Brenton Kalinowski is a PhD student and a graduate fellow at the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University. Elaine Howard Ecklund is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, Professor of Sociology, and director of the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance at Rice University.

COVID-19 and the Changing Meaning of Attendance

African American Churches, Attendance, Culture Frame, Mainline & Liberal Protestant Churches, Surveys, Technology & Internet, United States & Canada

How many people attended religious services last week? That used to be a relatively simple question, but COVID-19 has turned that on its head. And the safety decisions that leaders made not only had an immediate impact on congregational attendance but are likely to affect the future. Overall Religious Attendance Declining Religious service attendance in…

COVID-19 Poses New Leadership Challenges

African American Churches, Clergy, Congregational Conflict, Interviews, Leadership, Mainline & Liberal Protestant Churches, Process Frame, United States & Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused strain on religious organizations and their leaders. They have been challenged to keep members safe, while also contending with the politicization of the pandemic. They have had to develop or strengthen their online presence while often facing declining attendance. Resources of time, money, skill, and diplomacy have been stretched to…