Signs of rebound: Church attendance shows first uptick in decades
For the first time in 25 years, the median number of people attending worship services in the United States has gone up.
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A congregation renovates the old and builds something new to serve its members and community
Facing years of deferred maintenance and repair costs, a church in Lexington, Kentucky, looked outward as well as inward to make the best use of its historic space while expanding to meet a pressing local need.
Link to author Kory Wilcoxson
By
Kory Wilcoxson
Pastor and journalist
Why are Christian congregations important today?
The Forum for Congregational Life will work to facilitate learning among all types of congregations in ways that strengthen and support them.
Alaina Kleinbeck
David L. Odom
Why would an established organization change its name?
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity is now the Forum for Congregational Life. The organization’s executive director explains that there are important reasons for the name change, including a revised focus.
Link to author David L. Odom
By
David L. Odom
Executive director, Forum for Congregational Life
Religious institutions and spiritual innovators need each other
Building local spiritual ecosystems can provide stability in a shifting religious landscape and help communities flourish, a nonprofit network leader writes.
Link to author Danielle Goldstone
By
Danielle Goldstone
Founder and director, innoFaith
Historic church teaches about the past and engages the present
The oldest Black congregation in Chicago restores its historic building while reaching out as history is made in the city today.
Link to author Celeste Kennel-Shank
By
Celeste Kennel-Shank
Journalist
‘Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders’
A missiologist, a religion journalist and a church researcher write about one of the largest American churches in the 1960s in an excerpt from a recent book.
Daniel Yang
Adelle Banks
Warren Bird
More congregants joined churches from 2020 to 2025 than in previous years
The COVID pandemic may have caused a bump in church attendance, researchers say, but new attendees have varied reasons for joining churches.
Link to author Yonat Shimron
By
Yonat Shimron
Journalist
Ryan Burge and Tony Jones: Understanding people’s engagement with religion is far more nuanced than current conversations would indicate
Two of the nation’s leading experts on people who have disengaged from organized religion say that trend is both more complex and simpler than some church leaders realize.
Many churchgoers are engaging with multiple churches, new research finds
The study led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research reveals new data about today’s church attendance and commitment levels.
Link to author Leslie Quander Wooldridge
By
Leslie Quander Wooldridge
Journalist
Is your organization’s base strong enough to answer God’s call?
A painting must be created on canvas sturdy enough to support it. Likewise, congregations and organizations need a solid foundation if their ministries are to flourish.
Link to author Mycal X. Brickhouse
By
Mycal X. Brickhouse
Director, Fuller FORWARD, Fuller Seminary
