U.S. Church Attendance Undergoes Major Changes

If church attendance is any indication, Americans are as religious as they were 30 years ago. But the makeup of the nation's congregations has undergone significant changes during that same stretch, according to a study published in Sociology of Religion. The findings challenge the popular notion that church attendance has decreased. Aside from a moderate decline in the 1990s, the study shows that Americans' churchgoing routines have been fairly constant over the decades, at around 23 to 28 services a year. "There is a small decline in church attendance over time, but not nearly as large as suggested in popular culture, or even by some social scientists," said University of Nebraska-Lincoln sociologist Philip Schwadel. read more

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