Essay: COVID-19 sent houses of worship online. Will congregations come back in person?
RYAN BURGE, pastor, author and assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, says – in an article first published on Religion News Service – that religious leaders can find concern and comfort in a survey about attendance at worship early in the pandemic…
Church attendance: More Americans stay away as pandemic nears year three
Many Americans already had dropped out of church life before the pandemic. BOB SMIETANA reports that a new survey shows COVID-19 gave them a reason to let go completely…
‘Sinning in the Rain’: New study finds crimes go up when it rains on Sundays
RNS To help people avoid sin, pastors often advise prayer, going to church and reading the Bible or other religious books. They might also want to get a few umbrellas. A forthcoming study from the Review of Economics and Statistics found that the more it rains on Sunday mornings, the more white-collar, drug- and alcohol-related […]
Attendance hemorrhaging at small and midsize US congregations – study
RNS A new survey of 15,278 religious congregations across the United States confirms trends sociologists have documented for several decades: Congregational life across the country is shrinking. The most recent round of the Faith Communities Today survey, or FACT, found a median decline in attendance of seven per cent between 2015 and 2020. PICTURE: Gabriella […]
Australian Catholics mourn the lack of conversion from school to church attendance as fifth plenary council begins discussions
Sydney, Australia Catholic schools across Australia are full but “our churches are empty”, members of the Catholic Church’s Fifth Plenary Council have been told. The national meeting is the first since 1937 and is attended by 278 members across the country – including bishops, members of religious congregations and laypeople. St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. […]
A third of UK adults praying and attending church at least once a month – poll
A third of UK adults are praying and attending church at least once a month, according to a survey. The poll of more than 2,000 UK adults found that 31 per cent said they attended church and took part in services at least once a month while 36 per cent pray, either alone, with a small group […]
Gallup: Fewer than half of Americans belong to a church or other house of worship
RNS Ask Americans if they believe in God and most will say yes. But a growing number have lost faith in organised religion. For the first time since the late 1930s, fewer than half of Americans say they belong to a church, synagogue or mosque, according to a new report from Gallup. PICTURE: Andrew Seaman/Unsplash/Creative […]
Sight-Seeing: As a pastor I pray my flock comes back. As a religion demographer I’m more realistic.
In an article first published on Religion News Service, RYAN BURGE – pastor, demographer and author of new book The Nones, looks at the growing impact of American society’s secularisation on the church…
Black Americans attend church and pray more often – survey
New York, US AP Black Americans attend church more regularly than Americans overall, and pray more often. Most attend churches that are predominantly Black, yet many would like those congregations to become racially diverse. There is broad respect for Black churches’ historical role in seeking racial equality, coupled with a widespread perception they have lost […]
In the US, Southern Baptists see 13th year of membership decline
Nashville, TennesseeAP The largest Protestant denomination in the US is almost two per cent smaller than it was in 2018. The Southern Baptist Convention released its 2019 membership numbers on Thursday, showing a membership decline of more than 287,000. That brings their total membership down from 14.8 million in 2018 to 14.5 million last year. […]