Hartford Institute for Religion Research
Full-time ministry drains too many clergy and church budgets. Part-time pastors can help.
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — March 14, 2024
(RNS) — The happier, healthier future of ministry is in part-time clergy.
Burned out, exhausted, leaving: A new survey finds clergy are not OK
By Michael Woolf — January 25, 2024
(RNS) — This isn't the time for US congregations to be facing a massive leadership transition.
US pastors struggle with post-pandemic burnout. Survey shows half considered quitting since 2020
By Peter Smith — January 11, 2024
Median in-person attendance has steadily declined since the start of the century, the report said, and with fewer younger participants, the typical age of congregants is rising.
Pandemic boosted resilience, hurt financial health of Black churches, says report
By Adelle M. Banks — January 4, 2024
(RNS) — A new report highlights the challenges faced by Black and multiracial congregations, as well as their resilience, in the wake of COVID-19.
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.
Giving is up at churches and people are back, but clergy are still thinking about quitting
By Bob Smietana — September 5, 2023
(RNS) — While life at local congregations has returned mostly to normal, the future remains uncertain.
COVID-19 and the decline of religion in America
By Mark Silk — May 17, 2023
(RNS) — Evidence that in the United States, pandemics depress faith.
Sunday school looks different since pandemic’s start: From monthly to missing
By Adelle M. Banks — December 21, 2022
(RNS) — ‘If you kept it online, you probably don’t have a religious education program now,’ expert Scott Thumma said of children’s activities.
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.
Amid COVID-19, most churches provide hybrid worship, half stopped picnics
By Adelle M. Banks — November 10, 2021
(RNS) — A new study shows that ‘the pandemic has had a profound impact across the religious spectrum, and that some churches are faring better than others,’ said scholar Scott Thumma.
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.
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."
The megachurch boom rolls on, but big concerns are rising too
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — December 2, 2015
(RNS) Attendance is still high but individuals worship less often and Gen-Xers are drifting away, according to a new study of 2,000-member-plus congregations.
Mosque construction continues to attract opposition across U.S.
By Judy Keen / USA Today — May 31, 2012
CHICAGO (RNS) Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks animosity toward Muslims sometimes has taken the form of opposition to construction of mosques and other Islamic facilities. In the last five years, there has been ``anti-mosque activity'' in more than half of U.S. states, according to the ACLU. By Judy Keen.
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