Growing up, I remember always receiving a bulletin every time I entered the sanctuary for worship. The tradition of bulletin usage for all services continue when I was a seminarian and during the early years of my experience in parish ministry. In 2015, I stepped away from full-time parish ministry. As I began visiting churches, I started collecting their bulletins. Those shown below were mostly collected in late 2015 to just before the COVID-19 pandemic. To create the visual I first Read More …
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Another Church Closes: Saying Goodbye to Covenant Presbyterian After 70 Years (#2293)
When I visited Covenant Presbyterian Church two months ago (see My Visit to Covenant Presbyterian Church) it was clear the congregation had been in decline for some time. There was, however, no mention during the service, on the church's website, or in the printed marketing materials in the sanctuary to suggest it would soon be no more. Earlier this month I was shocked to learn this 70 year old Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation would hold its final worship service on Sunday, January 25, Read More …
100 Posts and Counting: Another Year of So What Faith (#2286)
When I launched So What Faith back in 2009, I was excited to be able to expand the reach of my writing beyond my congregation. I had no aspirations of blogging here for many years to come. Now, 17 years into this venture, I pause to reflect on the most recent year. Most Prolific Amazingly, I authored more posts here on So What Faith this year than any year in the last decade. This is my 100th post of 2025, which is 13 more than the prior high set last year and 25 more than the next Read More …
Religious Affiliation in America: If the U.S. Were Just 100 People (#2283)
It is widely known and frequently reported that the United States of America is becoming less and less Christian when considering the number of Americans who self-identify as Christian. For example, earlier this month I posted Christianity Declines by 25% in America, exploring the decline over the last 50 years. Current Breakdown Just how many Americans are affiliated with each religion? To answer this question, Becka A. Alper and Aleksandra Sandstrom frame the answer in a way that Read More …
Christianity Declines by 25% in America (#2280)
Over roughly the course of my lifetime the percentage of Americans identifying as Christian has declined by 25%. According to data from the General Social Survey, So What? All conversations about decline in particular traditions or denominations or more granular discussion about particular churches or congregations should begin with a general awareness of this cultural shift. To learn more about how declining membership in Mainline Protestant denominations as well as in Read More …
Decline Upon Decline: Metropolitan Community Churches (#2279)
The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is the largest Protestant denomination birthed in and primarily serving the LGBTQ+ community. G. Samantha Rosenthal's recent Sojourner's article has been shared across many of my social media feeds often with significant commentary. Her piece notes the denomination's historical development since its founding in 1968, including My search for longer term traditional metrics about denominational decline led me to the Association Read More …
Is Religion Gaining Influence in American Life? (#2277)
According to a Pew Research Center report, religion is gaining influence in American life. More specifically, there was a tremendous increase in the percentage of survey respondents who believed religion was gaining influence in American life in 2025 when compared to 2024 and also when compared to recent years. Over the most recent one year period, the percentage of respondents who believed religion is gaining influence in American life rose from 18% to 31%. The 31% number is the highest Read More …
Episcopal Church Unsure of Its Membership (#2274)
I, like so many others, have been actively monitoring the membership decline of Mainline Protestant denominations. Last year I wrote an article linking to more than 50 posts I wrote on this topic over the prior 15 years. While I've given limited attention to the Episcopal Church (see Another Decade of Major Decline in The Episcopal Church), I remain interested in its year over year decline. No Report I was shocked to learn that, for the first time, the Episcopal Church will not be Read More …
Celebrating Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving (#2273)
Friendsgiving Every year since moving to our current home in Arlington, Texas we have hosted a Friendsgiving Feast. What started as a gathering of friends who are connected through a Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ life group has expanded to include others. The first year, 20222, 15 folks gathered for a potluck style meal. To begin, we gathered in a circle so each person could share words of thanks or gratitude for the year passed then I offered a modified version of a Read More …
2025 in Exactly 100 Words (#2272)
After decades of decline in sending and receiving Christmas cards often containing Christmas letters, I longed for something new. Recognizing there is no real replacement, my alternative expression is simply one way to reflect on the year gone by and briefly share with others what has happened. In 2016 I started writing an annual year in review note consisting of exactly 100 words. In 2023, I started sharing those notes here on So What Faith (2023, 2024). 2025 in Review Next Read More …