A Window of Opportunity?

According to a new Gallup Poll, weekly church attendance in the United States has dipped to its lowest level since 1940.

Only 38 percent of U.S. adults said they attended church in a given week. This nearly tied the all-time low, set in 1940 with just 37 percent. The highest attendance figures were set in 1955 and 1958, when 49 percent said they went to church weekly. This figures is nothing to brag about, however.

No reasons were given for the low attendance figure, but it is in keeping with the trend over several decades to minimize the importance of religion in American life.

Spiritually, we seem headed in the direction of Europe, where church attendance averages half of that in the United States and, in some cases, reaches single digits.

Archbishop Spyridon and various lay leaders of the Church have recently pointed to the need to reach out to the unchurched, starting with our own membership.

For this to be more than mere words requires action on the part of all of us, assuming of course that we even care if our fellow Christians attend church.

In many cases, members of our own families don't bother to come to church regularly.

With summer fast approaching, attendance in our churches will drop off even more.

For this trend to be reversed will take a miracle ― always a possibility.

But it will also take decisive action by committee Christians to reach out to our unchurched brothers and sisters. The window of opportunity is open.