😲 The Giant Religion Trend That Should Be Bigger News 🔌

July 14, 2023 Bobby Ross Jr.

Weekend Plug-in 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.

(ANALYSIS) We’re baaa-aaack!

Today’s newsletter marks the return of Weekend Plug-in after two weeks of vacation. Did you miss me?

I’m still catching up on the headlines I missed while watching a whole lot of Texas Rangers games.

But I know the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on two important religious freedom cases — one on religious accommodation at work and the other involving free speech and free exercise protections for people of faith who are creative professionals.

Click the preceding links, by the way, to read excellent coverage of the decisions by the Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner.

In more recent news, the gunman who killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue is eligible for the death penalty, a federal jury announced Thursday. The decision clears the way, as The Associated Press’ Peter Smith reports, “for further evidence and testimony on whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison.”

In case you need a reminder, this is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start with the giant religion trend that should be bigger news.

What To Know: The Big Story

Houses of worship closing: “Everybody is caught up with fighting over sexuality or politics on Twitter — and almost no one is paying attention (to) the collapse of congregational life in America.”

Religion News Service national writer Bob Smietana made that prescient observation on social media this week.

Smietana, of course, wrote a book on the subject called “Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters.”

A case study: An outstanding story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Sophie Carson inspired Smietana’s tweet.

Carson goes inside a historic downtown church that closed its doors.

Here’s how she sets the scene:

With the weeks winding down to Summerfield United Methodist Church’s final Sunday service, longtime member Bob Sarsfield unlocked a safe in the basement and pulled out a book of marriage records.

They dated to 1874.

There, in tiny cursive script, were dozens of names of people married at Summerfield a century and a half ago, their addresses and occupations and wedding dates detailed in neat columns.

“This is the stuff they want us to turn in,” Sarsfield said.

The United Methodist Church had made the all-but-inevitable decision to close Summerfield’s doors for good. Sarsfield and another dedicated member, Marcia Tremaine, were cleaning out cabinets ahead of the final day in late June. The book was a peek at the long history of a once-vibrant congregation that in recent years had lost steam.

It’s a scene that has become familiar around the country. Researchers estimate that before the COVID pandemic, 75 to 100 houses of worship closed each week in the U.S., facing the same headwinds as Summerfield: aging and dwindling congregations saddled with insurmountable upkeep costs.

Churches that are thriving today tend to offer modern services and programming.

Summerfield, the oldest Methodist congregation in Wisconsin, had shrunk to only 11 members, none under 65 years old. The historic building at North Cass Street and East Juneau Avenue, constructed in 1904 as the successor to Summerfield’s first church, needed extensive repairs.

“We could continue going on a little bit longer, but you’re looking down this dark hole and it’s just getting deeper and deeper,” said Sarsfield, chairman of the church’s trustees committee.

Perseverance and prayers: The Milwaukee story follows recent reporting (about the time of my vacation) by the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Erica Pearson.

Pearson profiles a rural Minnesota church in need of a savior:

The unincorporated village of Rosen in far western Minnesota’s Lac qui Parle County boasts a beautiful old Catholic church, a well-kept ballfield that’s home to an amateur baseball team — and not much else.

There’s not a single store, no restaurant or town hall. Not even a bar. Just St. Joseph’s, whose first pastor, the Rev. Peter Rosen, gave the village its name in 1895.

That’s one of the reasons parishioners are so upset that the church — the only community space they have — is slated to be merged with another parish in July, then potentially closed and demolished as part of the Diocese of New Ulm’s strategic plan to deal with priest shortages and shrinking congregations.

The villagers are fighting to save their church by filing an appeal with Bishop Chad Zielinski and raising money in what supporters call a David-and-Goliath battle. They hope to be among the few parishes in Minnesota and other states that have managed to stave off closure and keep their church buildings.

More on the subject: Interested in additional insight?

NPR’s Scott Neuman and The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt both have covered the trend in recent months.

And my Christian Chronicle colleague Cheryl Mann Bacon did an entire series on “Where have all the churches gone?”

Check out Bacon’s special project.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Independent churches surge: “The city some dismiss as ‘The Swamp’ is fertile ground for evangelicals.”

Here’s another trend that probably doesn’t receive as much attention as it should: Christianity Today’s Daniel Silliman highlights the growth of nondenominational churches — specifically in Washington, D.C.

“If nondenominational were a denomination, it would even be larger than the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination in the US,” Silliman notes.

2. Faith of the candidates: Vivek Ramaswamy is leaning into his Hindu faith to court Christian voters.

So reports the New York Times’ Ruth Graham, whose story notes, “The Republican candidate for president makes a pitch that the faiths have much in common, but for many religious conservatives, the difference is a hurdle.”

In other campaign news, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “is hoping Iowa evangelicals can make his campaign born again,” according to Politico’s Sally Goldenberg.

And South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott looks to swing Iowa evangelical voters with a new $6 million ad buy, Bloomberg’s Christian Hall reports.

3. More Southern Baptist debate: “Many African American SBC churches have women pastors on staff. Will they be expelled next?”

That’s the intriguing question posed by Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana.

Inside The Godbeat

Every few years, the Houston Chronicle names a religion reporter, pays attention to the Godbeat for a little while … and then lets the important coverage area fade away.

That great newspaper has done some powerful reporting on subjects such as the Southern Baptist Convention’s sex abuse scandal, but it’s shown far less devotion to reporting on religion news in general.

I mention this because the Houston newspaper is taking applications for a reporter to cover religion in cultural life in Houston. Here’s hoping that this opening marks a renewed — and long-term — commitment to faith news.

Charging Station: ICYMI

Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.

“‘Sound Of Freedom’ is a preachy action film that will put you to sleep (if you’re lucky).”

That’s Joseph Holmes’ viral take.

Another piece you shouldn’t miss: Ryan Burge makes the case for why he believes “Religion has become a luxury good for the middle class, married college graduate with children.”

The Final Plug

“Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against His church, but sleet and hail will keep many churchgoers out of the pew on a Sunday. In fact, some may even skip to get a little extra sleep or watch their favorite team.”

I loved that lede on Aaron Earls’ story this week on a new Lifeway Research study. Check out the full report.

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.

Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for ReligionUnplugged.com and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.

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