COVID-19 rages on.
So does the pandemic’s big impact on American religion.
From in-person attendance declining to pastors burning out, here are four related trends to watch:
(1) Churches changed during the pandemic and many aren’t going back (by Janet Adamy, Wall Street Journal)
“The number of churchgoers has steadily dropped in the U.S. over the past few decades,” Adamy reports. “But Covid-19 and its lockdown restrictions accelerated that fall. In-person church attendance is roughly 30% to 50% lower than it was before the pandemic, estimates Barna Group, a research firm that studies faith in the U.S.”
(2) Why the minichurch is the latest trend in American religion (by Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)
Smietana profiles a small church in Wisconsin, noting, “Cornerstone is part of the fastest-growing group of congregations in America: the minichurch. According to the recently released Faith Communities Today study, half of the congregations in the United States have 65 people or fewer, while two-thirds of congregations have fewer than 100.”
(3) The pastors aren’t all right: 38% consider leaving ministry (by Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today)
“Pastoral burnout has worsened during the pandemic,” Shellnutt explains. “A Barna Group survey released (this week) found that 38 percent of pastors are seriously considering leaving full-time ministry, up from 29 percent in January.”
See related coverage from the Washington Times, by former GetReligionista Mark A. Kellner.
(4) Most churches find financial stability in 2021 (by Aaron Earls, Lifeway Research)
“Emerging from the pandemic, most churches don’t seem to be underwater financially, but many are treading water,” Earls reports.
“Around half of U.S. Protestant pastors say the current economy isn’t really having an impact on their congregation, according to a Lifeway Research study. The 49% who say the economy is having no impact on their church marks the highest percentage since Lifeway Research began surveying pastors on this issue in 2009.”
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
(1) His reasons for opposing Trump were biblical. Now a top Christian editor is out: For me, editor-in-chief Marvin Olasky and the evangelical Christian magazine World have always been synonymous.
Not anymore.
New York Times media columnist Ben Smith outlines how a clash over culture and politics (think Trump) has led to the resignations of Olasky and other key World staff members, including senior editor Mindy Belz.
At Religion News Service, Bob Smietana writes that Olasky “survived Trump as World magazine editor. But not the hot takes.”
Independent journalist Julie Roys offers more details on the World staff upheaval, and GetReligion’s Terry Mattingly weighs in here and in a follow-up podcast.
(2) Catholic bishops approve Communion guidelines, avoid rebuking Biden, other politicians: “In an overwhelming show of support, U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday in favor of issuing a new document regarding the importance of Holy Communion — although the text did not single out President Joe Biden or other Catholic politicians as being unworthy of receiving the sacrament because they favor abortion rights,” ReligionUnplugged.com’s own Clemente Lisi reports.
Check out additional coverage from Baltimore from The Associated Press’ Peter Smith, the New York Times’ Ruth Graham, the Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein and Religion News Service’s Jack Jenkins.
CONTINUE READING: “From The Minichurch To Pastor Burnout, Four Key COVID-19 Religion Trends To Watch” by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.