Essay: My beautiful ‘practicing’ Christians – as churchgoers’ numbers shrink, their social views grow more similar
In an article first published on The Conversation, MICHAEL EMERSON, a scholar of religion and public life, argues that American Christians are growing more similar in some of their social and political views…
Essay: The slow fade of denominational publishing
ANNA PIELA, an American Baptist Churches USA minister and a visiting scholar of religious studies and gender at Northwestern University, says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that shrinking churches means the market for Christian print resources diminishes too…
“Coherency of faith” key to retaining the young in church, Australian study finds
Geelong, Australia A “coherency of faith” that involves life within both the home and the church is key to the successful retention of young people in churches as they enter adult life, new research has found. The research, which combined select findings about church attendance from NCLS Research as well as results gleaned from Anglican […]
Downsizing church: Baltimore Catholic parish closures a “punch in the stomach” with long-term impact
In the US, parish closures in the nation’s oldest Catholic diocese are part of a nationwide trend of dioceses restructuring in response to falling Mass attendance and priest shortages. ALEJA HERTZLER-MCCAIN, of Religion News Service, reports…
Southern Baptists, losing members, find solace in baptisms and better attendance
United States RNS The bad news for Southern Baptists is that the denomination, the largest Protestant group in the US, shrunk in 2023, with a drop of about a quarter-million people. The good news, according to the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual statistical report, is that the decline slowed from 2022. In addition, of those who […]
Gallup poll: More than half of Americans rarely go to church
United States RNS The most popular church in America might be St Mattress, followed by Bedside Baptist. Those two – euphemisms for sleeping in on Sundays – increasingly describe the attitude of many Americans toward attending churches or other houses of worship. Mark Galli kneels in prayer before Mass at St Michael Catholic Church, on […]
Catholicism: Nearly 80 per cent of Italians say they are Catholic. But few regularly go to church
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, reports from Italy…
US religious attendance is shrinking but those who remain are happy – poll
United States RNS For American religion, the story of decline just won’t let up. A shrinking number of Americans – 16 per cent – say religion is the most important thing in their lives, down from 20 per cent in 2013. And nearly three in 10 – or 29 per cent – say religion is […]
Southern Baptists lost nearly half a million members in 2022
United States RNS The long, slow decline of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination continues. Membership in the Southern Baptist Convention was down by nearly half a million in 2022, according to a recently released denomination report. Nashville-based Lifeway Research reported on Tuesday that the SBC had 13.2 million members in 2022, down from 13.68 million […]
Post-pandemic faith: In the US, Black Protestant church still vital despite attendance drop
LUIS ANDRES HENAO, of Associated Press, reports…