The first thing that’s essential to know about this story is that there are two churches in North Carolina named Wake Forest Baptist Church. That’s important not only for clarity but also for historical context. One of those churches announced…
Online religion content isn’t luring Millennials away from in-person church
Faith leaders needn’t worry too much that the growing availability of online religious content and activities will lure Millennials away from houses of worship, a recent study suggests. On the contrary, faith content and activities available virtually are in some…
I’d rather swim than worship
It was a haunting statement by a pastor. She was asked how her church had rebounded from the impact of COVID upon live worship attendance. Like most, she reported that only about 65% of the pre-COVID attenders had returned to…
The return to church has hit a plateau
The post-COVID return to church has plateaued, according to new nationwide data from Pew Research. After most houses of worship closed to in-person gatherings in mid-March 2020 due to the initial threat of coronavirus, there has been a slow return…
Lindsey Graham says he goes to church about three times a year but wants Supreme Court nominee to rate her faithfulness on a scale of 1 to 10
Once again, a United States senator asked a nominee for public office a question about personal religious practice, despite the clear prohibition of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution. This time the questioner was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.-S.C., and the…
Has your church attendance declined again? It’s likely because Americans are worried once again about COVID
If in-person attendance at your church has declined in recent weeks, it’s probably a sign of Americans’ increasing concern about getting COVID-19. Gallup reports that its survey of American adults from Jan. 3 to Jan. 14 found increasing concern about…
This pastor wants to apologize to the ‘nones’
The church owes numerous apologies to the rapidly growing ranks of the religiously unaffiliated known as the “nones,” author, pastoral counselor and Baptist minister Thomas Rodgerson says. For starters, the term itself needs to be atoned for, even though it…
Five ways to help your pastor this year
At the dawn of a new year, many churches are adopting new budgets and making plans for whatever will come in this third year of COVID-influenced ministry. There are lots of decisions to be made, and not always enough information…
Americans growing less religious and more strictly religious at the same time
In the current sociology of American religion, there are two trends moving in opposite directions. The “nones” are growing in number, while among those who identify as Christian, varieties of fundamentalism are growing. Religion researcher Ryan Burge recently summarized this…