By Thom S. Rainer A seismic shift is taking place in American church facilities, a shift that will become even more noticeable in the years to come. Church worship centers or sanctuaries will become smaller than they were the past 40 years. As church leaders decide to build, a large number of them will decide…
By Frederick Melo In St. Paul’s Hamline-Midway neighborhood, the Knox Presbyterian Church at 1536 W. Minnehaha Ave. has put its 1914 building up for sale. The congregation, which was chartered in 1890, grew to 900 members in the 1950s. But it recently has dropped to about 55 regular attendees, victim in part to national trends…
By Melissa Steffan Sunday used to be a day reserved by many Christians for attending worship services, but new research indicates the extent to which American churches today are competing against myriad other activities. The biggest competition? Children’s sports. According to a new study published in the Review of Religious Research, an examination of declining…