Faith Communities Today
Latino majority congregations see growth, financial struggles, report finds
By Adelle M. Banks — December 13, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Still, the overarching picture for majority Latino congregations looks more promising than for other congregations,’ said sociologist of religion Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi.
For Jews, pandemic-era online worship has an enduring upside
By Yonat Shimron — August 31, 2023
(RNS) — The embrace of videoconferencing and livestreaming is actually helping Jews engage more fully with their faith.
For a small Chicago church, closing down was an act of faith
By Bob Smietana — August 30, 2022
(RNS) — There is no way to resurrection without experiencing death, the Rev. Amanda Olson told her congregation on Sunday. Her church, Grace Covenant Church in Chicago, closed this week.
Half of churches say Sunday school, other education programs disrupted by pandemic
By Adelle M. Banks — April 28, 2022
(RNS) — Overall, evangelical churches reported experiencing the least disruption to their educational programs, while mainline churches reported the most, followed by Catholic and Orthodox congregations.
Churches’ ministry to those hurt by the pandemic shows ‘monumental’ growth, study says
By Adelle M. Banks — December 21, 2021
(RNS) — The percentage of churches reporting deaths within their membership increased from 17% in the summer to 28% in November, a new report states.
Why the minichurch is the latest trend in American religion
By Bob Smietana — November 16, 2021
(RNS) — While megachurches often make headlines, most of the congregations in the United States are relatively small.
Study: Attendance hemorrhaging at small and midsize US congregations
By Yonat Shimron — October 14, 2021
(RNS) — The Faith Communities Today survey finds that half of the country’s congregations had 65 or fewer people in attendance on any given weekend, a drop from a median attendance level of 137 people in 2000.
During pandemic, small and aging churches face obstacles to adapt
By Alejandra Molina — April 6, 2020
(RNS) — With social-distancing guidelines in place to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, small churches with less income and older parishioners may struggle with declining weekly tithes and adapting to virtual services.
Tiny churches, big hopes: Why some thrive despite the odds
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — January 4, 2016
(RNS) In the age of the megachurch, meet some very small congregations that defy the odds for survival and thrive by "being all you can be in a religious setting."
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