Beyond the Ordinary

Spiritual experiences in worship tied to increased giving

by David Briggs

Every congregation needs cheerful givers.

Yet many religious leaders gear their services to the intellect of worshipers, placing more emphasis on scholarly sermons than the emotional experiences that transcendent worship can offer.

That approach could be costly, a new study indicates.

Worshipers who experience a sense of awe or mystery and other positive emotions such as joy and inspiration during services are more likely to fill the collection plate, suggests a new study analyzing data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.

And it was not just Pentecostal and other evangelical congregations that reap the benefits.

The study findings suggest that, “It is possible for mainline liturgical congregations to increase their giving if they address the emotional needs of their flocks,” Baylor University researcher Katie Corcoran said.

Corcoran explored a sample of 344 congregations and more than 46,000 attendees from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey. She developed an “emotional energy” measure based on answers to questions about experiences from a sense of God’s presence and joy to negative feelings such a boredom and frustration during worship to study the relation between emotion and congregational giving.

Consistent with past research, Corcoran found factors such as more frequent religious attendance and having close friends in the congregation associated with higher giving.

She also found, however, that the more positive emotional energy worshipers experience, the more likely they are to increase giving. Giving also increases when the overall level of positive emotion in the congregation is higher, Corcoran found.

Even attenders with relatively low levels of emotional energy give more in congregations where the people around them have high levels of positive emotion, Corcoran found.

“This study suggests that congregations can increase the proportion of income their members donate by structuring their rituals to promote positive emotional experiences,” Corcoran writes.

The potential appears to be there.

Overall, the US CLS indicates congregations are doing fairly well at meeting many of the needs of people in the pews.

The 2008-2009 US CLS, for example, found that 81 percent of worshipers always or usually experienced a sense of God’s presence during worship and 75 percent experienced joy. Six percent or fewer experienced boredom or frustration during services.

Just three in 10 worshipers, however, reported always or usually experiencing a sense of awe and mystery. And, of course, the results do not take into account people who may be missing from worship because their needs are not being met.

Corcoran said the study suggests the value of congregations being aware of the emotional experiences of community members, and which practices seem to best meet those needs.

It is not a one-size-fits-all solution, she said. In one congregation, some members may find contemporary music heightens their spiritual experience. In another congregation, or among different members in the same congregation, hymns may be of special value, she said.

Since emotional energy is something that builds over time and can wane when it is no longer present, the challenge also is to keep the positive experiences flowing.

Still, all that work may not only energize the community, but improve the bottom line.

In the end, the church that laughs and cries together appears to give more together.

Places of Promise: How location matters to congregations

by David Briggs

“Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.”

Genesis 28:16

Location, location, location is the maxim of many real estate professionals when it comes to putting a value on a house.

But when it comes to congregations, perhaps a better mantra would be ministry, ministry, ministry.

And replacing negative expectations with an openness to meet the spiritual needs of the community wherever the congregation is located.

“Many beliefs about the power of location are simply myths,” researchers Cynthia Woolever and Deborah Bruce state in their book, “Places of Promise: Finding Strength in Your Congregation’s Location.” “Congregations are growing and can grow in all locations.”

In the high-water mark for some congregations in the 1950s and 1960s, there was the idea that if you “plop a church down in the right location, it will magically grow,” notes Woolever. Today, as many churches are losing members in a more secular culture, there is the temptation to blame the church’s location for the losses.

Yet what matters is not so much the location, Woolever says, “but what you are trying to do in that place.”

In analyzing data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, Woolever and Bruce found the one location factor related to numerical growth was if the congregation had spent more years at its current location. Whether a congregation was in the South or the West, a red or blue state, in a growing suburban community or a high-mobility urban community, was not related to growth.

Consider also these findings:

• Thirty-five percent of numerically declining congregations were located in growing-population areas.
• Twenty-four percent of “numerically plateaued” congregations were located in growing-population areas.
• Thirty-eight percent of numerically growing congregations were located in growing-population areas.

Many times, what congregations claim about ways their location is holding them back “is completely irrelevant,” says Woolever, the former director of the US CLS.

This does not mean some areas are not more difficult than others to have numerically growing or vital congregations. For example, congregations in rural communities with declining aging populations will find it tougher to attract new members.

Yet each location also offers unique strengths, Woolever and Bruce found. Rural communities, for example, do particularly well in areas such as providing meaningful worship, involving many worshipers, caring for children and youth and building a strong sense of belonging among members, all factors associated with growth. Congregations in economically distressed urban communities excel at sharing their faith with others.

Woolever and Bruce encourage congregations to get rid of the “negative scripts” that see their location as determining or limiting what they are able to accomplish in their community.

Instead, they encourage congregations to view their location as a God-given gift that suggests their church is “in this place at this time for a reason—God’s reason.”

When a congregation is viewed as a place of promise, religious communities can look to the future with a sense of hope that “allows for change and an openness to God’s work in the world,” the researchers state.

In practical terms, that could mean being open to new styles of worship or new programs that best serve the spiritual needs of people in the surrounding neighborhood, including the vital demographic of young adults too often missing from the pews.

The key to making congregations stronger? Identify the congregation’s strengths and prayerfully discern “what God is calling the congregation to be and do in this place,” state Woolever and Bruce.

“What are the unmet needs in this community, and what can our congregation do to meet those needs?” is a question that should be asked, Woolever says. “If you do that, your congregation’s location is not a liability, it’s a place of ministry.”

Fast-growing churches more likely to set rules on alcohol, tobacco use

By David Briggs

The actress Katherine Heigl has publicly lamented, “If I start going back to church, I’d have to stop the smoking and drinking.”

There is reason for her and others to feel that way.

While many congregations have dropped prohibitions on activities such as homosexual behavior and sex before marriage, the rate of religious communities setting rules on alcohol and tobacco remained fairly steady, according to the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.

In the case of rapidly growing congregations, there is some evidence of increasing strictness regarding both activities. One study showed the percentage of fast-growing churches in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) having rules on smoking and drinking increased more than four-fold from 2002 to 2011.

In 2002, just 2 percent of fast growing Presbyterian congregations reported having special rules or prohibitions regarding members smoking or drinking alcohol. In 2011, nine percent of fast growing churches had special rules on smoking and 11 percent reported rules on drinking.

The figures are in stark contrast to the dramatic decline in the percentage of fast-growing congregations with special rules regarding homosexual behavior or unmarried adults living together.

More than three-quarters of fast-growing Presbyterian congregations in 2002 reported having rules on homosexual behavior; just 17 percent reported having such rules in 2011. The percentage of fast-growing congregations with rules or prohibitions on cohabitation dropped from 55 percent in 2002 to 13 percent in 2011.

Ida Smith-Williams, a researcher with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, compared survey data from 114 fast growing Presbyterian churches in 2011 with responses from 93 fast growing Presbyterian congregations in 2002.

Overall data from the congregational profiles in the 2001 and 2008 U.S. congregational life surveys show far more rapid declines among churches in reporting special rules on cohabitation and homosexual behavior than in rules regarding smoking and drinking.

In the 2001 survey,  a quarter of congregations reported having special rules or prohibitions regarding alcohol use and 15 percent reported rules on smoking. In the 2008 survey, 19 percent of congregations had rules on drinking and 13 percent had regulations on smoking.

Compare those modest drops to the changes in the areas of sexuality. Two-thirds of congregations in the 2001 survey reported having special rules on homosexual behavior and 55 percent had guidelines about unmarried adults living together. In the 2008 congregational profile, 38 percent of congregations reported special rules on homosexual behavior and 32 percent had rules on cohabitation.

Why were the rules on smoking and drinking more likely to remain a part of congregational life, or in the cases of some fast growing churches become even more prevalent, during a period of growing religious individualism?

In part, the retention of guidelines on alcohol and tobacco use may also reflect a shifting emphasis in religion and the larger culture in promoting public health even if it means greater regulation of individuals.

 That fast-growing churches would be more associated with rules on drinking and smoking also may not be so surprising.

 In analyzing the findings, Smith-Williams said the first thing that came to her mind was the strict church theory described by sociologists such as Laurence Iannaccone that notes having clear guidelines tends to screen out members who lack commitment and stimulate participation among those who remain.

 Many congregations appear to be easing up on older prohibitions. But none of these special rules appear to be disappearing from American religious life.  The rules congregations choose, and how they decide to promote them, are a key part of their identity.

 Read more on how growing congregations are keeping up with changing times.

 

Gardens of earthly and spiritual delights

By David Briggs

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Matthew 19: 21-22

What delights us in this world?

Religious teaching encourages followers to discover true happiness in their faith, and in particular in the love of God and one another. A relentless consumer culture urges us to find meaning and satisfaction in material goods.

The 2008-2009 U.S. Congregational Life Survey asked a series of questions on this topic to a random sample of 833 worshipers.

And the winner is ... our possessions.

Forty-two percent of respondents said they were "extremely delighted" with the things they own. There were no differences among Catholics, conservative Protestants and mainline Protestants, with more than four in 10 in all groups saying their possessions were a source of great delight.

Actually, the things they own was tied at the top of the list of extremely delightful aspects of their lives along with close relationships with family and friends. But there was not the same unanimity in this area among religious groups, with Protestants much less likely to say they were extremely delighted with such relationships.

What may be equally surprising as the value worshipers put on their possessions was the relative lack of satisfaction they reported with other central aspects of their lives. Consider these findings:

• Thirty-four percent of worshipers said they were extremely delighted with their own happiness.
• Slightly less than a third said expressed the same satisfaction with their spiritual lives.
• Twenty-eight percent of worshipers said they were extremely delighted with what they had achieved in life, the lowest level of satisfaction reported on any of the nine areas surveyed.

What areas of your life make you extremely delighted?

 

 

Key to a spiritually alive church: Support your fellow church members

By David Briggs

My wife and I had just moved to Fairfield County in Connecticut, and were searching for a church. We were impressed when as visitors to an Episcopal congregation, the priest invited my wife to work with other volunteers at a craft fair.

She looked forward to the opportunity to meet people in a new town. Until it was time for lunch, and all of the women from the church working with her went to eat together, leaving only my wife behind to staff the table.

We never went back.

In a religious world that can often seem hierarchical, from clergy leading services to regional and national offices making decisions that impact local churches, the significance of the role played by each person in the pews can often be overlooked.

Yet a growing body of research is showing how worshipers treat one another can have a significant impact on the congregation and the spiritual life and physical health of its members.

In a new study using data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, researchers found informal support from church members was more associated with spiritual growth than worship service attendance or belonging to formal church groups.

Conversations before services or at church suppers may be even more effective than Bible study groups or Sunday School classes in that they provide give-and-take opportunities with trusted companions that can directly address the spiritual needs of individuals, say researchers Neal Krause of  the University of Michigan and Cynthia Woolever of the US CLS.

Several other studies also uphold the benefits of this type of positive social support within the congregation.

For example, a study of older adults over time found that greater spiritual support appeared to be associated with having fewer doubts about religion. In contrast, older people who encountered more negative interaction with other church members reported having more doubts.

 Those people who have negative experiences with others also are more likely to suppress those doubts, an action associated with less favorable health, researchers Neal Krause and Christopher Ellison of the University of Texas at San Antonio reported in an article on “the doubting process” in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

 In a separate study on self-forgiveness reported in the Review of Religious Research, Krause found results suggesting older adults who were more satisfied with the emotional support they received from church members were more likely to forgive themselves than those who were not satisfied with the support they received.

 At their best, what worshippers say to one another at coffee hour or in the grocery store reflects the prayers they recite during services.

When other church members model messages of love and forgiveness that are at the foundation of a faith’s teachings, it reinforces belief and the value of being part of a congregation, Krause says. If the messages are contradictory, with church members gossiping about or criticizing one another, it can place those beliefs in question.

Amid other pressing concerns such as church finances and programming, congregations need to evaluate how members are expressing their faith in their relationships with one another, Krause advises.

“Are the people in our congregation getting along? Are they supporting one another” are among the questions that need to be asked, he said.

The choices members make when they are together matter, whether it is to offer spiritual support in an environment of trust and mutual caring or even for a group of church friends to decide to go to lunch in two groups so a newcomer will not be left alone at a church fair.

It is in those settings, Krause says, "where the real business of religion takes place.”

 

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.)

 

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. 

 

10 Spiritual Resolutions for the New Year

by Ida Smith-Williams

Adapted from original post on 2/8/11

People often make resolutions regarding health and finances at the beginning of a new year to improve their life.  Consider comparing yourself to benchmarks from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to find ways you might make changes in your spiritual life.

1)      Attend worship services.  Increase your frequency of attending or start attending.  Overall, 65% of attendees are in worship usually every week.   Studies suggest that religious people are happier and that it might be due to friendships with others in the congregation.

2)      Get more involved in group activities. Nearly half of worshipers are not regularly involved in any group activities in their congregation.  Three in ten are involved in fellowships, clubs, or other social groups; one in five attends Sunday school, church school, or Sabbath school; and one in five are involved in prayer, discussion, or Bible study groups.  When asked to compare their participation in activities at the church now to two years ago, half (51%) said they participate about the same amount.   The USCLS found that many congregations with high levels of worshiper involvement also have worshipers who are growing spiritually, are inviting others to worship, and share a strong vision for the congregation’s future. 

3)     Become a leader.  Six in ten worshipers do not play a leadership role in the congregation.  Yet there are many ways to be involved (ushers, church school teachers, choir members, committees, etc.).  A pastor cannot do all the things a church needs to function.  How can you help?  

4)     Spend more time in private devotional acts (prayer, meditation, reading).  Only half of all attendees spend time every day or most days in private devotional activities.   It is these activities that will help you grow in your faith. 

5)     Grow in your faith.  Half of attendees have grown much in their faith over the last year (49%).  A third report growing mainly through activities of their congregation, 12% through their own private activities, and 6% with the help of other groups or congregations.

6)     Talk to others about your faith.  Invite friends to your congregation.  Nearly six in ten feel at ease talking about their faith and do so when it comes up.  Yet only four in ten have invited friends or relatives to their congregation in the past year.  Inviting others is an important first step
toward increasing the number of new people.  Most people attend a congregation for the first time because someone they know invited them. 

7)      Get more involved in your congregation’s community service, social service, or advocacy groups.  Two-thirds of worshipers are not involved with such groups.  Strong congregations balance their attention inside their congregation and outside in the wider community.  This is the mission of many churches, if not all—to help others in need.  There are many benefits to working towards this mission.  Getting involved can help you learn or develop a new skill, find new interests or hobbies, experience the “real” world, meet new people, give you a sense of achievement and purpose, and make you feel good about giving back to your community.     

8)     Make more friends in the congregation.  Two-thirds of worshipers have some close friends in the congregation.  Close friendships among churchgoers, rather than theology, seem to be the key to happiness among religious people, according to the findings of the Faith Matters Survey of U.S. adults.

9)     Pray.  Three-fourths of worshipers pray every day or most days for themselves or for their family.  Three-fourths pray more often than in the past.  Beyond connecting you to God, there are many proven benefits of prayer.  Prayer relieves stress, calms fears, reduces anxiety, stabilizes your moods, and gives you a feeling of well-being. 

10)   Support your congregation financially.  Fewer than one in five worshipers are tithers, giving 10% of their income to the church.  Three in ten give between 5% and 10%, and about as many give less than 5% regularly.

Do any of these give you ideas for personal change?

Interested in learning how your congregation’s worshipers compare to these averages?  Give the U.S. Congregational Life Survey.  Learn how. 

 

Discovering Strength in New Presbyterian Churches

by Joelle Kopacz

Seeking to turn around its declining membership, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently ignited a movement to start 1,001 worshiping communities in the next ten years.  While newer congregations may face challenges as they seek to become established, they also display many strengths that draw worshipers. 

To learn more about new congregations, in 2011 we surveyed 88 newer PC(USA) churches—those organized between 1990 and 2009.[i]   Using worshipers’ survey responses and a list of 10 congregational strengths, we compared strengths from these newer churches to strengths from a random sample of over 500 PC(USA) churches surveyed in 2008/2009.  What are the strengths of newer PC(USA) congregations, and how do they compare to the strengths of PC(USA) congregations in general? 

New Church Strengths.  We found that the average strength scores are higher in new PC(USA) churches for the following aspects of congregational vitality:

• Growing spiritually—more worshipers in new churches say they are growing in their faith and feel the congregation meets their spiritual needs.
• Participation in the congregation—more worshipers in new churches give 5% or more of their income to the congregation and attend worship weekly or more often.
• Sense of belonging—more worshipers in new churches feel a strong sense of belonging and say most of their closest friends attend the congregation.
• Sharing faith—more worshipers in new churches are involved in evangelism activities and invite friends or relatives to worship.
• Welcoming new people—more worshipers in new churches began attending in the past five years.
• Looking to the future—more worshipers in new churches feel committed to the congregation’s future vision and are excited about the congregation’s future.

Shared Strengths.  New PC(USA) congregations show a level of strength that is similar to other PC(USA) congregations in four additional areas:

• Meaningful worship—similar percentages of worshipers experience God’s presence, joy, inspiration, and awe in worship services and feel worship helps them with everyday life.
• Caring for children and youth—similar percentages of worshipers report satisfaction with the children and youth program and have children living at home who also attend there.
• Focusing on the community—similar percentages of worshipers are involved in social service or advocacy activities and work to make their community a better place to live.
• Empowering leadership—similar percentages of worshipers feel the congregation’s leaders inspire others to action and take into account worshipers’ ideas.

Although they are younger than many congregations, newer PC(USA) congregations have valuable strengths they can build upon.  New congregations promote spiritual growth and evangelism, encourage participation and belonging, and enhance worshipers’ excitement about their congregation’s future.  Yet no matter how young or old, each congregation has strengths that can attract new worshipers and minister to current members.

What are your congregation’s strengths? Compare your congregation to the national average, to the Presbyterian average, or to the average of growing or new Presbyterian churches by taking a snapshot of your worshipers. Your congregation can take part in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to learn more about who worships there and what they value, to identify your congregation’s strengths, to deal with change whether your congregation is growing or declining, to get ready to call a new pastor, or to renew or update your strategic plan.

Call 800-728-7228, ext. 2040 to get information about using the U.S. Congregational Life Survey in your congregation, or see the section titled “Survey Your Congregation” on our website (www.USCongregations.org).

---

[i] A total of 426 newer PC(USA) churches were identified and asked to participate in this 2011 survey.

[ii] Higher scores indicate greater congregational strength in that area.  Strength scores are calculated using the combined responses of all worshipers in each congregation.  With the exception of “welcoming new people,” strength scores combine responses to several related questions.  Questions with different response scales make up each overall strength score so it is inappropriate to compare scores from one strength to another.

New Presbyterian Churches: Full Offering Plates but Few Endowment Dollars

By Cynthia Woolever

Old money and older congregations.  New money and newer congregations.  What’s the difference?  That’s what we wanted to learn.  To do that we surveyed Presbyterian churches organized in 1990 or later and compared them to a random sample of 521 older Presbyterian churches and their 40,555 worshipers.  Around 90 new congregations agreed to participate in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey in the fall of 2011 and they gave our  survey to all 8,071 of their worshipers.

One thing we learned is that there are some huge differences.  One was in the age of the congregation.  That may not sound surprising – but the older congregations were more than 100 years older than their newer counterparts.  The average older Presbyterian congregation was organized in 1890 (median year across all churches).   The typical new PC(USA) congregation was founded in 1993. About 15% of the new Presbyterian churches surveyed began as a result of “church planting” and were established in the past five years. Almost 20% of the new congregations in the national sample moved to a new location sometime in the past five years.

More money in the plate. We were surprised to learn that the new PC(USA) churches have fuller offering plates than the older Presbyterian churches. As Table 1 shows, the new churches receive more contributions, have larger budgets and more staff than the typical older Presbyterian congregation. However, contributions per person are about the same.

A larger percentage of the overall income in the new Presbyterian churches (94%) comes from what individuals donate to the congregation than in the older churches (88%). New churches also use a larger slice of their budget for operating expenses (89%) than do the older congregations (86% goes to operating expenses).

Fewer dollars from an endowment. Perhaps not surprisingly, we learned that income from investments or bequests is relatively common among the older Presbyterian churches. About half of all of the older PC(USA) congregations receive endowment income. This is not the case for new congregations. Only one in ten of the newer PC(USA) churches (11%) has any endowment income.

Building a financial base. More new PC(USA) churches (22%) than older PC(USA) churches (15%) describe their congregation as having an increasing financial base. Three in ten new churches (28%) and four in ten older churches (38%) have a declining financial base (see Table 2).

Building a church’s ministry. So is it financially better to be older or newer?  It depends.  The typical older Presbyterian church has more than a one-hundred-year head start in securing a financial base to support the congregation’s ministry.  The upside translates into having endowment funds to tap.  The downside is often a declining financial base.

Building a solid and growing financial base in the midst of building new ministries is one of the big challenges for new churches.  The upside for them is higher contributions and budgets.  The downside is lack of endowments for future funding.

Regardless of whether your congregation is older or newer, our study shows that congregants in both new and old congregations support their churches financially.  That may not be surprising news – but it certainly is reassuring.