1. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use1 A Sample Presentation of The State of the Church in Kentucky and the Louisville Metro Area 1990-2000 Dave Olson www.TheAmericanChurch.org

2. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use2 The first 19 slides are from the “State of the Church in Kentucky” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 42 slides in length, and is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/state/UKY20.htm. 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. http://www.theamericanchurch.org/state/UKY20.htm

3. © 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.

4. © 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 Kentucky Every Week?” “Is the Christian Church Going Forwards or Backwards in Influence in Kentucky?” As the data is analyzed county by county assessing a number of factors, a comprehensive picture of the State of the Church in Kentucky will begin to take shape.

5. © 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 2000. Kentucky has an attendance percentage (22.1%) that is higher than the average for the nation (18.7%).

6. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use6

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

9. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use9 The Next 2 Maps show the population numbers for each county in Kentucky. The first map shows the population of each county. The second map shows the growth or decline in population for each county from 1990 - 2000.

12. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use12 The Next 2 Slides show the ethnicity of Kentucky in 1990 and 2000. The third slide shows the growth or decline in the percentage of the population for each ethnic group.

13. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use13

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16. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use16 The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in Kentucky in 1990 and 2000. Evangelicals have grown in attendance, while Catholics and the mainline have declined. Unfortunately, as overall worship attendance has slowly increased, 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.

17. © 2004 by David T. Olson

19. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use19 The 2 Next Charts show the relative strength of the 8 major denominational groups in Kentucky. The Pie Chart shows the strength of the Baptist church in Kentucky, followed by the Catholic and Christian churches. The second chart shows that with the exception of the Pentecostals, denominations have declined faster than population growth.

22. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use22 The Complete Kentucky Powerpoint is 42 slides in length, and is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/state/UKY20.htm. 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. http://www.theamericanchurch.org/state/UKY20.htm

23. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use23 The next 3 slides are from the “State of the Church in Louisville” Powerpoint. The Complete Powerpoint is 45 slides in length, and is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/metro/Louisville.htm. 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. http://www.theamericanchurch.org/metro/Louisville.htm

24. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use24 The Next Graph shows the attendance numbers for the churches in the Louisville area in 1990 and 2000. Evangelical churches grew, while Catholic and Mainline churches declined in attendance numbers. As 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.

25. © 2004 by David T. Olson

27. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use27 The Next 3 Maps show the attendance percentages for the Evangelical, Catholic and Mainline churches in each county in the Louisville area in 2000.

28. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use28 Louisville Metro Area 2000 Evangelical Percentage 4.5% Oldham 8.9% Bullitt 12.8% Jefferson 19.0% Scott 7.9% Harrison 12.1% Floyd 9.0% Clark

29. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use29 Louisville Metro Area 2000 Mainline Percentage 1.6% Oldham 0.5% Bullitt 2.7% Jefferson 6.5% Scott 8.4% Harrison 6.0% Floyd 4.9% Clark

30. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use30 Louisville Metro Area 2000 Catholic Percentage 8.1% Oldham 1.9% Bullitt 8.5% Jefferson 0.8% Scott 4.9% Harrison 5.6% Floyd 3.4% Clark

31. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use31 The Complete Louisville Powerpoint is 46 slides in length, and is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/metro/Louisville.htm. 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. http://www.theamericanchurch.org/metro/Louisville.htm

32. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use32 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%.

33. © 2004 by David T. Olson Sample - Not for Public Use33 For More Information... Please go to www.theamericanchurch.org for additional information on the American Church.www.theamericanchurch.org 12 Surprising Facts about the American Church is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/ 12supm. htm http://www.theamericanchurch.org/ 12supm. htm The complete Kentucky Powerpoint presentation is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/state/UKY20.htm http://www.theamericanchurch.org/state/UKY20.htm The Complete Louisville Powerpoint presentation is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/metro/Louisville.htm http://www.theamericanchurch.org/metro/Louisville.htm A Combo Pack (12 Surprising Facts, Kentucky and Louisville Powerpoints) is available at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/combo/KY0.htm http://www.theamericanchurch.org/combo/KY0.htm