Beyond the Ordinary

Five hopeful signs for U.S. congregations

By David Briggs

The number of Americans with no religious affiliation continues to rise.  Fewer young people are going to church. And the effects of recession have placed greater burdens on religious institutions in a time of shrinking resources.

How tough have times become?

In one startling example, Benedict XVI became the first pope to resign in six centuries. He declared both strength of mind and body are necessary to oversee the church “in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith.”

Yet there are also more hopeful trends about the health and mission of houses of worship.

The latest wave of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, now available for download and exploration on the Association of Religion Data Archives, provides stark evidence of the aging and shrinking of many congregations. Just a quarter of worshipers in the 2008-2009 survey reported a sense of excitement about the congregation’s future, down from a third of respondents excited about the future of their house of worship in 2001.

But the survey also shares what some may find surprising elements of growth and ongoing strengths in congregations. The U.S. Congregational Life Survey is the largest sampling of worshipers in America, with a total of more than half a million worshipers in more than 5,000 congregations participating in at least one of the two waves.

Here are five hopeful signs for U.S. congregations:

More caring ministries: Congregations and their members are more active outside the sanctuary walls. In the latest survey, 18 percent of worshippers said wider community care and advocacy were one of the three most valued aspects of the congregation; in 2001, just 11 percent ranked community care in the top three. Worshippers in 2008-2009 also were significantly more likely to report that they were involved in social service or advocacy groups outside the congregation and contributed money to a charitable group other than the church.

Climbing the academic ladder: The percentage of worshipers with a college degree rose from 38 percent in 2001 to 47 percent in the latest survey. “In the past, the pastor was often the most educated person in the room – but not any more.” researcher Cynthia Woolever says. And that matters. “These highly educated worshipers have high expectations about the content/style of worship, how decisions are made, and the efficiency of congregational ‘achievement,’” she adds.

Keeping up with the technological times: The 2008-2009 survey found more than three-quarters of congregations had established websites, up from 43 percent in 2001. In addition to keeping members informed of upcoming events, more than half of the sites post sermons and list opportunities for service. Seventy-four percent of congregations also use e-mail in ways that range from publicizing events to sharing joys and concerns of churchgoers and sending out devotional messages.

More diverse leadership: You just have to look around in many churches to notice a gender imbalance. Still, survey researchers say the consistent finding that six in 10 worshipers are women remains one of their most asked-about results. What is growing, however, is the diversity of leadership in mainline Protestant churches, where 28 percent of pastors are women, up from 20 percent in 2001. New research using survey data also finds female pastors are in general more satisfied in their ministry than male pastors and are strong in welcoming new people. Almost two in five pastors of growing churches are women.

Happy people in the pews: Eighty-seven percent of worshipers in the latest survey said they were satisfied with their spiritual life, up from 82 percent who expressed satisfaction in the 2001 survey. More than three in four worshippers say they always or usually experience a sense of God’s presence, inspiration and joy in worship. Nearly nine in 10 respondents said worship helps them with everyday living.

Of course, some analysts would say the high rate of satisfaction in many congregations that are aging and shrinking may also indicate an unwillingness to change to welcome younger generations and new neighbors into the fold.

But that is a column for another day.

(This article originally appeared as an Ahead of the Trend column for the Association of Religion Data Archives.)

 

Mental health of clergy requires balancing stress and success

By David Briggs

"God does temper the wind to the shorn lamb. To how many has it not seemed, at some one period of their lives, that all was over for them ... And yet they have lived to laugh again, to feel that the air was warm and the earth fair, and that God in giving them ever-springing hope has given everything."

--  Anthony Trollope

Stress comes with the job for most clergy. Long hours, the many demands on their time and addressing the often conflicting needs and desires of congregation members are major challenges.

And while pastors in troubled congregations may be the most vulnerable, even the road to success can be paved with additional stress and anxiety.

Congregations that are strong in welcoming new people, focusing on the community and increasing participation in church activities tend to add greater stress for pastors as some in the congregation resist moving out of their comfort zones, Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce report in their book, "Leadership That Fits Your Church."

The good news is that for many pastors the blessings of their ministry outweigh the pressures of the job.

In studying data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, Woolever and Bruce found pastors reporting the highest satisfaction with their ministry rarely thought about leaving their current congregation regardless of their stress level.

"The sense that their ministry is going well makes these pastors able to tolerate higher stress levels," the researchers say.

At the other extreme, however, pastors who are relatively dissatisfied with their ministry and face more job-related stress are the most likely to think about leaving and suffer burnout.

The challenge for congregations and their spiritual leaders becomes how to increase the clergy's satisfaction with their ministry and decrease pastoral stress.

The U.S. Congregational Life Survey provides some important insights. In addition to enjoying good mental health and being satisfied with their ministry, other factors found to contribute to lower job stress for clergy include:

• Lack of conflict. Serving in congregations that
  have experienced little or no internal tensions in recent years helps keep
  stress low.
•  Personal time. Clergy who are able to maintain a
  personal life separate from ministry experience less stress.
• Regular time off: Pastors who regularly take a day
  off each week report less stress.
• Smaller congregations: Pastors who
  serve smaller churches also report less stress, as do pastors who only serve
  one congregation.

More personal time, high satisfaction with their spiritual lives and a lack of church conflict also were found to be associated with clergy having a higher degree of satisfaction with their ministry.

Satisfaction with salary and benefits and a sense of accomplishment and enthusiasm also were linked to greater satisfaction.

Protecting the mental health of clergy is a responsibility shared throughout the congregation, the research indicates.

“Congregational leaders should be sensitive to the responsibilities they ask their pastors to meet,” Woolever and Bruce write. “Providing the pastor with regular time away from the congregation, encouraging the pastor to take steps toward self-care, and limiting the pastor’s workload all help to combat stress.”

Signs of ever-springing hope among the daily stresses of congregational life can come from the pew as well as the pulpit.

 

Resolving to be happy . . . or perhaps resolving to attend worship?

By Ida Smith-Williams

 January just wrapped up, a month when many people think about change and new beginnings.  Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?

According to Professor John Norcross, clinical psychologist at the University of Scranton in Philadelphia, 40% to 45% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year.  The top resolutions are to eat healthier, exercise more, and spend less money.

Do worshipers make resolutions? Dissatisfaction with aspects of one’s life often drives resolutions to change.  The U.S. Congregational Life Survey  didn’t ask about resolutions, but it did ask worshipers about their satisfaction with various parts of their lives.  Worshipers were asked to rate their satisfaction with their health, relationships with family and friends, happiness, spiritual life, and more. 

In 2008, the largest numbers of worshipers were satisfied with their life as a whole, their relationships with family and friends, and their spiritual life.  Other items were not far behind.  Feelings of satisfaction had grown from 2001 to 2008 for worshipers in terms of their own happiness, health, and feeling safe in their community. 

From the looks of these results, one might wonder if worshipers might be more satisfied with life and happier, in general, than those who don’t attend worship.  Does having God in one’s life really make a difference?  These results are for those in worship only and would need to be compared to those who do not attend worship services to identify any differences.  However, another study did find that religious people were more satisfied with their lives than nonbelievers.  But the study found that it was not a relationship with God that made worshipers happier, but rather that the happiness stemmed from friendships and relationships formed within the congregation.

How does your satisfaction stack up?  Perhaps you should consider attending a church if you do not already belong.