Statistics on the US and Milwaukee

This past weekend in my message at Eastbrook Church entitled, “More,” I mentioned some statistics about the state of Christianity in the United States and also some statistics about Milwaukee. I am including those statistics here, along with the source for each, as a few people asked me for the specifics.

The United States:

• Less than 20% attend church regularly
• 50% of churches didn’t add one new person through conversion last year
• 43,000 people are leaving every week
• 100 years ago: 28 churches/10,000 people; Today: 11 churches/10,000 people
• (source for above, Dave and Jon Ferguson, Exponential, page 14)

Milwaukee:

• Population: 594,833; greater Milwaukee area 1.6 million  (source: US Census FactFinder Table)
  
• 30th largest city in the USA (source: US Census FactFinder Table)
• 85% identify as Christian, yet 32% of the population is unchurched (source: Barna Cities Report on Milwaukee)
• new study released showing we are one of the least Bible-minded cities in the US (source: Barna – “America’s Most (and least) Bible-Minded Cities”; http://cities.barna.org/americas-most-bible-minded-cities-2014)