Dear Cornerstone Family,
The last ten years have brought dramatic shifts in church health and growth across North America. From 2014 to 2019, the number of churches closing their doors in the United States grew from 3,700 to 4,500, while the number of new churches planted dropped from 4,000 to 3,000. As you might imagine, those numbers worsened during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Today, the church growth rate nationally is about half that of the population growth rate.
Despite this challenging news, we are beginning to see encouraging signs of life. As I mentioned a few months ago in a previous Pastoral Note, younger generations are showing renewed interest in the faith. Church attendance in the United States has begun to climb slightly, and this increase is already having a positive effect on church vitality and church planting.
At the PCA’s Mission to North America Permanent Committee meeting this week, we received an analysis of church planting in the PCA over the last five years. Taken as a whole, the updated statistics and trend indicators were quite encouraging. Here is a breakdown of church planting in the PCA over the past five years:
· 2021 – 16 churches planted
· 2022 – 26 churches planted
· 2023 – 10 churches planted
· 2024 – 40 churches planted
· 2025 – 56 churches planted
As you can see, there has been a significant uptick in church planting over the last two years. Our denomination has also had record attendance at our church planting assessment center over the past twelve months, which suggests we will likely see strong church planting numbers again in 2026.
As we continue to pursue the Lord’s leading for ministry expansion at Cornerstone, He is opening fresh opportunities for us to partner with others in church planting efforts in our area. In the days ahead, I look forward to sharing more with you, so stay tuned.
Before I run out of space, please take a moment to review the high-level financial update below. While we are slightly behind budget, we remain grateful for how God continues to provide for Cornerstone’s growing ministry through your faithful giving. As we approach the end of the third quarter of our fiscal year, please help us stay on track by generously supporting the Lord’s work at Cornerstone through the month of March.
2025–2026 Cornerstone Financial Update
Year to Date
Giving Budget Difference Percent of Budget
$1, 395,053 $1, 413,000 $-17,947 98.73%
Thank you for your continued faithfulness and partnership in the gospel.
Your servant,
