Generally speaking, in the West, the Church is "holding" or in decline. In South Africa, while statistics are patchy, those that one can come by show that the Church scene is volatile, and that there is, in many areas, rampant growth. The table on the right represents the most recent national statistics, comparing the 1996 and 2001 censuses (you may click on it to enlarge). OBSERVATION: Our Canadian intern asked me last year: "Do you think that this is transferable?" In other words, would our ways work in the West? Having close contact with the Church in North America and in Europe, I think that yes, it would be transferable -- if Westerners could overcome their pride in their failing ways.
NOTE: For a post on this post, see Khanya.
1 comments:
Interesting statistics. I wonder what the next census will show.
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