Survey Reveals Decade-Long 'Erosion' of Traditional U.S. Congregations

No faith community was left undamaged by the 2008 recession, a new survey reveals.

More than half (57 percent) of congregations across the spectrum – including evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Baha'i – were negatively impacted, according to The Hartford Institute for Religion Research. But perhaps what is more notable is that the financial health of congregations has been in decline long before the downturn even hit.

Hartford's survey, released Wednesday, found that the percentage of congregations reporting some or serious financial difficulty more than doubled to nearly 20 percent in the past 10 years. And those saying that their financial health was excellent dropped from 31 percent in 2000 to 14 percent in 2010.

The recession only exacerbated their economic situations, said David Roozen, director of The Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Roozen believes the poorer financial health of many churches is tied to declining membership, particularly among more traditional congregations.

"It seems like over the last decade we've moved into an era of ... kind of an erosion (not a drop-off), certainly of traditional American religious beliefs and practice," he observed.

To read more, click here.