Religious Change in Contemporary America
Compared to even 15 years ago, fewer Americans today espouse a religious identity. In this report we examine not religious practice like church attendance or membership but rather religious identity.
Approximately one of every six Americans has no religious identity
Sixteen percent of United States adults either fail to place themselves in any denominational category (answering “none” or ”no religion”), or they describe themselves as secular, humanist, ethical-culturalist, agnostic, or atheist.
Individuals who identify with no religion are a growing population
Based on a review of survey evidence, the proportion of non-identifiers appears to have grown substantially in the last 10-12 years.
The non-religiously identified make up the third largest group in the country
The two largest groups are Catholics and Baptists. Those non-religiously identified are virtually tied with Baptists as the second largest group since the difference in estimated size between them is within “sampling error.”
Those raised in no religion are most likely to not identify with a religion
About 1 of every 9 Americans who was raised in some religion now identify with no religion; nearly three-quarters of those with no religious upbringing are current non-identifiers.
Being raised in more than one religion may lead to no religion
Those raised in multiple religious traditions are more than twice as likely to be non-identifiers as adults than those raised in a single religion.
Younger Americans are less religiously identified than older Americans
Younger adults (under 35) are most likely to be non-identifiers, and those over 65 are least likely to be. Religious identification shows a steadily increasing association with age. It is unclear whether this represents a persistent growth trend in non-identifiers, or if it reflects a snapshot in time, with younger people likely to become more affiliated with religion as they pass through customary life-cycle stages. Non-identification in the United States likely will continue to increase
This study is an excerpt from the larger report on The Decline of Religious Identity in the United States by Sid Groeneman & Gary Tobin published in 2004 via the Institute for Jewish & Community Research (http://jewishresearch.or)
Conference of Bulgarian Churches in America
The Annual Conference of Bulgarian Churches in North America will be held May 28, 2010 in Huston, TX. More information is available via the website of the Bulgarian Church in Houston at: http://twitterchurch.us/
Download the brochure as PDF
Bulgarian Evangelical Churches in America
The annual conference of Bulgarian Evangelical churches in North America was held May 25-28, 2007 at the Christian Life Church in Chicago’s suburb Des Planes where the largest number of Bulgarian immigrants is locating. This year the event was hosted by the Bulgarian Evangelical Church of God “New Life” pastored by Stan Tanev. The conference gathered Bulgarian immigrants from all parts of America. The churches from Minneapolis, Dallas, Huston and Los Angelis participated. Representatives from New York City, Tennessee and Las Vegas reported growth of newly started Bulgarian congregations in their respective areas. Special guest of the conference was Martha Zaplishny Jackson, daughter of the first Pentecostal missionaries to Bulgaria, Rev. Dionesey and Olga Zaplishny.
Bulgarian Churches in America
For almost ten years, Cup & Cross Ministries has worked extensively in providing research and strategy materials for the growing number of Bulgarian Protestant churches across the United States. We are proud to announce that our team has been chosen to conduct this year’s annual conference for the Bulgarian American Churches which will taka place in Minneapolis.
How to Start a Bulgarian Church A-Z
Dissertation: Statement of Problem
Dissertation: Contextual Assessment
Bulgarian Evangelical Churches in America
According to the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute more than one million people have left Bulgaria in the past 13 years to find jobs and better life in another country. The largest Bulgarian immigrant group lives in Germany (23%), while another 20% are in North America. As a result, in the 1990s, several large Bulgarian communities have emerged in the United States: Chicago with close to 60, 000 Bulgarians is followed by New York and the Washington, D.C. – Maryland area. On the West Coast, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas have been choices for immigration for several years. Besides these cities Bulgarian communities have grown in less expected places like deep-south Atlanta, northern Seattle, coastal Miami and deep in the heart of Texas (Dallas, Houston), etc. Respectfully, Bulgarian protestant churches have appeared in these centers of concentration of Bulgarian immigrants. They have begun their existence as a home prayer group, cross-cultural outreach of a large local church, or even as independent ethnic works under the umbrella of an established denomination. At this present time the Bulgarian protestant churches in America are represented by 14 churches and groups in nine states. They have become the forming historical factor for the Network of Bulgarian Churches in America.
Since 1994, Cup & Cross Ministries International has actively observed the formation of Bulgarian Evangelical Churches in America. In 2003, we are completing a survey to evaluate and study the processes within these churches. This particular portion of the survey explores the American cultural context in which Bulgarian congregations may emerge. The survey is anonymous and confidential. It contains 15 questions and it takes less than a minute to complete online. Please take the time to fill out survey by going to the following link:
http://www.cupandcross.com/survey
Thank you for helping us advance the Kingdom.
