

A five-year study in Ontario called ‘Theology Matters’ has revealed that churches adhering to conservative theology tend to have better growth-rates. The study compared the traits of growing and declining mainline Protestant church attendances and clergy amongst 2,225 churchgoers and 29 clergy. They noted that the growing churches held more firmly to the traditional beliefs of Christianity and were more diligent in things like prayer and Bible reading. They further noted that the confidence that comes from having a united core set of beliefs can be attractive to outsiders. Confidence mixed with a message that's uplifting, reassuring or basically positive is an attractive combination. They also noted a correlation between clergy who read the Bible daily and viewed evangelism as important for the growth of a church. 71% of clergy in growing churches read the Bible daily, while 19% of clergy in declining churches did not do so.
Crosswinds Prayer Trust was founded in 1994, at Nailsea, near Bristol in the South-west of England by Canon John Simons. Its aim is to mobilise, inform, connect and equip people in Christian Prayer...
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