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 StatesRNS 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 not […]
Southern Baptists lost nearly half a million members in 2022
United StatesRNS 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 in […]
Post-pandemic faith: In the US, Black Protestant church still vital despite attendance drop
LUIS ANDRES HENAO, of Associated Press, reports…
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. […]