wfn.org | Coalition releases comprehensive survey of U.S. churches

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

March 13, 2001 News media contact: Thomas S.
McAnally·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.     10-21-71B{127}

NOTE:  This may be used as a sidebar to UMNS story #126.
 
NEW YORK (UMNS) -- Results of the most extensive survey of congregational
life ever conducted in the United States were released March 13.

"Faith Communities in the U.S. Today" has been produced over a five-year
period by a coalition known as Faith Communities Today (FACT). The survey of
local churches, mosques and synagogues has been funded in part by the Lilly
Endowment of Indianapolis.

Co-directors of the project are David Roozen and Carl Dudley, faculty
members at Hartford (Conn.) Seminary and leaders in the school's Institute
for Religion Research.  

During a press conference at the Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral,
Dudley noted that congregations "are reporting their own vitality and their
aliveness. They feel good about themselves in this survey.

"Overall, the survey provides a very upbeat window on faith communities
today," he said.

The study showed that 52 percent of the responding congregations are in
small towns and rural areas. Half of the respondents have fewer than 100
regularly participating adults.

Craig This, with the United Methodist General Council on Ministries, was
among the 10 representatives from various denominations at the press
conference. This has been working with the project on behalf of the United
Methodist Church. He is director of the office of research and planning for
GCOM, which is based in Dayton, Ohio.

This pointed out that "70 percent of our sample showed we (United
Methodists) are town and country churches."
 
Surveys tabulated in the study represent more than 14,000 congregations. Of
those, 601 are United Methodist. The full report may be obtained by going to
the FACT Web site, FACT.HARTSEM.EDU. United Methodist findings will be
available in May on the GCOM Web site www.gcom-umc.org.

The overall report on the Hartford Seminary Web site does not include
findings for each denomination but does note similarities or differences
among denominational/faith families.  Protestant participants are divided
into four families commonly used to categorize American religion: Liberal
Protestant - Episcopal, Presbyterian, Unitarian-Universalist and United
Church of Christ; Moderate Protestant - American Baptist, Disciples of
Christ, Evangelical Lutheran, Mennonite, Reformed Church in America and
United Methodist; Evangelical Protestant -Assemblies of God, Christian
Reformed, Nazarene, Churches of Christ, Independent Christian Churches,
"mega churches", nondenominational Protestant, Seventh-day Adventist and
Southern Baptist; and the Historic Black Protestant denominations.

The research is considered the most inclusive, denominationally sanctioned
program of interfaith cooperation, according to the directors. The project
was initiated at Hartford to enhance the capacity of participating
denominations and faith groups to conduct and use congregational studies. It
also was undertaken to provide a public profile of the organizational
backbone of religion in America - congregations - at the beginning of a new
millennium.

Growing faith communities are those that use or blend contemporary forms of
worship, and those that are located in newer suburbs, according to the
report. Faith groups in the United States continue to make major moral and
charitable contributions to the community welfare through a vast array of
faith-bound ministries, the researchers concluded.

However, directors also identified "disturbing" findings: Congregational
leadership is aging and unprepared for change, and seminary-educated
leaders, in particular, are unready to address issues of change.

Each denomination or faith group included its own questions for its
congregations, but the core questionnaire going to all 42 denominations
covered worship and identity; location and facilities; internal and
mission-oriented programs; leadership and organizational dynamics;
participants; and finances.
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United Methodist News Service
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