread that Good News and continue to grow, but also find that more people are attending irregularly. “They think ‘regular attendance’ is ‘I get there when I can,' ” said sociologist Scott Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research and co-author of a mega-church study released in December. “We found many of these large, successful congregations still have many of the same challenges of smaller congregations. They are not immune to the cultural dynamics in society. Everyone is trying to attract new people and hold on to them and make them disciples. But today, people are seekers and shoppers looking for a temporary experience of worship, not a long-term commitment.”

Homily hint: A generation or two ago, many people tended to spend their entire lives in one faith tradition, their entire careers at one job, their entire adult lives in one relationship. But we live in a different age, where commitments are often seen as temporary, conditional, provisional. All the more reason to build a strong and deep foundation of faith, as an uncertain and changing world is sure to challenge it. 

For more on the megachurch revolving door, see: The megachurch boom rolls on, but big concerns are rising too