Ten Years of Trends in the American Church

Sam Rainer

Ed Stetzer highlights on his blog a ten-year study that reveals changes in American congregations since 1998. This study, the National Congregation Study Wave II, directed by Mark Chaves, a professor at Duke University, compared over 1,505 congregations in 2006-2007 with 1,234 congregations in 1998.

What are the notable changes in American congregations since 1998? Click here for Ed’s commentary or here for a link to the study. I’ve briefly summarized some of the findings below. What are your thoughts?

Worship style. Churches are much less formal than they were in 1998.

Technology. In 1998 only 17 percent of congregations had websites. In 2006-2007, 44 percent of congregations had websites. Today almost three-fourths of regular church attendees go to a church that maintains a website.

Diversity. Congregations are more ethnically diverse than they were in 1998.

Age of leadership. The lead pastor’s age increased from 49 in 1998 to 53 in 2006, a surprisingly sharp increase given the attention that the issue of young leadership garners.

Size. One aspect of the American church that did not change over the ten-year period was the median size of a congregation. It remained the same at 75 attendees.