The Mass Exodus From The Churches

With each passing year more and more Americans are leaving the church buildings. What seemed to be a bird’s eye view and speculative opinion have been given affirmation from a recent Gallup poll that reveals that Americans are fleeing the church buildings.

According to the data from a Gallup poll released on March 29th, 2020, church membership dropped to a new low of 47%. The data also includes mosques and synagogues. In 2018 the Gallup poll found this number to be at 50% and 70% before the turn of the new millennium.

According to the study, 31% of millennials are reported to have no religious affiliation, which was at 22% a decade ago. As for Gen Z, 33% that have reached adulthood have said they have no religious affiliation.

Each generation has seen a decline of those that do profess to belong a specific religion but are not attending places of worship. This can be found among baby boomers and Gen X. Religious millennials who are members of a church have declined from 63% to 50% in the course of a decade.

Decline In Major Subgroups

The Gallup survey breaks down where most of the exodus is occurring among places of worship based on denomination, race, gender, politics, and education.

The most stark decline came from Catholic places of worship dropping from 76% to 58%; whereas Protestants saw a slimmer decline of only nine points from 73% to 64%. The Gallup poll notes that this trend has remained continuous for many years. However, Gallup states that they have insufficient data to make a judgment on other prominent denominations and other religious faiths.

Delving deeper into the Protestants, the poll found that political conservatives and Republicans, married adults, and college graduates, were less likely to decline a church membership. These are found to have the highest amounts of church attendance, additionally including those that live in the Southern regions of the States, and ‘non-Hispanic Black’ adults.

Over the past two decades, declines in church membership have been greater among Eastern residents and Democrats. Still, political independents have lower rates of church membership than Democrats do.

The Gallup provides a more thorough breakdown:

According to Gallup, the data shows that even though conservative-leaning adults in older generations have seen a decline, but noticeably lowers with each newer generation – among Conservatives: 51% millennials, 64% of Gen Xers, 70% of baby boomers, and 71% among traditionalists in the years 2018-2020 – belong to a church building.

In the years 2018-2020, the Gallup found that Hispanic Americans are the lowest among the subcategories with 37% attendance.

Gallup’s Implications

Here is what Gallup feels the data implies, what is causing this decline, and how to increase the numbers:

The U.S. remains a religious nation, with more than seven in 10 affiliating with some type of organized religion. However, far fewer, now less than half, have a formal membership with a specific house of worship. While it is possible that part of the decline seen in 2020 was temporary and related to the coronavirus pandemic, continued decline in future decades seems inevitable, given the much lower levels of religiosity and church membership among younger versus older generations of adults.

Churches are only as strong as their membership and are dependent on their members for financial support and service to keep operating. Because it is unlikely that people who do not have a religious preference will become church members, the challenge for church leaders is to encourage those who do affiliate with a specific faith to become formal, and active, church members.

While precise numbers of church closures are elusive, a conservative estimate is that thousands of U.S. churches are closing each year.

A 2017 Gallup study found churchgoers citing sermons as the primary reason they attended church. Majorities also said spiritual programs geared toward children and teenagers, community outreach and volunteer opportunities, and dynamic leaders were also factors in their attendance. A focus on some of these factors may also help local church leaders encourage people who share their faith to join their church.

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AUTHOR COMMENTARY

There are a few things to further breakdown here, but I need to get something out of the way first.

[47] But Solomon built him an house. [48] Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, [49] Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? [50] Hath not my hand made all these things?

[24] God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; [25] Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Acts 7:47-50, 17:24-25

And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Corinthians 6:16

For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:9

The Kings James Bible is very clear and unmistakably says that God does not need to a building or temple for people to worship him in. As a matter of fact, the scriptures teach that a Christian is that building, and that building is not to be defiled with idols. The earlier believers in scripture met in their HOMES (Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 1:11, 16:19; Col 4:15; 1 Tim 3:12; Phm 2). The truth of the matter is that a group of believers (the real definition of a church (or in reference to Christ’s body of all believers as a whole)) can meet anywhere. When I, and others, cut on ‘church buildings,’ I am referring to these fixed locations where the congregation is expected and obligated to be there each week; a temple that is packed with sacrilegious tapestries, traditions, and “holy objects” and idols. This is what the Lord is condemning in the book of Acts. It did not take too long after Solomon, with the help of Hiram, the temple that he built was polluted full of idols. And then in Acts 17 Paul was speaking to the Greek philosophers who where very idolatrous and superstitious, and erected and worshipped in these intricate temple to appease their gods. These practices have carried over into the modern buildings regardless of the denomination and sect. If this offends you, don’t get mad at me, I’m just telling you the truth of church history.

But this brings me to my next point: did you notice the quote from Gallup right before the third chart? The WinePress is political neutral, and it is interesting to see that the data shows that those who are independent are those that are not in the church buildings as much. No glory to The WinePress, myself, contributors, and readers, but isn’t fascinating to note that we on a routine basis are reproving the rhetoric and deceit among both Republicans and Democrats, and are telling you that the church buildings are not scriptural. Again, not boasting, but we are able to see through the political con-game that has been going on for some time, and is carried out in these church buildings; and we are not the only ones that can see this.

As for the rest of the data, based off what the Gallup described among church membership, it appears to me that they are lumping in Baptists, and Pentecostal-Charismatics, and “Evangelicals” in with Protestants. The true Protestants organizations such as Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others, by and large lean more liberal.

As for the implications of the rapidly lowering church membership, the Gallup accurately points out these organizations will be forced to do a lot more “outreach.” In other words, conform even more to the world. The hirelings and charlatans will be forced to strongly emphasize to their congregations to do more “evangelism” to bring more people in, or get those that have not been “faithful Christians” to return to “church,” so these businesses can stay afloat and make more money (Rom 3:4; Jam 4:3-4). And yes, they are businesses. When the CARES Act was passed last year, a provision was added for all those linked with 501(c)3 (or those that qualified) to receive PPP loans to keep the doors open and staff on the payroll. So yes, they are businesses.

Tying into these important facts, here is what The WinePress believes is the cause for such a stark decline in church membership and attendance:

If you look at this first graph, the decline really began around the year 2000. This is where the internet began to take precedence and became integral and an influential part of everyone’s lives. This has led to more internet ‘churches’ and online groups and fellowships, which is especially true in 2020. As more and more ministries turned their attention to online, especially places like YouTube, then more people could wake up and tune into the weekly sermons online or access them at their own convenience. When the lockdowns began last year, pretty much all the churches went livestream, if not already, and now have that as a permanent option that will continue to remain in place. Just as with commercial real estate and offices being in a massive depression, so too with the church buildings. Many businesses are not returning to their offices anymore because they have now converted their homes into adequate workspaces, so this saves money for the business to not pay rent and additional extremities, but leaves the landlords and the banks holding the bag.

Considering the economic data and news we have been reporting on, the inevitable atomic meltdown in the markets will cause the closure of thousands upon thousands of these buildings, including many of their private schools, as the owners will not be able to pay the rent and expensive fees as membership drops from the congregants going broke. Because of what “they” (the politicians, bankers, high-level religious authorities, big pharma, big ag, big tech, etc.) are doing with the shutdowns, it forced people to not congregate in businesses, public venues, and churches. This forced the masses in their homes while creating a mass exodus from the cities, one of these reasons for such high prices in the housing market and such high demand on building materials. Because of this, when the time is right, the housing market will crash when the rug is swiftly yanked out from under the feet of the masses – leading untold millions in unpayable debt and effectively rendered homeless, leading to the subsequent decline in church membership. Because of this, the Federal Reserve and other central banks will buy up all the debt as they have been doing (which we have noted various times), truly becoming the buyer and lender of last resort owning it all.

Knowing this, the manufactured plan is to then resell and loan people’s houses back to them. But as we have been reporting on, the wave of the future is the smart cities. Well, if the broke masses cannot afford their bills and pay their debts, the “caring” government will swoop in, and will force people back to these congregated settings that they regulate and control. Same with the church buildings. Predominantly, all that will be left are the “gigachurches,” Joel Osteen’s football stadium for example. I say this because a key component to the coming antichrist system of obedience and control is worship: he will demand worship of himself proclaiming he is God. But in order to mitigate and authorize such control you cannot have small networks of underground churches and millions of church buildings: the playing field will be leveled, and now the government through the IRS and other agencies can more properly subjugate the smaller ones effectively getting rid of them, or transforming them specifically to what the government wishes to regulate them as.

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[4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? [8] And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. [15] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Revelation 13:4, 8, 15

[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

You see how the game is played now? If all that is going did not make sense before, perhaps this added piece of data will help you understand what the underlying goal of all of this is.

But getting back to the internet and the decline of church attendance, largely has to do with more hypocrisy and wickedness being exposed. As the professing Christians continually fall away deeper and deeper into heresy and lasciviousness, the internet has been a tool to expose such wickedness and hypocrisies, particularly among atheists, agnostics, and new agers. Whether their claims are accurate or not, many can see past the fake piety and professed holiness, and see that the pastors up and down this country are double-tongued hirelings that after making a secure income; and when their feet are ever held to the fire, it becomes super apparent that the leadership does not know or believe a shred of anything out of the Book they profess to believe and uphold; nor does it help when the new-versionists have gone into maximum overdrive, printing a new translation or update each year and then rebranded to hundreds of subcategories: all while professing that they all say the same thing and are “God breathed and inspired.” Most atheists are not true atheists: they just see the religious con game for what it is but use that as an excuse to justify their sins.

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There is more I could say but I think you get the point. This trend of the exodus from the churches will only continue to worsen for just some of the reasons I mentioned.

[2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2 Timothy 4:2-4

[14] And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; [15]I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. [17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. [19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:14-19

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