From Western New York-Pastors also acknowledged that doing so is all the more important in an era of declining church attendance and Americans who are less religious than they used to be.
The percentage of American adults who identify as Christians dropped nearly 8 percent from 2007 to 2014 — from 78 percent to 71 percent, according to surveys by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank. In that same time, according to the surveys, the percentage of American adults who are not religiously affiliated increased from 16 percent to 23 percent.
Such trends are often attributed to millennials. A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that while 60 percent of adults 40 and over say religion is important to them, only 43 percent of people under 40 say the same.
“Hopefully the preaching could serve to activate people who’ve gotten away from the church and to attract people who haven’t been in the church,” said the Rev. Anthony Salim, pastor of St. Joseph Maronite Church. “Invite people back, and interest and attract people to be part of the community of the church.”
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