Catholic church future

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Lately, I have been reading news article saying that the Catholic Church is a church which is falling. The catholic church are losing territory in America, South America and Europe. So my question is, will the church survive? And how are you guys feeling that the Church is loosing its territory?
 
But isn’t there a net gain from Africa and Asia?

Perhaps there is a need for a certain level of stress or hardship required for faiths to flourish?
 
Of course it will survive.

After 2000 years of ups and downs, persecutions, self anointed false prophets, revolutions like the French, Russian, and Mexican, schisms, failed reformations, New Age mumbo jumbo, scandals and etc. etc. etc the Church is still here.

The reason is because Christ said so; “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” Matthew 16:18

There is not a time limit on that promise.
 
That’s true, but still, why are we losing our guys to protestants? The catholic population is old, and only the old ones practice the faith, not the young ones. In my church, there is maybe 1 young for veery 100 old…
 
Oetter4 said:
That’s true, but still, why are we losing our guys to protestants? The catholic population is old, and only the old ones practice the faith, not the young ones. In my church, there is maybe 1 young for veery 100 old…
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A few weeks ago I attended my mom’s church (SDA) and they too have an age problem. I’d say 80% senior citizens, 10% little children, and 5% 18-35. A better question is why are the older generations still there?

Based on anecdotal evidence my theory (for churches in general) is that they enjoy it, find it meaningful, and find it fulfilling. Can the same be said for those who are missing?
 
We’ve had a lot of discussions on here already about how not only the Catholic Church, but all the Protestant churches in general are losing members and how people in many areas are simply not as religious as they used to be back around WWII and before, and discussing the causes of this.

I’m not really concerned if a lot of Catholics want to jump ship. If the Church turns out to be just a handful of folks, we still have Jesus, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church. Belief is not some kind of a popularity contest where you do what has the most members.
 
Oetter4 said:
The catholic population is old, and only the old ones practice the faith, not the young ones. In my church, there is maybe 1 young for veery 100 old…
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First of all, that’s your particular church. I could show you Catholic parishes in my hometown where most of the Sunday Mass is young people with families. I could show you parishes where there are huge numbers of college students because there’s a college nearby. I could show you other ones where all the people are old. It has a lot to do with the demographics of who lives near the church (some neighborhoods do not have a lot of young families living there) and whether the church is offering anything that is attractive to young people and families. You can’t judge all churches by just looking at whatever one you happen to be attending. You are wrong in saying “only the old ones practice the faith”, you are not seeing how it is in every church and in every country.

Second, old people in general attend church more, for the simple reason that they have time due to being retired and their children being grown, and also, they are likely thinking more about death and having to meet God soon.

Many people leave religion when they are young and get back to it only in middle age, often when they start to see their parents and friends passing away and need to have some consolation or understanding.
 
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Some of the age differences happen due to population shifts because of things like loss of jobs. The young people simply move seeking jobs.

Since I am a card carrying “old guy” I happen to know others in my age group, and what they were doing as youngsters.

Some left and then came home, and some were not Catholic back in the day. There are many stories there.
 
My gut feeling it will survive. Standing by the word of God, it says the Gate of Hell will not prevail against it. So it is a double confirmation.

It will survive because the Church is universal and globally found in almost all parts of the globe today. The rise and fall in numbers is regional. We obviously lose many in the First world but there seems to be huge net gain in the Third.

Likely the phenomenon is a cycle - the high and the low that will repeat itself. In many places where church goers has fallen dramatically, there are also people who really hunger for God and want to return to deeper spirituality.

God bless.
 
The Catholic Church will survive altho at some point, as Fr Mitch once said, she may have to go underground to worship.
 
Oetter4 said:
Lately, I have been reading news article saying that the Catholic Church is a church which is falling. The catholic church are losing territory in America, South America and Europe. So my question is, will the church survive? And how are you guys feeling that the Church is loosing its territory?
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More importantly perhaps we are trudging into important times. Though the Church is not so much apocalyptic, that is trying to figure the end time, we are called to always watch and be ready for such a time.

With the new technology, more and more people are able to be reached with the message of the Gospel. Once it is preached to all the earth, there perhaps nothing much is left; and as it passes each and everyone of us by, we are only to be accountable to ourselves. It is a matter of whether we come to grip of it or to let it pass by. If it is the latter, probably there would be less and less excuse that we do not know about it.

So whether the Church will survive or not, probably the time of reckoning will knock on the door first and all the world will come into judgment.

God bless.
 
My thoughts. The Catholic Church in the West (North America, Western Europe) is shrinking because of the influence of secular society and the rise of popular ideologies such as agnosticism, atheistic materialism, and other such schools of thought. The RCC is losing members to more evangelical and Pentecostal protestant sects because they offer people and easy and simply ideology that is more “entertaining”. The RCC is losing young people because of poor catechesis (teaching) and not offering much for young people to hold on to.

This is not to contradict other posters on this thread. There are enclaves where the RCC is thriving. But when you consider that only 22% of baptized Catholics attend weekly mass, there is, as you perceive, a problem. The solution. Honestly, I’m an not sure the Bishops care about it, so long as financially they are within their comfort zone.
 
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I stand by my comment. The Church will survive. We have Jesus’ Word on it. The Church may have to go underground at some point. But she will survive. After all, we are His Bride.
 
lilypadrees said:
The Church will survive. We have Jesus’ Word on it. The Church may have to go underground at some point. But she will survive. After all, we are His Bride.
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Why? It might go underground in some countries but not in most. I’m asking cause as the outsider here, the preoccupation with a future persecution among many Christians seems odd.
 
We haven’t been faced with it yet. But it could happen. So be prepared.
 
One other thought. In the West, we haven’t been pushed enough. We have grown soft, comfortable, and we are more and more accepted by others. Given the current state of teaching in the CC, things will probably stay the same. What no one has really addressed (myself included) is that I would bet that a large portion of Catholics, truly believe in their faith; it is not some form of “entertainment” or checking off some attendance “box” that exists only in their own minds.
 
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