> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://thesparrowpress.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # At Our Own Pace - URL: https://thesparrowpress.com/at-our-own-pace/ - Published: 2026-06-06T15:46:01.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T10:58:24.000Z - Author: Caleb Swenson - Tags: Newsletter, #Migrated-1793357894408, #Import 2026-10-30 10:58 A few generations ago it was considered a touchy subject to start a conversation surrounding faith outside the walls of our home. Falling into the same category of “things our parents told us not to do” like staring, or asking someone how much money they make. Recently the pendulum has swung the other way. It's become completely socially accepted to talk about our beliefs in public. Jesus is everywhere. The car radio, Instagram, that billboard on the freeway, commercials. You can't turn a corner without seeing something that represents Christianity. Seeing Christ all around us has been a breath of fresh air but the stats behind it are puzzling. Since the early 2000s church attendance has actually gone down. 42% of Americans were attending weekly church service. Now it's been hovering closer to 30% since 2019\. For almost twenty years there was a steady decline, then it stopped. To make matters more interesting, Bible sales are through the roof. 2025 being the highest on record in modern tracking history with 19 million copies sold. We're almost half way through 2026 and sales are pacing 5% higher than that. A revival is happening, people are reading the word, but church attendance isn’t growing. What's the deal? Churches can be intimidating. Imagine being on the outside looking in, you don’t know the rules, the people, or even where to sit. Everywhere else we gather we’re invited. It's the one place we’re expected to let ourselves in. The church says to come as you are but it's harder than it looks to have the courage to do so. Especially if you consider that you're walking up to the literal house of God. There are only a few fingers to point when it comes to the rising Bible sales in recent years. Curiosity and *Amazon Prime*. Like everything else, it has become incredibly easy to get our hands on the red letters. It's encouraging to see same day shipping is being used for more than just AAA batteries. People are skeptical of the church. If you do your own research you can land on the right version of the Bible (for you). Study it on your own, come up with your own questions, your own answers. Attending a church means you have to trust someone else. Their answers, their beliefs. Unfortunately trust has become a lot harder to come by. Being told how to interpret something by our loved ones can be tough, now try hearing it from a stranger. With a lack of trust comes a million questions. “What are they really doing with this money?” “What if I don't want to go up there?” “Do I kneel?” “Is this actually wine?” We’re all thinking about it. The Bible invites us to ask questions. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭7 Along with church attendance decreasing in the last 25 years, the demographic went through a facelift. In the early 2000s 47% of women attended while only 38% of men did. The numbers have almost completely flipped. 2022 marks the first year more men went to church than women since at least the 1950s. So why now? As we watch the revival of Christianity, the volume on the negative noise also grows louder. A spiritual warzone is playing out in our everyday lives. Having a foundation is essential, and the next generation is leaning on the Bible. Simply put: The more chaos there is, the more people are seeking Jesus. Regardless of your opinion on church attendance or Bible sales, a revival is happening around us. A powerful one at that. By the way, it’s grape juice.