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, USAP 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 influence […]
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. […]
ESSAY: THE AGE OF NONES MAY FAVOUR CHURCHES THAT WELCOME DOUBTERS
In an article first published by Religion News Service, RYAN BURGE, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, looks at what the growing number of Americans who aren’t connected to a religious faith may mean for churches in the US…
In the US, black millennials skip church as early adults more than whites – survey
RNS African-American young adults are more likely than their white counterparts to drop out of Protestant churches during their early adult years, new research shows. But equal percentages of black and white young adults say they currently attend services regularly. A new analysis of survey data released last week by LifeWay Research of Nashville, Tennessee, found that nearly […]
Why fewer Americans are attending religious services
RNS Fewer adults are attending religious services in the United States, but not necessarily because they don’t believe. Many cite practical or personal reasons for skipping weekly services, according to new Pew Research Center data released on Wednesday (1st August). Most notably, nearly four in 10 say they simply practice their faith in other ways […]