Christianity Without the Church?

Christianity Without the Church?

The results of a new study conducted by The Barna Group reveal that a majority of adults now believe that there are a variety of biblically legitimate ways to experience God outside of the conventional church.

At least 50 percent of adults who took part in the survey said that they felt that each of these six alternatives were "a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God:"

· Engaging in faith activities at home, with one's family (considered acceptable by 89%).

· Being active in a house church (75%).

· Watching a religious television program (69%).

· Listening to a religious radio broadcast (68%).

· Attending a special ministry event, such as a concert or community service activity (68%).

· Participating in a marketplace ministry (54%).

Other alternatives that were not supported by a majority of those questioned included interacting with a faith-based Web site (45%) and participating in live events via the Internet (42%).

The study also showed that 28 percent of adults who did not attend a conventional church in the past month did take part in one or more of the alternative expressions of faith. Also, two out of three senior pastors of Protestant churches agreed that "house churches are legitimate Christian churches," but only 40 percent said they would ever recommend a house church to someone.

For the complete report, visit www.barna.org.