In the September issue of this year, the Gospel Advocate reported some positive figures concerning the churches of Christ. These were first published in a booklet entitled, "Separating Fact from Fiction." The booklet was written by Dr. Flavil Yeakley, a respected pollster among the churches of Christ. Dr. Yeakley reveals that...
- Churches of Christ are ranked 10th among 245 religious groups in America.
- Churches of Christ are in fourth place in the number of congregations.
- We are not losing the majority of our young people (the figure usually quoted is that we are losing 80% of our young people after they leave home). In fact, our drop-out rate is much lower than that of other groups.
- Most other religious groups have experienced far more division than we have, even though other groups have central denominational organizations and creeds to impose conformity.
Negativity is a noose entwined with lies. The devil uses it to choke the life out of churches full of hard-working Christians (Jn. 8:44). God wants believers to be optimistic (Phil. 4:8). So when there's good news, let's share it!
