© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use1 A Sample Presentation of The State of the Church in Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Metro Areas Dave Olson

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use2 The first 18 slides are from the “State of the Church in Oklahoma” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 43 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use3 In 1996, polls taken immediately after the Presidential election revealed that 58% of people claimed they had voted, when in reality only 49% actually did. This is called the Halo Effect. People tend to over-inflate their participation in activities that create acceptability within their social group. For many decades, pollsters such as Gallup and Barna have reported that around 45% of Americans attend church every Sunday. But there is a religious Halo Effect. Actual attendance counts have shown that the percentage of people attending church on any given weekend is much lower than was previously thought.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use4 The Intent of this presentation is to answer and then expand on two key questions: “How Many People Really Attend Church in Oklahoma Every Week?” “Is the Christian Church Going Forwards or Backwards in Influence in Oklahoma?” As the data is analyzed county by county assessing a number of factors, a comprehensive picture of the State of the Church in Oklahoma will begin to take shape.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use5 This study uses weekend church attendance as a more reliable and more immediate snapshot of Christian influence than membership. The following map shows the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend in all 50 states in Oklahoma has an average church attendance percentage (22.0%) higher than the national average (18.7%).

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use6

7 The Next Map shows the percentage of the population attending a Christian church on any given weekend in 2000 for each county in Oklahoma.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use8

9 The Next 2 Maps show the population numbers for each county in Oklahoma. The first map shows the population of each county. The second map shows the growth or decline in population for each county from Twenty counties in western Oklahoma have experienced negative population growth.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use10

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use11

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use12 The Next 2 Slides show the ethnicity of Oklahoma in 1990 and The third slide shows the growth or decline in the percentage of the population for each ethnic group.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use13

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use14

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use15

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use16 The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in Oklahoma in 1990 and Evangelicals, Catholics and overall attendance have grown, the Mainline has declined slightly. Unfortunately, as overall worship attendance has increased, the population has grown at a faster rate. A more reliable standard for evaluating increasing or declining influence is the percentage of the population attending church on any given weekend, shown in the second graph. This graph reflects a decrease in the percentage of the population attending church.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use17

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use18

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use19 The 3 Next Charts show the relative strength of the 8 major denominational groups in Oklahoma. The first chart illustrates the strong influence of the Baptist churches. The second and third charts show the decline in the percentage of the population attending all denominations in Oklahoma, with the exception of the Pentecostal churches.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use20

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use21 The Complete Oklahoma Powerpoint is 43 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use22 The next 10 slides are from the “State of the Church in Oklahoma City” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 49 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use23 The Next Map shows the attendance numbers of churches in the Oklahoma City Metro Area for 1990 and There has been strong growth for Evangelicals, and slow growth for Mainline and Catholics churches. However, as the population has grown, a more reliable standard for evaluating increasing or declining influence is the percentage of the population attending church on any given weekend, shown in the second graph.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use24

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use25

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use26 The Next Chart shows the 1990 & 2000 average church attendance by group for both this metro area and the nation. The second chart shows the 1990 & 2000 population per church for this metro area and the nation. This shows how many people live in this metro area for every Christian church. Among states in 2000, Arkansas is the lowest at 411 people per church, while Utah is the highest at 4,586 people per church.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use27

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use28

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use29 The First Factor to evaluate is the Percentage of the Population that attends a weekend service on any given Sunday. The first map shows the 2000 percentage for all orthodox Christian churches in each county.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use30 The Oklahoma City Metro Area Percentage of Population Attending Worship On Any Given Weekend 21.2% McClain 15.4% Logan 20.0% Pottawatomie 18.4% Canadian 15.1% Cleveland 28.1% Oklahoma

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use31 The Next Map shows the 2000 growth or decline in the percentage of the population that attends a weekend service on any given weekend for all Evangelical churches.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use32 Growth or Decline in Percentage of Population Attending Evangelical Churches On Any Given Weekend The Oklahoma City Metro Area -10.7% McClain -11.9% Logan 6.7% Pottawatomie 18.4% Canadian 21.3% Cleveland 10.9% Oklahoma

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use33 The Complete Oklahoma City Powerpoint is 49 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use34 The next 9 slides are from the “State of the Church in Tulsa ” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 49 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use35 The Next Map shows the attendance numbers of churches in the Tulsa Metro Area for 1990 and There has been slow growth for Evangelicals, Mainline and Catholics churches. However, as the population has grown, a more reliable standard for evaluating increasing or declining influence is the percentage of the population attending church on any given weekend, shown in the second graph.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use36

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use37

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use38 The First Factor to evaluate is the Percentage of the Population that attends a worship service on any given weekend. The first map shows the 2000 percentage for all orthodox Christian churches in each county.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use39 The Tulsa Metro Area Percentage of Population Attending Worship On Any Given Weekend 17.0% Osage 17.2% Creek 8.6% Wagoner 15.8% Rogers 22.5% Tulsa

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use40 The Next Map shows the 2000 growth or decline in the percentage of the population that attends a worship service on any given weekend for all Mainline churches.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use41 Growth or Decline in Percentage of Population Attending Mainline Churches On Any Given Weekend The Tulsa Metro Area -6.2% Osage -10.5% Creek 8.2% Wagoner -17.5% Rogers -5.6% Tulsa

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use42 The Next Map shows the net increase in the number of churches in the Tulsa Metro Area from The net increase equals the number of new churches started minus the number of closed churches. There was a net gain of 18 churches. However, to keep up with the population growth in the Tulsa metro area, there would have needed to have been a net gain of 126 churches from This map reveals a net gain smaller than needed to keep with population growth. Since closure rates of churches tend to remain constant, the low numbers reflect a smaller than normal number of new churches started.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use44 The Complete Tulsa Powerpoint is 49 slides in length, and is available at It includes maps of church attendance in every county in the metro area, as well as denominational charts, average size charts, church planting charts, ethnicity charts and population growth information.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use45 This Presentation is based on a nationwide study of American church attendance, as reported by churches and denominations. The database currently has average worship attendances for each of the last 10 years for over 200,000 individual churches. It also uses supplementary information (actual membership numbers correlated with accurate membership to attendance ratios) to project the attendances of all other denominational and independent churches. All told, accurate information is provided for over 300,000 orthodox Christian churches. 1 1 This presentation looks only at people attending orthodox Christian churches. Approximately 3 million people attend non-orthodox Christian churches, and perhaps 3 million attend a religious service of another religion. Those ‘houses of worship’ would add another 35,000 churches in the United States and increase the 2000 percentage to 20.5%.

© 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use46 For More Information... Please go to for additional information on the American Church. 12 Surprising Facts about the American Church is available at 12supm. htm 12supm. htm The complete Oklahoma Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Oklahoma City Powerpoint presentation is available at The Complete Tulsa Powerpoint presentation is available at A Combo Pack (12 Surprising Facts, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City & Tulsa Powerpoints) is available at