It seems churches more often resemble the aging of the human body than the maturing of a business.

Unfortunately, many well-intentioned founding members and core families take root and never let go. They launch the church with boundless energy for the lost of their community, only to move into a self-preservation stage, when saving the old building or maintaining old worship practices become more important than catering to the needs and desires of new members.

This phenomenon results in the untimely death of thousands of churches every year. As the aging founders clutch “their” church more tightly, outsiders sense a lack of concern for them, and they go elsewhere. A slow death ensues, like that of a body, and soon the once-vibrant congregation fades away.

Let’s turn once again to highlights from David Olson’s The American Church in Crisis for some eye-opening stats.

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Chapter 5:  “Poor, Uneducated, and Easy to Command”

• The growth rate of churches is highest in their early years. Once churches reach 40 years of age, on average they enter a period of long and sustained decline.
• On average, churches begin to decline in size when they reach 40 years of age. From 2004 to 2005, 57% of churches over age 40 declined.

Age of Members and Clergy

The age of church members and the age of a congregation’s pastor also influence a church’s growth pattern.  The average age of members in established churches is older than the average in younger churches, and the average age in mainline churches is older than in evangelical churches.  In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the average age of church members is 58.  For United Methodists, 61 is the average age.  Sixty percent of Episcopalians are over age 50; 38 % are over age 60. The older the members of a church are, the slower the church grows.  Why?  Older members do not have children, so they do not help the church grow through reproduction.  Older members also tend to adjust slowly to cultural changes.

The average age of senior pastors is increasing as well. This is especially true among Roman Catholic priests and mainline clergy.  As an example, before 1960, 85% of Presbyterian ordinands (seminarians ordained to the ministry) were under the age 35. Today that number stands at around 7%. Only 4% of Episcopal priests are under 35. The Assemblies of God ministerial age is increasing as well, while Catholic priests average 59 years of age.  Only 5% of priests are under age 35.

Older members often attend older churches pastored by older clergy, and these three combine to create a “triple elder factor.”  This means that when all three are present together, the growth potential become very limited.  The age factor is a critical issue for the American church to address.

From The American Church in Crisis: Groundbreaking Research Based on a National Database of over 200,000 Churches, by David T. Olson (Zondervan, 2008); used with permission