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 …
Trends
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 …
Picture-Perfect Plates: The Best Dishes & Best Restaurants (#2270)
Welcome to my fourth annual list of favorite food experiences! It all started back in 2022, when Thanksgiving was approaching and I couldn’t stop thinking about food. That year, I decided to switch things up here at So What Faith and write a post all about picture-perfect plates of food. More specifically, I shared the ten most popular food pictures - based on view counts - that I had shared as part of my restaurant reviews on Google. In 2023, the annual exploration expanded to feature two Read More …
Global Decline in Religious Identity (#2264)
Conrad Hackett is associate director of research and senior demographer at Pew Research Center and a contributing author to an academic paper written by an international team of scholars that explores the three stages of religious decline. A few weeks after its publication, Hackett penned a Pew Research article that summarizes the paper. While variations of secularization theories have long explained the decline of religious identity in Western Christian nations, this work suggests the global Read More …
How Big is Too Big? Rethinking Church Real Estate (#2262)
The biggest change in local churches in America during my lifetime is size. The average congregation has grown smaller and smaller. The average worship attendance continues to decline with the average dropping by more than 50% between 2000 and 2020 (see Worship Attendance Cut in Half, 2022). While much of the focus has been on the small and mid-sized congregations that make up the majority, it’s important to recognize that this trend is now beginning to affect larger churches too. A few Read More …
Slow Fade: A New Look at Mainline Protestant Decline (#2252)
The 2024 PRRI Census of American Religion provides an overview of the American religious landscape based on the data PRRI collected from 40,000 survey respondents. Context Since launching this blog in 2009, I've been calling attention to the decline in traditional metrics surrounding American religious belief, behavior, and belonging. This survey included many questions, including about religious identity or lack thereof. Generational Realities For those familiar with how Read More …
Southern Baptist Membership Drops Every Year Since 2006 (#2245)
I am not a Southern Baptist and have never been part of that Protestant denomination. I am, however, someone who has lived most of my life in Texas and who has followed the macro changes within American Protestantism. Since the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting was held in Dallas this summer, I've been drawn into more conversations than usual about what is happening in this denomination. Finally, as the largest Protestant denomination in America, long-term changes in membership in Read More …
Celebrating Personal and Professional Milestones (#2237)
During the final two weeks of June, I am celebrating three significant milestones: Birthday The only time I previously blogged about my birthday was when I turned 40 (see My Milestone Birthday Experience). Year after year, I continue to celebrate my birthday each year with friends and family. This year my celebrations stretched across an entire week and included special events in multiple states. I'm truly grateful to everyone who reached out to offer birthday wishes and also for Read More …