Talk to pastors about youth sports, and few will not have stories lamenting how some children and their parents in their congregations are missing on Sundays due to a child’s softball tournament or softball game. The 2008 Faith Communities Today survey found school- and sports-related activities, more than driving distance or work-schedule conflicts or other […]

My wife and I had just moved to Fairfield County in Connecticut, and were searching for a church. We were impressed when as visitors to an Episcopal congregation, the priest invited my wife to work with other volunteers at a craft fair. She looked forward to the opportunity to meet people in a new town. […]

Regardless of denomination, this coming  Sunday will mark one of the highest attended Sunday worship services nationwide.  According to Jim Davidson, a sociology professor at Purdue, church attendance increases about 25% on Easter. Keep in mind that there will be lots of new people visiting in your congregation who may not attend any other time of […]

The number of Americans with no religious affiliation continues to rise.  Fewer young people are going to church. And the effects of recession have placed greater burdens on religious institutions in a time of shrinking resources. How tough have times become? In one startling example, Benedict XVI became the first pope to resign in six […]

Longer services. More substance abuse counseling. And a greater emphasis on the environment. Add to the mix a presence on Facebook and Twitter. What you get are some of the traits more likely to be found in fast-growing Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations in 2011, compared to the practices associated with fast-growing churches in the denomination in […]

Adapted from original post on 2/8/11 People often make resolutions regarding health and finances at the beginning of a new year to improve their life.  Consider comparing yourself to benchmarks from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to find ways you might make changes in your spiritual life. 1)      Attend worship services.  Increase your frequency of attending or start […]

The general outlines of a growing church probably won’t surprise you. Representing 25% of congregations in the United States, growing churches: Have fewer worshipers older than 65 years of age compared to other churches. Attract many new worshipers, staying ahead of member departures and deaths. Attract more of the unchurched or first-time worshipers. Offer an […]

Seeking to turn around its declining membership, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently ignited a movement to start 1,001 worshiping communities in the next ten years.  While newer congregations may face challenges as they seek to become established, they also display many strengths that draw worshipers. To learn more about new congregations, in 2011 we surveyed 88 newer […]

Accurately tracking congregational trends is not easy. Our local, regional, and denominational experiences can lead us to magnify some changes and miss others altogether. As a way of countering this natural myopia, we asked a national random sample of congregations to report on four possible events that their church may have faced during the past […]

New churches attract lots of new worshipers (42% joined in the past five years compared to only 28% for the typical Presbyterian church). As these churches take in these newcomers, do they assume everyone will just blend in, go native, or adapt without assistance? No! We’ve found that they make special efforts to ensure their […]