One important trend is the ever-increasing weight media holds in today’s society. Many Americans assume that the most common way of experiencing the Christian faith is by attending a church service. A nationwide survey conducted in 2002 by the Barna Group reports a different conclusion. A greater number of adults experience the Christian faith through the Christian media, such as radio, television/film or books. The new study states that slightly more than six out of ten professing Christian American adults (63%) attended a church service during the last month. In contrast, two out of every three adults (67%) used at least one of the three forms of Christian media for a dose of the Christian faith in the past month.
Barna also provided figures indicating that among the 65 million unchurched adults in the United States – that is, adults who have not attended a church service during the past six months other than for a holiday service or special event – an unexpectedly large 48% had been exposed to Christianity through these media in the course of a year. A decade ago, faith-related websites were not on the radar screens of Americans; This trend is quickly changing. Today, one out of every six adults spends some time visiting faith-oriented websites, including 10% of non-believers.
Barna also discovered that, about one out of five adults absorb one or more forms of Christian media on a daily basis. Approximately half rely on these media for spiritual input during a typical week. Christians are not the only ones that benefit from Christian media. Over one third of the unchurched market utilize the same resources. Since only a little over 2% of churches can afford to pay full price for these professional services, there is a huge market desperately in need of these services but unable to afford them. An organization that can deliver our products and services at little or no cost with the same professional quality is something that will be met with open arms. |
