Three in four Protestant churchgoers (75 percent) say they need other believers to help them to grow in their walk with God, with 38 percent strongly agreeing. However, 65 percent of Protestant churchgoers say they can walk with God without other believers, with 36 percent agreeing strongly.
Kenneth Priest, interim director of the Center for Church Revitalization at Southwestern, said those two statements contradict one another and highlight the need for greater discipleship in churches.
"I believe this is primarily a discipleship issue," Priest said, explaining that the "spiritual apathy" seen in many churches is due to "the lack of pastors and spiritual leaders equipped to effectively preach and teach a text-driven life application of God's Word."...