This week, the Pew Research Center released a new report on Muslim Americans. There are 1.4 million (0.6%) estimated Muslim Americans age 18+ currently living in the United States. Some interesting statistics about them are:
Origins
65% are foreign-born
35% are native-born
>> 7% second-generation
>> 28% third-generation+
Gender
54% Male
46% Female
Age
30% 18-29
26% 30-39
31% 40-54
13% 55+
Religion
77% have always been a Muslim
23% converted to Islam
>> 67% of Muslim converts in the U.S. came from Protestant churches
>> 49% of Muslim converts in the U.S. were converted before age 21
72% say religion is “very important” in “my life”
>> vs. 60% (-12%) of U.S. Christians
61% pray every day
>> vs. 70% (+9%) of U.S. Christians
40% attend mosque at least once a week
>> vs. 45% (+5%) of U.S. Christians attending church at least once a week
Mindsets
51% are very concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism globally
47% say they think of themselves first as a Muslim, rather than as an American
>> vs. 42% (-5%) of U.S. Christians think of themselves first as a Christian, rather than as an American
28% say they think of themselves first as Americans
>> vs. 48% (+20%) of U.S. Christians think of themselves first as Americans
8% say suicide bombings against civilian targets are justifiable often (1%) or sometimes (7%) in order to defend Islam
>> 15% under age 30 say they are justifiable
>> 6% age 30 or older say they are justifiable
Muslim Americans under the age of 30 are much more religiously observant and more accepting of Islamic extremism than are older Muslim Americans.
Hardships
26% say that people have acted suspicious of them
25% have been a victim of discrimination as a Muslim in the U.S.
15% have been called an offensive name
For more insight, read the full 108 page report. If the American church wants to reach Muslim Americans, it is important that they take the time to understand them.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of occupied homes with 4 or more bedrooms grew 2.3% between 2000 (17.7%) and 2005 (20%). The American consumer continues to seek out the biggest and the best.
The reason why understanding culture is important in ministry is because people will respond to you based on their past personal history and their culture’s history. For instance, we have discussed beforehow the color yellow is sacred to China’s culture but signifies “sadness” in Greece’s culture and “jealousy” in France’s culture.
To further reinforce this concept of interpreting the present based on the past, Science Daily reports that Miami University researchers discovered that people will even go as far as associating specific physical attributes with names.
From the two photos below, which do you perceive to be Bob and which is Tim?
An entire lecture hall of students chose the bearded man as Tim and the rounded-faced man as Bob. I did the same.
I must admit that I was surprised because I always thought that one’s perceptions of who looks like a “Bob” were shaped by that individual’s own history of personal encounters. But this research would suggest that instead of someone looking like a “Bob” because they look like your Uncle Bob (your personal history), that there is something present in your cultural DNA causing you and many others in your cultural community to make the association (cultural history).
Just how deep does culture’s influence run? And how strong is it?
In church marketing, the right choices can be a catalyst for growing your church and creating bigger impacts with the people you want to reach. Although the best choice is not always clear, you can be prepared by learning fundamental principles such as the following three rules:
Rule #1 :: Don’t begin with marketing.
Instead of rushing off to purchase advertisements and print postcards, pause and consider your church’s marketability. Ask yourself, “Is my church worth marketing? Is there anything about your church that would dissuade guests from returning? Are your facilities clean and well-maintained? Are your volunteers and staff friendly and well-trained? Are the sermons boring and lacking meat? The quickest way to kill a bad product is with good marketing. In contrast, quality products thrive even without marketing. Word of mouth will often carry them to success, and the same is true for your church. Marketing may get people through the door, but marketability is the key to guest retention. As with anything, practice it in moderation. Don’t nitpick and focus too much on excellence. Simply put, be sure you always offer guests a positive church experience and keep challenging yourself to improve that experience.
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