Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash

What Makes Ministers Want to Stay? New Research Points to the Power of Congregational Care

When we think about why clergy might leave their positions, we often focus on the obvious challenges: long hours, modest pay, or theological disagreements. But new research I conducted, forthcoming in the Review of Religious Research, reveals a clear and perhaps surprising finding—the single most important factor in whether ministers stay or go isn’t about…

What does ‘attendance’ even mean anymore?

Between the pandemic and the spread of virtual meetings, congregations – like other organizations – are left to wonder what it means for people to ‘attend’ services. Attendance numbers can’t be deduced by counting the ‘butts in the pews,’ so YouTube views and Zoom participants have to be added to the mix. But what are…

Spatial Transcendence: When Congregational Experiences Leave the Sanctuary

What happens when religion leaves the congregation? From coffee shops to living rooms, people engage with religious texts, sermons, and traditions wherever they can access them. Religion cannot be confined to a physical space. Nor are religious practices confined to those who identify as religious. Many people identify as disaffiliated from a religious tradition, ‘spiritual…