Photo by Soff Garavano Puw on Unsplash
​As we look out at the landscape of the American religious culture, there is nearly a church on every corner. According to a National Congregational Study conducted in 2020, there are approximately 380,000 churches in the United States. With a U.S. population of about 331.9 million people, that means there is approximately one church for every 870 people or roughly 7,600 churches in each state. Yet, according to a report by NPR news (2023), the average size of the American congregation is roughly 65 members. This is probably surprising to many as we drive by so many churches that all seem medium-to-huge or the pastors we follow on the internet or through podcasts all seem to shepherd medium-to-large churches. What this means is that most of the 380,000 churches are hidden and out of sight, tucked away in a small neighborhood or they are meeting inside a gymnasium or a school auditorium. 

​In this postmodern, humanist, and theologically liberal western culture, there is a great misunderstanding regarding the gospel. It’s a word we have become all too familiar with, to the extent that we toss it around, use it in everyday lingo, hear it in songs on the radio, in Christian movies, Sunday messages, and mid-week studies. We hear people talk about having “gospel conversations” with their friends and neighbors, and yet, as we listen to the content of these gospel conversations, we begin to realize that what is meant is that they talked about God and religion on a high level. They mentioned Jesus, church, and the Bible—the core elements of the gospel (not).
 
All of this is indicative that many Christians fail to accurately understand the gospel. Even more so, many Christians struggle to explain the gospel in any meaningful and intelligible sense. This has led to churches being filled with people who say they are Christian, who profess to believe the gospel, but are no more saved than Cain or Judas. Over the years, this has become painfully evident to me as I have had the opportunity to interview individuals for church membership and ask them the question: “Please explain the gospel in your own words?” Over the years, I have had several people sit before me, who grew up in church or at least have been in church for many years prior, struggle with that question. At worst, a few entirely missed the mark.  At best, most presented a truncated view of the gospel.